Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) is an institution of the East African Community (EAC) charged with the management and development of fisheries and aquaculture. It was formed by a Convention in 1994 with major amendments in 2016. It is accommodated under Article 9.3  of EAC Treaty and registered as a regional fisheries management organization under the FAO UN Charter CAP 102. The overall objective of the LVFO is to promote sustainable management and development of the fisheries and aquaculture in order to contribute to food security and economic growth in the EAC region. LVFO has received funding from EU through FAO to implement the TRUEFISH project. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the development of a competitive, gender equitable and sustainable commercial aquaculture sector in order to support economic development and sustainable management of natural resources in the Lake Victoria basin. The project will deliver three result areas which include BUSINESS (access to commercial networks-SO1), SKILLS (availability and quality of local skilled workers in aquaculture-related businesses-SO2) and SUSTAINABILITY (sustainable and bio-secure regional aquaculture production systems-SO3). The project will be coordinated through the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) whose responsibility shall be to support the LVFO in ensuring that overall programme supervision, including planning and coordination, monitoring and reporting, evaluation, exchange of good practices and lessons learnt, including on gender, as well as communication and visibility be implemented. It is against this background that LVFO Secretariat is seeking to recruit a Principal Aquaculture Management and Development Officer to coordinate project activities in line with approved regional policies on Aquaculture in the EAC.

A. Major duties and responsibilities

1. Coordinates the harmonization of aquaculture management and development policies and legal framework in the region to ensure development of sustainable climate smart aquaculture;
2. Coordinates TRUEFISH project and any other aquaculture related projects at the LVFO Secretariat;
3. Formulates strategies for the formation and strengthening of aquaculture associations and groups to enhance farmed fish production;
4. Formulates and coordinates programmes for the management and development of aquaculture;
5. Conducts awareness creation to promote aquaculture development in the EAC Region;
6. Evaluates the effectiveness of the existing national policy and legal instruments in achieving the desired goals in aquaculture development and advises on changes where required;
7. Assesses the impact of existing investments in aquaculture and identifies possible areas for further public/private investment to stimulate commercial aquaculture development;
8. Advises on the financial and economic viability of planned investments, integrating it with technical feasibility and environmental suitability;
9. Assess and identifies research gaps in aquaculture management and development and provides recommendations;
10. Collaborates with aquaculture Research and Management institutions in the development of aquaculture;
11. Formulates and coordinates programmes for management and development of aquaculture;
12. Promotes adherence to guidelines on compliance to the required aquaculture standards for sustainability;
13. Promotes investments in aquaculture and marketing of farmed fish and organizes regional fora for networking;
14. Liaise and collaborate with other specialists in the Organization in carrying out all the above responsibilities;
15. Disseminates data and information in relation to aquaculture development in the EAC region;
16. Actively mobilizes resources to support aquaculture research and investment programmes of the organization
17. Performs such other related duties as may be assigned by the supervisor;

B. Required qualifications, competences and experience

1. Academic Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in aquaculture or any relevant field
• PhD in the same field is an added advantage

2. Work Experience

• At least Ten (10) years of experience in aquaculture in the East African region, five (5) of which at sen  ior level

     3. Desirable

• Specific experience in managing programmes/projects with Donor funding within an international or regional organization, national government, or other public or private organization.

      4. Other knowledge and competences

• Very good working knowledge of ICT (MS Office, statistical software)
• Very good written and oral knowledge of English
• Track record of scientific publications in the respective field (4 publications minimum in reputable journals, books and book chapers, 2 of which as principal author)
• Track record in resource mobilization (in terms of successful grant awards)
• Very good in communication skills
• General knowledge in Project Management; Monitoring and Evaluation; Proposal Writing; Managerial Skills

B. Assessment method

Evaluation of qualified candidates will include a competency-based interview and any other assessments deemed necessary.

   1. Education Qualifications

All candidates applying must have qualifications that are recognised by the relevant national accreditation body in their respective countries. This condition is applicable for locally and internationally attained qualifications.

2. Relevant Working Experience

Relevant working experience in this regard refers to post education work experience. Internship, training, apprenticeship and clerkship will not be considered as relevant work experience.

C. Terms and conditions of employment

The Contract period is for five (5) years renewable once upon satisfactory performance.  The initial contract is subject to a six (6) months’ probation, to be confirmed upon satisfactory performance.

  1. Remuneration

An attractive Basic Salary package at EAC P3 scale including monthly Housing and Transport allowance.

  2. Fringe Benefits

In addition, this post offers attractive fringe benefits including an installation allowance paid once, plus gratuity paid monthly, a personal medical Insurance, and personal accident insurance cover.

D. Eligibility

Eligibility is restricted to candidates from EAC/LVFO Partner States (The Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania).

E. Age Requirement

Must be preferably not more than 55 years’ old