The Nature Conservancy’s Florida Fisheries strategy seeks to achieve sustainable fisheries and healthy ocean ecosystems by transforming marine fisheries management in Florida. Our strategy is to implement and demonstrate the value of adaptive, cooperative, and comprehensive management for marine fisheries. This model leverages experimentation and contributions from the private and public sectors to drive innovation and increase science and management capacity. Our team partners with fishing communities, agencies, and other stakeholders to implement this strategy across coastal and offshore fisheries in Florida, while also contributing to our global, North American, and divisional/whole system fisheries strategies by transferring capacity and sharing relevant lessons, tools, and approaches.
The Fisheries Project Manager provides technical and program support to the Marine Program in the Strategies and Policy Department of the Florida Chapter. Reporting to the Florida Marine Program Manager, the Fisheries Project Manager provides leadership and support of conservation strategies to improve sustainability of Florida’s fisheries and their relationship to regional fisheries conservation, management, and policy measures. They serve as a principal contact to government agencies, Fisheries Management Councils and Commissions, fishermen and fishing organizations, other conservation organizations, and foundations. They work with the chapter’s Science and Planning Department on collaboration with scientists and the academic community. They establish the Conservancy as a major conservation partner within the area of responsibility, lead matrixed teams, and work within and across chapter departments and across Conservancy fisheries-related programs to build strategic, scientific, and technical capacity. The Fisheries Project Manager develops key partnerships with public & private organizations to identify and resolve technical issues, widely communicate solutions and best practices, develop innovative scientific methods, analyses, tools, and frameworks to address fisheries management and restoration needs. They engage local community support for fisheries-related conservation efforts. They work in partnership with government agencies and resource users to identify and implement innovative solutions to advance sustainable fisheries.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Works with teams to develop and implement conservation projects and strategies for select Florida state and federal fisheries, integrating the chapter’s fisheries work with the Conservancy’s whole systems, division, and North America sustainable fisheries priorities.
- Establishes the Conservancy as a trusted conservation partner within the area of marine fisheries.
- Ability to contribute effectively within a team-based environment to make decisions and solve problems, based on analysis, experience and context
- Engages community on local fisheries conservation efforts.
- Efficiently and effectively leads cross-functional multidisciplinary team(s) and contributes to teams led by others.
- Builds productive relationships and cooperative partnerships with diverse internal and external stakeholders to accomplish program goals.
- Assists in developing and implementing communication strategies to widely communicate solutions and best practices
- Develops and implements program or other relevant strategies and goals.
- Assists in developing innovative science-based methods, analyses, tools and frameworks to address fishery conservation and management challenges, contributing strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field.
- Establishes and maintains optimal performance standards within budget, including working within/managing a budget to complete projects, overseeing agreements/contracts and innovative solutions with vendors, assisting with budget development, and assisting with public and private fundraising.
- Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements.
- Self-motivated and establishes clear directions and sets stretch objectives.
- Frequent travel domestically, evening and weekend hours.
- May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.
- 5 years’ experience in marine fisheries, ecology, management and policy or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience leading community-based projects and working directly with a fishery industry or a community.
- Experience developing partnerships with community, government and other stakeholders.
- Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads and finances under deadlines.
- Experience with current trends, policies and practices in marine fisheries in Florida, Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and the United States.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills, communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 7 years’ experience in marine fisheries, ecology, management and policy or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Demonstrated experience influencing, developing and implementing marine fisheries conservation policy and plans.
- Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of ecosystem-based fisheries management.
- Demonstrated experience in fundraising.
The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, 401k or savings-plan matching for eligible employees, excellent benefits, flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.