We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities Blue Ventures develops transformative approaches for catalysing and sustaining locally led marine conservation. We work in places where the ocean is vital to local cultures and economies, and are committed to protecting marine biodiversity in ways that benefit coastal people.

Summary job description

• We are currently recruiting Fisheries Interns to support our Partner support team in Kenya.
• The roles will entail providing technical assistance to partner organisations involved in community-based fisheries management, and sharing technical and marine resource management experiences. The successful candidates will provide bespoke training and technical support to local partners in all aspects of fisheries assessment and management, including monitoring of landings particularly including the design and use of mobile-based data collection systems and supporting local partners in efforts to assist communities in the management of target small-scale fisheries.
• The successful candidates will be a motivated, proactive and highly organised individual, who enjoys independent working. The Fisheries interns will have an excellent knowledge of the small-scale fisheries, marine conservation and development sectors
• Practical experience of community-based conservation and development initiatives in Kenya will be valuable to the role.
• We are looking for new colleagues who thrive in environments that are dynamic, fast-paced, collegiate and ambitious, and are able to demonstrate experience of working independently and solving complex problems in challenging situations. The Fisheries interns will report to the Fisheries Officer in Mombasa, and be based at field locations alongside local partner organisations, with regular travel to work with partners and field teams.
• Blue Ventures is a fast growing and mission-driven social enterprise, offering excellent opportunities for further professional development

Responsibilities

• Technical support and guidance for partner organisations
• Working closely with the Fisheries Officer in Kenya to provide support to local partners in Kenya, to improve fisheries monitoring, management and governance
• Liaising with partner support team in Kenya to ensure correct and timely technical support is provided, and interacting with technical colleagues both within Kenya and internationally
• Supporting monitoring plans and smartphone data collection systems (eg.Kobo Toolbox), and adapting the toolkits and methods to local contexts that suits partners needs
• Support training of local partners and community resource monitors to manage mobile data systems with eventual handover and autonomous management of monitoring
• Supporting local partners and community members in discussions around improving local fisheries management practises, providing best practice insights and recommendations from other fisheries in similar contexts

Documenting learning & communication

• Gathering feedback from community partners to guide efforts to improve the performance and impact
• Support fisheries data management; Analysis, interpretation, and visualisation of data for community feedback to inform decision making.

Skills and experience

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Post graduate or undergraduate degree in relevant field and/or proven experience in marine fisheries management or environmental conservation
• Demonstrable practical experience working in community-based marine conservation and/or co-management
• Experience of small-scale fisheries assessments, ideally through participatory (community-based) methods and human rights based approach
• Experience in conducting ecological and socio-economic assessment.
• Strong analytical skills, experience in data collection management and interpretation
• Experience of teaching and mentoring in data systems, analysis and interpretation
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to convey complex messages clearly in presentations, meetings and written form, and to connect with people of all seniority levels and cultural backgrounds
• A good team player who is also motivated to work independently
• Excellent time management and organisational skills
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office, Google Apps, and social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google plus)

You will be a great fit if

• You show a commitment to Blue Ventures’ mission and values, evidenced by a high level of personal and professional integrity, humility and humanity.
• You demonstrate a strong bias for action and comfort with the uncertain; you are motivated to move forward, make decisions, and finalise details quickly once information is available.
• You’ve shown a willingness and ability to challenge the status quo creatively and productively.
• You have an analytical mindset and orientation toward measurement, outcomes and continuous improvement and learning. You value in others, and yourself, data-driven and consultative decision-making.
• You think critically and put a high value on offering and receiving constructive feedback and criticism.
• You’re trustworthy in managing sensitive situations and information; you are discrete, professional, and possess excellent judgement