Fishery Officer (IOTC Data Officer)

Organizational Setting

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

The Fisheries Division (NFI) is responsible for the economic, social, institutional, governance and policy aspects of FAO's activities related to fisheries and aquaculture and their development, with particular emphasis on human well-being, food security and poverty reduction; post-harvest utilization, marketing and trade with due regard to the protection of the environment, food security and well-being of fishing communities; collection, compilation, validation, trend analysis and dissemination of the best available and up-to-date fishery statistics and for the dissemination of FAO's information on all aspects of world fisheries and aquaculture.

The Division is also responsible for FAO's activities related to the management and conservation of the living aquatic resources used by fisheries and aquaculture, including the biodiversity and ecosystem maintenance, with particular emphasis on most vulnerable and threatened species and habitats; management of responsible fisheries and aquaculture in accordance with modern management standards and best practices; development of fisheries technology, with due regard to the protection of the environment, food security and well-being of fishing communities, including the safety of fishers and fishing vessels.

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) established in 1993 under the provisions of Article XIV of the Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The IOTC's objective is to promote cooperation among the Contracting Parties (Members) and Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties of the IOTC with a view to ensuring, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilization of stocks covered by the organization's establishing Agreement and encouraging sustainable development of fisheries based on such. The IOTC implements its policy and activities through its secretariat, based in Seychelles.

The Commission has four key science-based functions and responsibilities which enable it to achieve its objectives. Briefly these include\: reviewing the status of the stocks and to gather, analyse and disseminate scientific information (including catch and effort statistics and other relevant data); supporting research and development activities in respect of the stocks and fisheries covered by the IOTC; adopting, on the basis of scientific evidence, Conservation and Management Measures (CMM) to ensure the conservation of the stocks covered by the Agreement; and reviewing the economic and social aspects of the fisheries based on the stocks covered by the Agreement.

The position is located in Victoria, Seychelles in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) within the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI).

Reporting Lines

The Fishery Officer (IOTC Data Officer) reports to the Fishery Officer (Data Coordinator), IOTC..

Technical Focus

Tuna fisheries science and data management. The Fishery Officer (IOTC Data Officer) works in close cooperation with the Fishery Officer (Data Coordinator) ensuring that the data needs of the Commission are delivered.

Key Results

Research, technical analysis and project related services to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services.

Key Functions

• Researches, analyses and provides access to fisheries and aquaculture technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional and technology related data, and information and/or related policy issues to support the delivery of fisheries and aquaculture programmes, projects, products, publications and services.
• Produces a variety of technical data, statistics, information and reports, as well as input for technical documents and web pages.
• Provides technical, statistical, and/or analytical services on various studies, projects and initiatives, and/or assessments; provides technical backstopping to field projects.
• Participates in the development of improved/updated technical, statistical and/or analytical tools, methodologies, systems, databases and/or key social/economic/environmental/ nutritional and/or early warning indicators, etc.
• Participates in multidisciplinary teams and/or leads working groups/teams; collaborates with other Divisions/Offices/Centres on work groups and committees and promotes best practices.
• Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development activities within Members, such as organizational development and individual learning events, including preparation of related information, learning materials and on-line tools.
• Promotes knowledge sharing and best practices at international meetings and conferences and influences partners in stakeholder consultations.
• Supports resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Specific Functions

• Participates in the coordination of the Commission's science activities.
• Develops materials and documents for the IOTC Scientific Committee and its subsidiary bodies including but not limited to project progress reports, species Executive Summaries and administrative papers.
• Participates in the collation, processing, curation and analysis of fisheries and biological data pertaining to the IOTC work, as well as in their dissemination.
• Estimates gaps or inconsistencies in all relevant data sets submitted by Contracting Parties and Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties (CPCs) or received from other official sources (observer programmes or data collection projects implemented at national/international level) by using appropriate statistical procedures and methodologies.
• Participates in the design and assessment of data collection and management initiatives in IOTC member countries, with a specific focus on artisanal and small-scale fisheries.
• Prepares training materials required for the implementation of data collection and management activities, including sampling and data entry manuals, and undertakes training of national staff on sampling, data entry and processing.
• Undertakes missions to sampling sites to ensure the accurate execution of data collection and other related activities.
• Monitors the reporting, validation and verification of data generated from sampling programmes; documents and reports procedures developed to process the information obtained through data collection activities.
• Prepares progress reports on data collection activities for presentation to meetings of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies.
• Performs other related duties as required.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in fisheries science, biostatistics, computer science, data science or a related field.
• Five years of relevant experience in fisheries science, statistics, data management or related fields, with demonstrable expertise in applying modern data science tools and techniques to environmental datasets.
• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building effective relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions.
• Extent and relevance of experience in fisheries or environmental statistics, including the application of advanced statistical methodologies.
• Proficiency in R statistical software, including experience in data processing, automation, analysis and visualization, as well as R package development and R Shiny dashboards.
• Proficiency in database modelling, API design, and integration of data pipelines for efficient data management and accessibility.
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including spatial data analysis and visualization.
• Familiarity with Java and/or Python, or other comparable programming languages to develop data management and dissemination systems and perform data analysis, machine learning and workflow automation tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement statistical workflows and scientific information systems to support fisheries or environmental data analysis.
• Experience in metadata management and developing documentation for datasets to ensure transparency and usability.