Coordinator - Marine Conservation and Sustainable Blue Economy

Emirates Nature is a UAE environmental non-governmental organization, established under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s representative in the Western Region and Chairman of Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD).

We work in association with WWF (hereafter EN-WWF), one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. EN-WWF has been active in the UAE since 2001 and has successfully initiated and implemented several conservation and education projects and initiatives in the region.

The main responsibility of the Conservation Coordinator will be to support the successful implementation and delivery of conservation projects linked to Nature Based Solutions, Sustainable Blue Economy and Ecotourism among others, with ultimate goal to promote marine biodiversity conservation in the UAE and the region. The Conservation Coordinator will play an integral role in supporting the marine team liaising with stakeholders and donors, overseen specific activities of the projects, and logistics coordination for events, fieldwork and reports. The role will also seek to support the Conservation Unit overall, to the extent possible.

Effective support in the Nature Based Solution project and the broader conservation activities

• Support the team on the implementation of activities related to the NbS project pillars
• Work with the project team to ensure smooth preparation of technical workshops (agenda, engage with attendants, etc.)
• Support fieldwork on the field as required and logistics.
• Support and/or lead short term initiatives that will enable the implementation of the marine programme.
• Supervise interns and volunteers as the project requires.
• Support the Marine team members on logistics preparation, admin tasks, formal correspondence, field-work planning and permit applications.
• Undertake research and develop a calendar of key environmental and policy initiatives and other events (in the UAE and the region) including details on scope, agenda and expected outcomes
• Provide support in policy review for species and wider marine conservation topics as needed

Support broader implementation of the 10-year Conservation Impact Thesis and Conservation Unit priorities

• Support preparations of Annual Reports, Concept Notes and presentations related to the whole conservation portfolio of the Unit
• Assist in stakeholder engagement and participate in external meetings as needed
• Coordinate feedback from external requests on reports and policies, e.g. MOCCAE, EAD, etc.
• Coordinate marine team input for internal meetings
• Support the onboarding of new members of the marine team, including building capacity regarding the organization and ENWWF stakeholder requirements

Experience

• 2+ years experience in marine conservation or relevant field with tasks related to coordination and implementation of projects together with stakeholders.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement with diverse groups of actors (government, researchers, local communities, etc.)
• Working experience in the Arabian region and UAE (preferable).

Education

• Graduate degree in environmental science, marine biology or relevant field.
• Fluency in English is essential. Knowledge of Arabic is highly desirable.

EN-WWF Focus: Acts as a member of EN-WWF, placing higher priority on EN-WWF goals than own goals and anticipating the effects of own area���s actions on others to ensure holistic EN-WWF outcomes

External Orientation: Looks outwards ensuring WWF stays relevant, continues to anticipate and adapt to external environmental and global trends.

Delivering Quality Outcomes: Establishes stretch goals, plans, using best judgment and takes responsibility for planning to and delivering on outcomes.

Building Working Relationships: Builds collaborative relationships through the understanding and development of other’s and own ideas.

Communicating Effectively: Uses appropriate means of communication to convey messages, seeks input from others and ensures understanding.

Leading Change: Encourages and seeks out innovative solutions and brings people on a journey constructively and empathetically.

• Strong willingness and ability to learn about new topics
• Willingness to take the lead on ad hoc requests from stakeholders.
• Able to work efficiently with multiple tasks on a broad range of topics.
• Project coordination skills.
• Excellent relationship-building skills and exceptional teamwork abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills, and attention to detail
• Demonstrable ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Arabic (desirable).
• Excellent organizational and time management skills and ability to perform under pressure.
• Self-starter and able to prioritise activities accordingly.
• Set challenging but realistic goals and solve problems effectively.
• Supportive, constructive and open to influence in dealing with others.
• Friendly, open, and sensitive to the satisfaction of the work group.

Internal: Works closely with all units and from time to time can be requested to report to the MT

External: Works closely with Stakeholders, Consultants and Suppliers.

EN-WWF is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome diversity in the workplace and offer a flexible and diverse place of employment.