Programme Officer, Unguja, Zanzibar

Vacancy #: 7571 Unit: ESARO Tanzania Programme Organisation: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Location: Tanzania Project Office, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania Reporting to: Regional Programme Coordinator / Country Representative, IUCN Tanzania Work percentage: 100% Grade: P1 Expected start date: 01 May 2026 Type of contract: Fixed-term (up to 11 months) Closing date: 24 April 2026

BACKGROUND

THIS IS A LOCAL POSITION

Background

The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries in the Horn of Africa, covering Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). The ESARO region is extremely rich in biodiversity with a high number of endemic species and the largest populations of iconic wildlife left on the continent. ESARO’s Programme focuses on biodiversity conservation through a diverse portfolio of projects and programmatic initiatives ranging from activities at the level of individual protected areas to shaping regional policy on biodiversity conservation. ESARO defines and delivers on its programmatic priorities in collaboration with IUCN members, commissions, and other strategic partners.

The Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR) Programme supports marine and coastal issues, including biodiversity conservation, development and management of marine protected areas and their networks, ecosystem, and fisheries management, marine spatial planning, marine pollution, integrated management and governance of coastal areas, adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction. The WIO region faces a number of challenges, including the degradation of coastal ecosystems and habitats, climate change impacts, marine plastics pollution, with emerging pressure from port development and oil and gas exploration. Aware of this reality, IUCN has redesigned its WIO coastal and marine resilience program strategy so that it can efficiently address current and emerging challenges.

The new strategy, “Towards a Blue Future”, aims at rolling out IUCN ESARO’s Blue Resilience Framework comprised of three key pillars: Blue Planet, Blue People and Blue Partnerships.

The three pillars respectively aim to secure the integrity of critical blue natural capital features, increase ocean and coastal conservation benefits and stewardship; and establish innovative and ambitious partnerships to dramatically increase impact.

The strategy aims at responding to the needs of the WIO region, both in terms of conservation and development by unlocking the potential of WIO’s natural capital through a blue economy.

IUCN has had its operations in Tanzania for more than four decades working with many partners and supporters to implement a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects ranging from management of protected areas, forest ecosystems, coastal and marine resources, aquatic ecosystems and climate change resilience. The Tanzania Office of IUCN is one of the fastest growing units in the region. Over the past 12 months, the programme development momentum, development partners interest, government relations obligations at the policy level, conservation science support, membership growth and engagement and project management requirements have brought to bear the need for a higher grade. The IUCN Tanzania office seeks to hire a Programme Officer to provide support for the implementation of the country COR programme at field level.

Job Description

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Officer, Coastal and Ocean Resilience – Tanzania, the Programme Officer will be responsible for coordination and support of implementing partners to ensure effective and timely activity development, planning, delivery, monitoring, reporting and implementation of the Bahari Mali II project.

S/He will establish strong coordination and linkages amongst all the major stakeholders in the field / district and at the regional level to ensure that program activities are implemented successfully. The Programme Officer will be responsible for managing the field-level project implementation and for achievement of the field level outputs.

Specific Duties

The specific responsibilities of the Programme Officer are;

Programme implementation;

Coordinate the implementation of project activities at field level as per the project documents as well as the annual work plan and budget.

Maintain close coordination with the relevant seascape level local authorities, including Regional Secretariats, District Councils and local actors in planning, implementation and monitoring of project activities.

Coordinate the production and sharing of project reports to relevant stakeholders through appropriate channels.

Identify and establish linkages with other initiatives at the field level that project donors support in order to maximize synergies and complementarities.

Ensure a coordinated and collaborative approach at field-level in implementing project interventions.

Lead in coordinating and organizing various workshops, trainings and meetings.

Regularly update and report on a regular basis about progress and constraints in order to find sustainable solutions while addressing implementation problems in consultation and with guidance of the Portfolio Manager, COR – Tanzania.

Act as a lead field/community level representative of the Bahari Mali II Programme Manager during project meetings and external events.

Supervise the activities of field-based community enterprises including administrative work

Build and maintain close coordination/linkages with targeted project stakeholders at Regional and District level as well as development partners, NGOs and private sector, keep them fully appraised of the project activities.

Prepare annual work plan, quarterly progress report, annual progress report and other plans as required and ensure timely submission to the Senior Programme Officer, COR.

Contribute to the development, coordination and supervision of ocean/ blue venture enterprises to operate as desired.

Supervise, coach and mentor project beneficiaries (coastal enterprises) to achieve intended results.

Review data collection and monitoring of project activities at field level.

Coordinate, facilitate and supervise subcontracts/consultants in the field

Represent IUCN at relevant events

Requirements

Perform any other duties as may be required

• POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Education;

Bachelor’s degree in fisheries, aquaculture, environmental sciences, social sciences, political sciences, business administration, sustainable development or any other discipline that is relevant to nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Work Experience;

Minimum 5 years sound working experience in the field of fisheries / aquaculture and rural development

A good understanding of community development and expertise in self-reliant and participatory development process.

A track record of working with District governments, fisheries groups, women and youth groups

Able and willing to travel frequently

Relevant experience in monitoring community-based projects

Computer literate

Language Requirements;

Fluency in English and Kiswahili (both written and verbal).

Language Proficiency;

Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Swahili and English

Core Competencies;

Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.

Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provide a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multiethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner.

Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach.

Functional Competencies;

Adheres to IUCN ESARO core values of Transparency, Inclusiveness, Professionalism and

Accountability.

Excellent report writing skill.

A strong delivery-oriented work ethic with the ability to meet competing demands and challenging timelines.

Computer literacy in relation to office applications (word processing, spreadsheets, power point) use of internet and online communication tools

Demonstrates strong leadership and people -management experience including supervision of staff, consultants and coordination of programme/projects teams in a multi-disciplinary environment and effective management of virtual team settings.

Must be strategic thinker, highly motivated, results driven and able to energize and motivate teams

Excellent interpersonal skills to support building networks and partnerships.

Must be a strong team player with proven communication and diplomacy skills and ability to work effectively with multicultural environment displaying sensitivity and respect for diversity

Committed to continuous learning, proactive and mature attitude towards self-development; and

Willing to travel and work in rural areas frequently within Tanzania.

APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: https://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

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