Private Sector Partnership Specialist

Chemonics seeks a Private Sector Partnership Specialist for the USAID/Tanzania Heshimu Bahari (Respect the Ocean) Activity. The activity is a five-year project that aims to improve the ecological resilience and productivity of Tanzania’s high marine biodiversity areas. Tanzania’s coral reefs are among the world’s fifty most climate-resilient reefs based on biological and oceanographic characteristics, and Tanzania’s marine and coastal ecosystems support a diverse range of coral reefs, seagrasses, open-ocean pelagic habitats, and mangroves. Not only do the ecosystems support species such as dugongs, sea turtles, and sharks and rays, but they also support a variety of livelihoods such as artisan fishing, aquaculture, and marine/coastal-related tourism activities. Overfishing, poorly planned infrastructure projects, and climate change all threaten not only these ecosystems and their fauna and flora, but also livelihoods and food security. These obstacles, together with the lack of a functional marine management area (MMA) framework, underdeveloped governance systems, insufficient funding, and an unincentivized private sector, severely limit effective management and measurable impact in marine biodiversity conservation.

1. To help address these challenges, Heshimu Bahari aims to establish an enabling environment and science-driven framework for sustainable MMA and wild-caught fishery co-management by government, communities, and the private sector. The Activity has four integrated objectives: Strengthening the enabling framework for a network of Marine Management Areas (MMAs) and Fishery Replenishment Zones (FRZs) to support biodiversity conservation, climate resilient communities, and sustainable wild-caught fisheries.
2. Community co-management of MMAs/wild-caught fisheries and climate resilience strengthened.
3. Private sector investment in MMAs and wild-caught fisheries expanded.
4. Integration of relevant science to MMA and fisheries policy and management improved.

The Private Sector Partnership Specialist will facilitate interventions that increase private sector investment and engagement in marine protected areas and fisheries management. They will work to incentivize private sector investment and assess and share investment opportunities that support communities and ecosystems. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

The position will be based in Dar Es Salaam, reporting to the USAID Heshimu Bahari Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Lead.

Responsibilities

• Identify and cultivate high value partnerships with private sector actors at the seascapes and elsewhere and broker deals between the Private Sector (PS) and Heshimu Bahari
• Work under the guidance of the Heshimu Bahari PSE Lead and in collaboration with target partners, review and refine the initial developed and prioritized partnership concepts and use the refined concepts as a basis for partnership negotiations with individual PS actors
• Convene partners to establish Business Development Services (BDS) needs, engage BDS providers identified through the Private Sector Seascape Analysis conducted, and establish terms of engagement to support business development provision and capacity building needs of identified value chains
• Facilitate detailed due diligence of target potential PS partners and prepare reports
• Facilitate the development and individual partnership concepts and Memorandum of Understanding or Letter of Cooperation for signature
• Conduct partnership design forums, partnership launch forums, and develop partnership implementation and work plans
• Prepare private sector partnership engagement intervention reports per established project reporting schedule
• Work in close consultation with project team to conduct monitoring, follow up, and account management database of partnerships established, mobilized or in discussion
• Coordinate with other USAID partners, local organizations, and government agencies to ensure harmonization planning/implementation of public-private partnership activities
• Support implementation of the PS intervention strategy in all seascapes in collaboration with the PSE Lead, Community Engagement Lead, and Program Coordinators
• initiate and support implementation of PS engagement and activities
• Any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in business administration, economics, communications, and/or another relevant field required; advanced degree preferred
• At least six years of private sector engagement experience in Tanzania required; experience working with private sector actors in fisheries, tourism, and/or related sectors preferred
• Experience engaging private sector on corporate social responsibility or social development initiatives preferred
• Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining strong relationships private sector, government, civil society, and donor stakeholders
• Experience with USAID and/or other donor project preferred
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required; working proficiency in written and spoken Kiswahili is required.

Period of Performance: On/about February 2024 through February 2025 with possibility to extend based on Heshimu Bahari’s need and individual’s performance.