Senior Project Manager (Chief Technical Advisor)

About the Project

The project, “Promoting sustainable fisheries management in the Red Sea Large Marine Ecosystem” (RedSeaFish) is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). WorldFish is executing, three components of the project while the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) is responsible for executing one component.

The project aims to strengthen regional cooperation and management for sustainable shared fisheries in the Red Sea through strengthening fisheries data and information systems, enhancing collaborative regional fisheries management in the Red Sea, improving national regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity to manage Red Sea fisheries, and improving knowledge and awareness to support sustainable fisheries management. The beneficiary countries include Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen, while Saudi Arabia will partner and engage in project activities. The project management unit will be based in Cairo, Egypt.

About the Position

The Senior Project Manager (Chief Technical Advisor) will lead the implementation of the FAO/GEF Project Promoting sustainable fisheries management in the Red Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (RedSeaFish Project), providing strategic leadership, technical guidance, and overall management for this multi-component regional fisheries project.

This role combines high-level technical oversight with project coordination to ensure alignment with international best practices in fisheries management and national priorities. The post holder will lead regional harmonization of activities, supervise international and national technical experts in each project country, validate outputs, and promote knowledge sharing to strengthen fisheries governance and sustainability beyond the project’s lifetime.

Additionally, the position will manage work plans, budgets, procurement, and reporting, while ensuring gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation, risk management, and stakeholder engagement across all components. This is a senior role requiring proven expertise in fisheries management, multi-country coordination, and compliance with donor requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the execution of project activities across beneficiary countries, ensuring alignment with project objectives, outcomes, outputs, and regional coherence across all components.
• Provide high-level technical guidance to ensure that all activities, baseline analyses, and technical outputs comply with regional and international fisheries management standards, FAO guidelines, and international best practices.
• Oversee and ensure the quality, harmonization, and validation of scientific and technical analyses, including baseline assessments, stock assessment methodologies, and Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs).
• Contract, supervise, and guide international and national consultants, ensuring delivery of high-quality technical outputs and capacity-building initiatives that support sustainability beyond the project lifecycle.
• Provide strategic oversight of stakeholder engagement, workshops, and regional/global events to strengthen fisheries governance, promote collaboration, and facilitate effective participation of government, research institutions, fishing communities, and private-sector actors.
• Facilitate knowledge management and dissemination through IW:LEARN and other platforms, ensuring effective sharing of project results, lessons learned, and best-practice guidance at national, regional, and international levels.
• Lead overall project coordination, including the Project Management Unit, Implementing Agencies, focal points, and partners; monitor integration into national frameworks; oversee evaluations; and manage project risks through adaptive and results-based approaches.

Requirements

This job might be for you if you have the below skills and qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (MSc required; PhD preferred) or equivalent professional experience in Fisheries, Marine Biology, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Policy/Economics, or a closely related field, combined with relevant project management experience.
• Minimum of 10 years’ progressively responsible experience coordinating fisheries management projects, including multi-country and regional initiatives, preferably in the Near East, North Africa, or Northeast Africa regions (Red Sea experience is an asset).
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in the formulation and implementation of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) aligned with international best practices, including stock assessment, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), bycatch reduction, co-management, and ecosystem-based approaches.
• Proven experience applying international fisheries instruments and guidelines, including FAO/GEF standards, the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, and the IPOA-IUU.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee and coordinate international and national technical experts; ensure quality assurance and validation of technical outputs; harmonize methodologies across countries with varying capacities; and oversee fisheries information systems and baseline data quality.
• Proven experience in regional technical coordination, Project Steering Committee (PSC) support, and facilitation of national and regional multi-stakeholder workshops/events, including effective engagement with government entities, research institutions, fishing communities, cooperatives, and private-sector actors.
• Strong project management experience, including workplan and budget management, contracting and procurement (e.g. Letters of Agreement), FAO/GEF financial compliance, reporting (PIR/PPR), gender-responsive monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), and management of mid-term and terminal evaluations.
• Demonstrated leadership in multi-country fisheries reforms with evidence of policy influence; strong risk identification and adaptive management skills; and fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English (French strongly encouraged).

Desirable Skills

• Proven experience managing FAO and/or GEF-funded projects in compliance with FAO/GEF policies and reporting requirements.
• Strong fisheries management expertise, including stock assessment, MCS, bycatch reduction, co-management, and policy advocacy.
• Proficiency in data and analytical tools (Power BI/Tableau, Kobo/ODK, GIS); additional languages and strategic communication skills are assets.
• High discretion, sound judgment, and resourcefulness in complex and sensitive contexts.
• Strong facilitation and coordination skills, with the ability to perform effectively under pressure in multi-stakeholder environments.

This Internationally Recruited Staff (IRS) position offers an annual salary of USD64,000 to USD 79,000 per annum. WorldFish's IRS shall receive an attractive retirement plan, comprehensive health insurance, life insurance, accident, and long-term disability insurance. Internationally recruited staff employed outside of their home base/country of nationality will also be eligible to receive relocation assistance, a housing allowance, home-leave plane tickets for self and eligible dependents and education assistance for school-age dependents between age 4 and high school graduation.

The duration of the contract will initially be for a three-year period with possibility for extension, depending on funding and performance. All benefits are subject to terms and conditions.

• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English (French strongly encouraged).