Director, Science and Marine Governance

Rare; Metro Manila; On-site; PHP 3,000,000 - 5,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Rare is seeking a Director of Science and Marine Governance to lead the science team and drive the program's marine design, governance, and research efforts.

Reporting to the Senior Director for Program Implementation, you will manage budgets, donor reporting, and personnel, represent Rare with researchers and policymakers, publish findings, and guide project proposals and strategy.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in fisheries or related field.
• Experience in marine spatial planning and governance.
• Proven ability to train and build capacity.
• Experience leading teams and budgets.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication.
• Willingness to travel up to 50%.
• Experience in international, cross-cultural environments.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Oversee science team, budgeting, donor reporting, and personnel management.
• Serve as science expert for program design and marine spatial design.
• Represent Rare with national and local fisheries actors.
• Publish research findings and present at conferences.
• Create and execute the research agenda.
• Support project proposals and design engagement in Fish Forever.
• Lead Applied Science Community of Practice.
• Drive team performance and manage timelines and resources.
• Ensure project execution stays on schedule and scope.
• Foster safe, inclusive, collaborative environment.

Skills

Team leadership

Budget management

Donor reporting

Stakeholder engagement

Scientific publishing

Proposal support

Program design

Marine governance

Communication

English fluency

Education

Master’s degree or PhD in Fisheries

Job description

Rare is a global leader in reducing coastal overfishing and revitalizing coastal fisheries. Rare works across eight countries to strengthen how communities protect and manage coastal areas and habitats. In the Philippines, Rare has worked with 796 communities to establish more than 1.2 million hectares of Managed Access Areas, including approximately 10,000 hectares of no-take reserves, benefiting more than 1.2 million community members.

Position Overview

The Director of Science and Marine Governance reports to the Senior Director for Program Implementation and Shared Services and will be responsible for:

Technical Expertise and Leadership

• Overall management of science team, including budgeting, donor reporting, and personnel management.
• Act as the key science expert for all science-related aspects of the program including marine spatial design and fisheries program design.
• Represent Rare and build and cultivate relationships with various actors in national and local level fisheries space including academic institutions.
• Provide thought leadership including, but not limited to, publishing research findings in peer-reviewed journals and presenting at conferences.
• Create and execute research agenda.
• Support technical aspects of project proposals.
• Designing and executing the Science Team’s engagement in the Fish Forever Scale Strategy.
• Lead Applied Science Community of Practice.

Project and People Management

• Drive team performance by setting clear goals, conducting regular performance evaluations, and providing continuous feedback to support employee development.
• Manage administrative workflows such as timely approvals for leaves, expense reports, timesheets, and other compliance-related tasks.
• Promote a safe, inclusive, and collaborative team environment through regular check-ins, conflict resolution, and alignment with company values.
• Provide oversight into project execution, ensuring it is within schedule and scope by planning activities and timelines, allocating resources, and tracking key milestones.
• Spot/forecast friction points and raise proactive solutions to maintain productivity and alignment

Position Requirements

• Master’s degree or PhD in Fisheries (expertise in population dynamics preferred), Socio‑Ecological System Thinking, Marine Biology or Social Sciences.
• Proven experience in Marine spatial planning and governance, and/or working with communities especially for data collection.
• Proven ability in training and capacity building.
• Management and collaborating with different teams.
• Exceptional organizational skills to prioritize projects and initiate follow-through with meticulous attention to detail.
• Willingness to travel for about 50% of the time.
• Proven experience in team leadership, program design, and budget management.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, verbal and written, including the ability to effectively engage with staff and partners at all levels in a fast‑paced work environment.
• Sound business judgment and ability to manage shifting priorities and competing deadlines to ensure accuracy and high-quality standards while applying a system’s view of outcomes and impact.
• Prior experience in an international, cross‑cultural work environment is essential, and a willingness to work on flexible hours (even beyond the regular working hours) as needed.
• Written and verbal fluency in English.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Rare is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic.