Africa Fisheries Analyst

Background: 

Global Fishing Watch (GFW) is an international, non-profit organization committed to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency. We create and publicly share knowledge about human activity at sea to enable fair and sustainable use of our ocean. Founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth, and Google, GFW became an independent non-profit organization in June 2017. Using cutting-edge technology, we create and publicly share map visualizations, data and analysis tools to enable scientific research and drive a transformation in how we manage our ocean. Our major focus is on commercial fishing because it is the most widespread human activity at sea, the most impactful on ocean health, and the most crucial for global livelihoods and food security. By 2030, we aim to monitor and visualize the impact of ocean-going vessels, both industrial and small-scale, that are responsible for the vast majority of the global seafood catch. We believe human activity at sea should be common knowledge in order to safeguard the global ocean commons for the good of all. 

The Position: 

This is an exciting opportunity to join GFW and become part of dynamic regional program that aims establish a shared vision and roadmap for fisheries transparency across West Africa. By promoting the use of tracking systems and public sharing of vessel information, this program aims to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the sub-region, protect biodiversity and improve fishery health and ensure sustainable livelihoods for small-scale fishers. This challenging role will support Global Fishing Watch’s ambitions across multiple workstreams. Working closely with sub-regional fisheries agencies and member States, GFW aims to enhance the capacity of countries to utilize data and our tools and public platforms to monitor and understand fleet activities in national waters and regionally, to assess the risk of IUU fishing, demonstrate the value of transparent, open data to drive policy reform. Concurrently, this role will support a uniquely collaborative initiative that aims to better understand and address environmental and social impacts on artisanal and small-scale fishers arising from the actions and threats posed by industrial fishing fleets through increased fishery transparency and enforcement of legislation banning industrial destructive fishing in IEZs and MPAs. Both initiatives involve working with international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), sub-regional fisheries agencies and their member states, and national civil society organizations (CSOs).

The Africa Fisheries Analyst will become part of the remotely distributed Africa regional team. This role will support the Africa team by generating analyses that; (i) promote regional cooperation and the exchange of information and data sharing between countries to combat IUU fishing, (ii) respond to local and national partner information needs on the impact of industrial fishing on other fishing sectors throughout the region and (iii) provide insights to inform targeted MCS actions and support policy reforms, including enabling vessels to be tracked by mandating and increasing adoption of AIS. Working under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager Africa, and in close collaboration with the applied research and analysis and capacity development and biodiversity teams, the Fisheries Analyst will utilise data to develop analysis reports and presentations, using a broad range of technology platforms, tools and intelligence sources to generate insights and recommendations, for governments, communities and key stakeholders. The analyst will also participate in the training of others in the application of these tools.

We are looking for an individual with well-developed analytical and data science/coding skills. The candidate will work with other analytical organisations to carry out baseline research on industrial fishing within the context of relevant national and regional legislation and policies. They must be able to critically engage with complex datasets, possess an advanced ability to create and communicate data driven outputs for varied audiences and demonstrate an ability to effectively engage with national, regional and civil society partners. They must have a willingness and interest to work within a multidisciplinary team in a dynamic work environment Ideally, the candidate should have a good understanding of fisheries monitoring control and surveillance (MCS) in the region and be confident in the application of data analysis techniques to support existing MCS frameworks as well as a willingness to train others in the use of GFW tools and platforms to support MCS activities. The role will involve some travel to relevant West Africa countries where this work is being carried out.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide technical support to the multidisciplinary Africa team across core countries
• Work collaboratively with national governments, civil society organisations, regional agencies, industry partners and the analytical team to collect, analyse, and display data on commercial fishing activities.
• Identify analysis priorities of partners and collaborators through in-country and regional workshops and virtual discussions.
• Analyse fishing and shipping vessel AIS and other potential data that may be available like VMS, vessel databases, and oceanographic datasets, using Big Query (SQL) and R.
• Create technical reports and presentations based on analyses, produce summary graphics and maps of industrial fishing vessels, and present recommendations as required in support of data transparency and sharing of information to combat IUU fishing and support design and monitoring of marine protected and preferential access areas (PAAs).
• Lead the production of technical reports in support of MCS activities including pre-patrol analysis and patrol support, port-control and PSMA-related analyses and ad hoc reports in response to specific requests from collaborators and partners. 

• Research and understand national and regional fishery and marine resource management frameworks and policies as they relate to analytic findings and report recommendations.

