The Role – Project Coordinator (GCF Regional Tuna Project)
Package: Band 12 – SDR45,787 @ US$85,951 Base salary with Basic Allowances
Location: FFA Office at Honiara Solomon Islands
- Make a real difference by helping Pacific Island governments adapt to the profound impacts of climate change on fisheries
- Subject to exchange rates, you will receive an excellent salary package starting at US $85,951 (tax-free for citizens in most countries!) plus repatriation allowances & retention incentives!
- Enjoy relocation & accommodation assistance, 6 weeks annual leave, return airfares & more!
Overview –GCF Regional Tuna Project
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Tuna Project, Adapting tuna-dependent Pacific Island communities and economies to climate change, is a regional initiative running from 2025 to 2031. It is executed by the Pacific Community (SPC) as Executing Entity, with Conservation International as the Accredited Entity, and is implemented in partnership with FFA, CSIRO, and other technical partners.
The project has two components that address key climate challenges for Pacific Island Countries (PICs):
- Component A – addressing declining reef fisheries by increasing access to tuna and bycatch for coastal and urban communities through anchored FADs, improved unloading and transhipment, and strengthened distribution and processing.
- Component B – responding to the redistribution of tuna stocks by establishing a Climate Intelligence System to improve forecasting, provide higher-resolution projections, and support adaptation planning.
FFA’s Role
FFA’s role is to ensure these outputs translate into practical benefits for its Members through technical analysis, economic modelling, investment and legal advisory work, capacity building, and strong coordination with regional partners. FFA leads or co-delivers five activities under the project, covering economic, legal, management, and investment dimensions needed to strengthen resilience and safeguard fisheries-dependent economies.
- Activity 2.1 – Implement strategies to deliver more transhipped and unloaded bycatch and tuna to urban and peri-urban communities.
- Activity 2.2 – Strengthen and develop post-harvest practices and market opportunities to distribute bycatch and tuna from transhipping and unloading operations.
- Activity 3.1 – Develop and deliver an Advanced Warning System (AWS) for climate-driven tuna redistribution.
- Activity 3.2 – Conduct bio-economic and fleet dynamics modelling to estimate changes in tuna catch and socio-economic benefits.
- Activity 3.3 – Provide AWS-related training to national institutions to strengthen negotiation capacity in regional and international forums.
The Project Coordinator (GCF Regional Tuna Project) within FFA will be responsible for ensuring FFA contributions are well-integrated, aligned with Member priorities, and delivered to the standards required by the GCF.
The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) is an intergovernmental organisation working to strengthen national capacity and regional solidarity so Pacific nations can manage, control, and develop their fisheries now and into the future.
We are located in Honiara, Solomon Islands, working with our 17 member nations Australia, the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Since our inception in 1979, we have facilitated regional cooperation that is in line with our vision – “our people enjoying the greatest possible social and economic benefits from the sustainable use of offshore fisheries and resources”. Through our work and presence in the region, Pacific countries benefit from the sustainable fishing and consumption of tuna – worth over $3 billion US dollars a year and an essential resource to many people.
Your unique opportunity
Our Fisheries Development Division is now looking for a full-time Project Coordinator (GCF Regional Tuna Project) to join our team working out of Honiara, Solomon Islands. The objective of this role is ensuring that FFA-led and supported components of the GCF Regional Tuna Project are effectively managed and delivered to enable Pacific Island governments to adapt to the profound impacts of climate change on fisheries.
Key purposes of the role:
- Program administration and reporting– coordinating planning, procurement, and reporting for Outputs 2 and 3, consolidating inputs from technical teams, and ensuring donor/FFA compliance. SPC has a dedicated team to support Monitoring and Evaluation aspects, with significant support available to FFA.
- Stakeholder engagement– serving as the FFA focal point for Members, SPC, CSIRO, and partners, balancing donor compliance with Member-driven priorities.
- Outreach and socialisation– supporting communications and member awareness to ensure outputs are accessible and embedded in national processes.
- Budget and contracting– overseeing expenditure under FFA’s GCF allocation, supporting the FFA GCF Finance Coordinator, and managing procurement of consultants and staff under the project.
- Knowledge management– documenting outputs, lessons learned, and feeding results into FFA reporting and global climate-fisheries discussions
Make a real impact by ensuring the outputs of this project translates to real benefits for people of Pacific Island countries.
To be successful in this role the Coordinator must be a;
- Strategic thinker– able to manage a complex, multi-partner, donor-funded program while balancing donor compliance with member-driven priorities.
- Strong relationship builder & diplomat – skilled in stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and consensus building across diverse cultures, governments, and technical partners.
- Operationally excellent – proven ability to manage program administration, procurement, contracting, reporting, and risk mitigation with accuracy and timeliness.
- Financially astute – capable of overseeing budgets, monitoring expenditure, ensuring value-for-money, and supporting donor acquittals.
- Effective communicator – adept at translating technical outputs into accessible formats, delivering outreach and awareness programs, and producing high-quality reports for multiple audiences.
- Knowledge manager & adaptive learner – captures lessons learned, contributes to institutional knowledge, and integrates adaptive learning into project delivery.
- Results-oriented & accountable – ensures deliverables are met on time, within budget, and to donor/member standards.
- Team leader & mentor – provides guidance to staff (e.g., GCF Finance Coordinator), fosters collaboration, and supports capacity building.
- Culturally sensitive & collaborative – respects and leverages diversity, builds trust, and works effectively in multi-country, multi-cultural contexts.
- Subject-matter awareness – working knowledge (or ability to quickly acquire) of tuna fisheries, climate adaptation, and Pacific regional institutional frameworks.
Essential Person Specification:
- An undergraduate degree in public administration, management or other area relevant to management of donor-funded projects
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in project management of donor-funded programs, ideally of scale and complexity comparable to the to the FFA supported components GCF Regional Tuna Project.
For more details please download the TOR
Benefits on offer
If you want to work in a challenging and stimulating environment while pursuing better outcomes and a fairer return on our tuna fisheries resources across the region, this is the opportunity for you!
You will receive a competitive salary circa USD$85,951 (tax-free, for citizens of most countries), commensurate with your skills and experience. This is inclusive of COLDA and Location Allowance plus Superannuation. Superannuation at 7.5% of base salary is paid on a six-monthly basis.
We reimburse all reasonable medical, dental, and optical expenses for yourself and your dependents. Insurance coverage is also available for personal accidents, life, medical & repatriation. Education for dependent children is reimbursed at 75% of tuition fees (conditions apply). If your dependent child is studying overseas, paid school travel may be available for you or your child to visit each other once a year.
Relocation expenses will be paid, with an establishment grant paid on arrival in Honiara and accommodation assistance also available.
Moreover, you will have access to 6 weeks of annual leave each year.
Make the ultimate sea change! You will be working out of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, with opportunities to travel to all FFA 17 member nations and make a real difference in the Pacific.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, interested candidates must submit the following documents to [email protected]:
- Cover letter
- Completed Application Form
- Curriculum Vitae
Click to download TOR and Application Form.