Background
Global Fishing Watch 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 to safeguard the global ocean commons for the common good of all.

Africa is seen as a key region for implementing Global Fishing Watch’s vision and mission, with our work encompassing three core countries: Senegal, Gabon, and Madagascar. The Global Fishing Watch program team in Africa is focused on demonstrating the value of transparency in fisheries and biodiversity by generating visibility, identifying opportunities for transparency to add value, and obtaining support from our government constituencies. While Global Fishing Watch’s work is concentrated on three core countries, our ambition is to leverage that work to influence transparency outcomes in multiple countries across the region.
Global Fishing Watch is a dynamic, rapidly evolving organization that values creativity and innovative thinking and fosters strong teamwork

The Position
The Country Officer will advance our key objectives in Senegal, specifically around transparency, policy and government action outcomes. The Officer will work with the regional team to oversee and deploy a suite of interventions around an agreed work plan with the government and stakeholders that will deliver specified outcomes. The primary responsibilities of this position will involve advancing our organization’s mission centred around transparency as a key governance principle. The Officer will assist Senegalese stakeholders in championing transparency through drafting policy briefs and proposals, coordinating meetings and workshops, and engaging with national stakeholders in support of trainings and knowledge sharing. The Officer will work with the regional analysis teams to deploy the needed reports and insights to inform government actions. They will serve as the key representative of GFW in-country.


Principal Duties and Responsibilities
The Senegal Country Officer will be primarily responsible for the successful development and implementation of country workplans to achieve our policy, transparency and government action outcomes.
Policy Development and Analysis:

• Proactively stay abreast of relevant national and international political developments, policy landscape, and emerging issues in the fisheries and biodiversity sector, including the conduct of policy research and insights.
• Provide timely updates to internal teams on key policy developments and their potential implications for the organization’s advocacy work.
• Collaborate with the regional and global teams to draft policy recommendations and legal specifications for changes to fisheries and biodiversity-related policies and programs, ensuring alignment with the organization’s advocacy goals.
• Identify policy opportunities and advance them by working through partnerships and governments.

Government Actions:
• Proactively staying updated on relevant national and international opportunities, developments and emerging issues of the country related to their flag, coastal and port state responsibilities.
• Provide timely updates to internal teams on trends and key policy and administrative developments and their potential implications in advancing government action outcomes in the country.
• Work with the Africa regional team to deploy a suite of interventions (i.e., training, workshops, reports) to support the achievement of the identified areas of work around fisheries and biodiversity.
• Strategically engage with relevant stakeholders in the country, identifying opportunities and approaches for collaboration or partnerships to advance government action outcomes in the country.

The application period will close on November 4, 2025 – 11:59 PM CET. Please note that if we receive a high volume of qualified applicants, the posting may close sooner, so we encourage candidates to submit their applications as soon as possible.