Mission description

Expertise France is seeking a Partnership Officer. Under the responsibility of the Project Director, the Partnership Officer will:

– Coordinate with Pillar 1 & 3 Implementing Partners;

– Develop a network of practitioners on Blue Economy issues;

– Support the program management team on overall program reporting and coordination activities.

More specifically, their tasks will be:

1. Coordinate with Pillar 1 & 3 Implementing Partners

o Pillar 1, dedicated to strengthening ocean governance in West Africa, will be implemented by EFCA (European Fisheries Control Agency), FAO as well as two regional agencies: SRFC and FCWC.

o Pillar 3, dedicated to strengthening marine and coastal resilience, will be implemented by IUCN.

As part of the programme coordination responsibilities entrusted to Expertise France under Pillar 2, the Partnership Officer will define the operational and contractual terms of the partnerships with the other implementing partners of the programme. They will then monitor these partnerships.

• Definition and implementation of partnership agreements
  • Identify points of contact within the implementing partners and initiate initial exchanges in coordination with the Project Director;
  • Facilitate exchanges for the development of MoUs with relevant implementing partners and ECOWAS;
  • Follow up with Expertise France headquarters for the development and validation of these MoUs.
• Coordinate with Pillars 1 & 3
  • Facilitating active coordination between the three pillars, through the organisation of regular coordination meetings;
  • Share information on a regular basis with the other pillars, via tools established in consultation with the Knowledge Management Officer and the Communication Officer.
• Provide technical support on pillars 1 & 3 on cross-cutting topics
  • Provide complementary expertise to pillars 1 and 3 on monitoring, evaluation, audit, procurement, etc.;
  • Ensure, in conjunction with the M&E Officer, the consolidation of the M&E system at the programme level and the provision of indicators at the desired frequencies (particularly before the Technical and Steering Committees).

2. Develop a network of practitioners on Blue Economy

The Partnership Officer will identify partnership opportunities and lead a network of practitioners that can participate in the implementation of the program: institutions, non-governmental organizations, private sectors, civil society, financing banks, committed to the sustainable and inclusive Blue Economy sector.

In coordination with the management team, they will facilitate the establishment of partnerships between the various stakeholders in the sector, so that they can share their expertise and experiences.

For this, he will be in charge of:

o To ensure regular contacts and exchanges with blue economy stakeholders, including development banks;

o Participate in Blue Economy events, online and in-person, with the management team;

o Identify opportunities for collaboration with the programme and present them to the Project Director;

o Ensure the dissemination to partners of communication materials and reports produced by the communication and knowledge management team.

3. Support the program management team on overall program reporting and coordination activities.

• External and internal reporting:
  • Participate in the drafting of implementation reports and ensure quality control in connection with headquarters;
  • Support the team in the conduct of internal Expertise France reporting exercises, and semi-annual review.
• Coordination with the donor:

o Hold regular exchanges with the EUDs in charge of the program on operational topics. Particular attention should be paid to communication with the EUDs of Cape Verde, Senegal and Ghana, in order to share key information related to project activities;

o Respond to support needs in terms of EUD coordination;

o In connection with the Knowledge Management Officer and the Communication Officer, regularly share news on project activities with the EUD.

• Project Governance (in collaboration with the Project Director):
  • Support the organisation of project governance bodies, including steering committees and technical committees;
  • Facilitate the preparation of agendas and material organization;
  • Ensure that there is a regular flow of operational information and ownership of the project by the EU and other implementing agencies.

This job description is not exhaustive; the Partnership Officer must carry out all activities necessary for the proper coordination of the programme partners.

Project or context description

The West Africa Sustainable Ocean Programme (WASOP), funded by the European Union for €59 million, aims to improve the sustainable and integrated use of ocean resources in West Africa by stimulating inclusive economic growth. This 5-year programme covers 13 West African countries: Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria.

The program is divided into three pillars:

• Pillar 1: Strengthen ocean governance in West Africa;
• Pillar 2: Support an innovative and sustainable blue economy;
• Pillar 3: Strengthen marine and coastal resilience.

Each Pillar of the programme is coordinated by a Delegation of the European Union (DUE): Ghana and Senegal for Pillar 1, Cape Verde for Pillar 2 and Senegal for Pillar 3. The 13 DUE implanted in the beneficiary countries will also be part of the programme.

Expertise France is in charge of the direct implementation of Pillar 2 “Supporting an innovative and sustainable blue economy” and the overall coordination of the programme. A budget of €28.5 million is allocated to Pillar 2, which aims to provide the technical services and expertise necessary for the development and implementation of a sustainable blue economy intervention in West Africa.

The four expected Outputs of Pillar 2 are:

– O1: WASOP is effectively implemented through a coordination system

– O2: provision of thematic expertise and technical support services to stakeholders;

– O3: selection and implementation of pilot actions in the sustainable blue economy;

– O4: WASOP’s communication activities, including awareness activities on the potential of the blue economy are implemented.

A project team, based in Praia, Cape Verde, will be recruited to oversee the activities delegated to Expertise France. Its missions will be: (i) the definition and implementation of the intervention strategy, (ii) the implementation of the communication and visibility strategy, the monitoring and evaluation system and (iii) the administrative and financial management of the project.

The project team will include:

• A management team: Project Director, Deputy Director, and Executive Assistant;
• An operational team:
  • Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Partnership Officer (present job description), Gender Advisor (O1),
  • Technical Assistance Coordinator, Technical Assistance Officer (O2),
  • Grant Coordinator (O3),
  • Knowledge Management Officer, Communication Officer (O4), etc.
• A support team: Administrative and Financial Manager, Logistics and events Officer, Procurement Officer, Accountant, HR and Administrative Assistant, etc.

Required profile

Training

Master’s degree (minimum 5 years of higher education) in international relations, international development, development economics, environmental law, sustainable development or other relevant fields.

Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in the implementation or management of international cooperation projects, international technical assistance projects or institutional capacity building projects. Experience in managing a multi-country project is an advantage;
• At least 3 years of experience in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams;
• Excellent knowledge of the project cycle and management tools. Knowledge of the procedures and requirements of European funding and Expertise France would be an asset;
• Experience in engaging institutional partners in development projects;
• Knowledge of the cooperation ecosystem and the Blue Economy;
• Experience working and managing projects in West Africa, especially at the regional level, is a major advantage.

Skills

• Very good capacity and willingness to lead networks and partnerships;
• Ability to work in a team;
• Ability to develop an overall strategy and compromise;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French. Proficiency in Portuguese would be an asset;
• Excellent communication and intercultural skills;
• Excellent writing and synthesis skills in English and French;
• Proficiency with office tools (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.);
• Organization, autonomy;
• Resilience and ability to adapt.

Additional information

Provisional schedule: Aim to start the project in November and deployment in November 2024.