The Waitt Institute is seeking to fill 40 positions (two positions per administrative atoll) for Ocean Use Survey Facilitators for full-time 3-month contract roles with Noo Raajje, the Blue Prosperity Program for The Maldives. This exciting partnership between the Waitt Institute and the Government of the Maldives focuses on designating at least 20% of The Maldives sovereign waters as fully protected marine protected areas and advancing existing blue economy activities including sustainable fisheries and tourism. More information about the program is available on https://www.nooraajje.org/.

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Working closely with the Ocean Use Survey Coordinator and reporting to the Noo Raajje Site Manager– Ocean Use Survey Facilitators will serve as on-the-ground field officers conducting the Ocean Use Survey to understand natural resource use by stakeholders in the Maldives. Training will be provided. 

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Background: 

Ocean use surveys (OUS) are participatory mapping surveys that ask respondents to identify areas in the coastal marine environment that they value or use. Community members are able to select the ocean use sector they associate with, draw shapes in locations they utilize, and assign a point value for each shape. They can also provide general comments to specify why they might value or use a certain area. The responses collected from these surveys are used to produce heat maps that serve as a comprehensive baseline representation of sector-specific interest.

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Objectives: 

The objective of this survey is to identify valued ocean spaces for key stakeholder sectors in the Maldives. The areas drawn by survey respondents will help fill data gaps on the distribution of various ocean uses and activities, and the data will be used to weigh trade-offs and cultivate solutions that meet as many planning objectives as possible. The ocean use survey aims to solicit input from the Maldivian community that will be factored into the marine spatial planning process by providing an opportunity for respondents to identify areas of value and use. 

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Survey Implementation: 

The Maldives OUS will be made accessible on a desktop or laptop via the SeaSketch tool and on a mobile device using the Maptionnaire community engagement platform. Paper maps will be provided when necessary and then paper map surveys will be reproduced in SeaSketch by a member of the survey facilitation or site team. To complete the survey, respondents will need to provide a name and email address, an island of primary residence, identify what sector they are representing, and provide spatial data on what areas they find important via shapes they draw on a map.

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Ocean Use Survey Facilitator 

Duties and responsibilities 

A facilitator will serve as on-the-ground field staff to the Noo Raajje program and will be responsible for obtaining Ocean Use Survey responses which meet given population targets. To obtain survey responses, a facilitator will: 

• Undergo training  

• Make travel arrangements and execute site visits to community islands within a designated Atoll 

• Coordinate and moderate in-person one-to-one & group community meetings for stakeholders to participate in the Ocean Use Survey 

• Schedule and moderate virtual one-to-one and small group sessions for stakeholders to participate in the Ocean Use Survey 

• Organize data, reproduce paper maps in SeaSketch, and other related tasks (trainings will be provided) 

• Report to Noo Raajje Site manager and liaise with the Ocean Use Survey Coordinator to ensure work advances as planned and survey targets are being met 

 

Minimum Qualifications Skills & Experience 

• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to efficiently and successfully manage, prioritize, and track multiple tasks 

• Excellent interpersonal skills 

• Ability to work well independently and as part of a team 

• Strong commitment to sustainable progressive ocean management 

• Strong communication skills (both English and Dhivehi) 

• Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated experience in surveying and excellent attention to technical details 

 

Salary 

Facilitator training will occur over the course of 3 days and will pay $10 USD per day. Facilitators will receive a daily wage $40 USD per day for up to 50 days of work visiting community islands and/or moderating virtual sessions. All costs associated with hosting community gatherings, along with any work-related travel expenses including a per diem will be covered. Payments will be made monthly.

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Contact information 

Kindly send an email of your resume & cover letter written in English with “Ocean Use Survey Facilitator” in the subject line of the email to Waitt Institute’s Program Manager, Ms. Robin Ramdeen, rramdeen@waittinstitute.org and Noo Raajje Site Manager, Ms. Fathimath Nistharan fnistharan@waittinstitute.org by 21 October, 2021 to be considered for a position.