Regional Marine Director – East Africa & West Indian Ocean

About the role

The Regional Marine Director provides vision, strategic leadership and scientific guidance for WCS’s marine conservation portfolio across East Africa, Madagascar and the Western Indian Ocean. The role coordinates regional programs, supports national teams and drives implementation of the WIO Marine Conservation Strategy.

Key responsibilities

• Lead implementation and periodic refinement of the regional marine strategy, ensuring alignment with national programs and global initiatives.
• Coordinate cross‑cutting regional initiatives such as 30x30, coral reef protection, threatened species conservation and marine spatial planning.
• Represent WCS in donor engagements, co‑design regional projects and manage marine grant portfolios.
• Establish and oversee regional standards for marine and socio‑economic data collection, ensuring centralized storage and alignment with global protocols.
• Provide technical guidance to field teams, build capacity, and champion gender equity and inclusive ocean governance.
• Represent the region at conferences and policy dialogues to advance regional priorities and align with international commitments.

Required profile

• PhD or Master’s degree in Marine Biology, Fisheries Science, Conservation Biology or a related field.
• 7–10+ years of experience in marine conservation leadership, multi‑country program administration and fundraising.
• Proficiency in English; working knowledge of Swahili, French or Portuguese is highly advantageous.
• Willingness to travel extensively (≈30% of time) across the region.

Required skills

• Area‑based management and 30x30 implementation.
• Small‑scale fisheries co‑management.
• Coral reef ecology and threatened species conservation.
• Marine spatial planning.
• Field research management and data protocol standardization.
• Scientific reporting and publication.