Support the Sr. Program Manager, Africa, in engaging a wide range of stakeholders and governments to advance the mission of the organization in the region

• Participate in in-country workshops and virtual discussions designed to identify analysis priorities of partner organisations.
• Assist with the development and delivery of materials for regional and national training and capacity building activities to country governments, NGOs and CSOs on relevant fisheries monitoring tools and support for MCS operations and activities.
• In support of the Program deliverables, contribute to briefings, white papers and case studies and engage with civil society and government partners as required.
• Develop and maintain an informed awareness of topics that relate to fisheries management, safe and decent working conditions on fishing vessels, and (IUU) fishing 
• Learn about new datasets and share technical knowledge across the other regional teams.
• Internally communicate feedback received from external partners to adapt and update GFW tools.
• Participate in media interviews, public speaking & GFW training events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Regional travels will be required (estimated about 15% of time), as well as some international travel beyond the Africa region

Candidate description

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree 
• At least three years of relevant professional experience working in fisheries management or marine conservation, preferably in a West Africa country (but not essential)
• Fluency in database handling, data mining and experience in using SQL (Google Big Query) and/or R programming software or a demonstrated ability to acquire these skills in a timely way.
• Strong spatial data handling skills with experience in analysing vessel tracking data and creating maps or spatial inferences in GIS or programming languages
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and French and the ability to communicate complex technical and scientific information to non-technical audiences.
• Highly organised, analytical, and detail oriented with an ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines in a collaborative and multidisciplinary environment.
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently to a very high standard of detail, including to independently error check and troubleshoot code.
• Good interpersonal skills and an ability to remotely cultivate relationships

Preferred

• Master's degree in a relevant area or equivalent experience
• Experience analysing vessel tracking and identity information and/or big data handling experience, including statistical analysis. 
• Experience in fisheries compliance, and monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) including analyses around the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA)
• Experience in delivering trainings to governments, NGOs, CSOs and researchers
• Experience in engagement and support of fishing industry and/or communities in conjunction with relevant national agencies.
• Working knowledge of other languages besides English and French is desired; such as Spanish or Portuguese.

The successful candidate will meet most, but not necessarily all, of the criteria above. If you don’t think you check all the boxes, but believe you have unique skills that make you a great fit for the role, we want to hear from you!

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Additional Information

Note: The application period for this role closes on July 15, 2025

Reporting to: Senior Program Manager Africa

Manages: N/A

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not supported at this time.

Location: This is a remote role, but candidates must be legally authorized and based in the following countries to be considered: Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal

Permanent/Fixed Term/Contractor: fixed-term/contractor- 2 years

Full Time hours: Yes 

Recruiting process: Recruiting Process: A cover letter along with a CV will be requested to see how your experience and interest connect to the position. We expect the cover letter to allow applicants an opportunity to explain details on how their skill set aligns with the role and provide a better understanding of their suitability for the position. If selected for consideration, the hiring process for this position will include an initial call with our Talent Acquisition team, followed by a formal 45 minute interview with 1-3 team members. Candidates advancing beyond this round will be asked to take a technical assessment and/or submit a representative code sample. Lastly, a final interview with 2-4 teams members to review your assessment and assess functional skills.

Compensation: A compensation range for this position is XOF 30-35,000,000 per year for Senegal-based employees, USD 20-30/h for Kenya, Ghana and Gabon as contractor  -  Compensation is commensurate with experience and will vary depending on the hired candidate’s country of residence, in accordance with local laws and regulations. GFW offers pension/retirement, health and other benefits commensurate with similar level GFW employees in the country of employment. The position may be a GFW employee or consultant, depending on the country of residence  

Equal opportunities: Global Fishing Watch is an equal opportunities employer. Global Fishing Watch is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within our organization and in the greater ocean management and conservation community. We believe that diverse backgrounds, skills, knowledge and viewpoints make us a stronger organization. Bringing together professionals who possess broad experiences and a spectrum of perspectives will enable us to reach our goal of improved ocean governance faster. We hire and promote qualified professionals without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or parental status, national origin, age, physical or mental disability or medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Our organizational goals match the urgent challenges facing our global ocean, and our mission is designed to help secure a healthy ocean for all. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of humanity’s diversity, by providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees of Global Fishing Watch and for our partners, vendors, suppliers and contractors.

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