Field Officer Indonesia

The SeaCleaners

The SeaCleaners is a French Association declared of general interest under the law of 1901. Their mission is to protect the ocean and fight against plastic pollution while educating and raising awareness. The SeaCleaners’ commitment, with the Manta project, a giant plastic macro-waste collecting vessel capable of operating on the high seas, goes far beyond an innovative and operational solution. The carbon footprint of the vessel will be reduced as much as possible by the combined use of innovative technologies for both its propulsion and energy production (helical propulsion, equipment for producing energy from renewable sources: solar, wind, tidal, etc.).  

Two smaller boats, the MOBULAs will be constructed to collect waste in areas the MANTA will not reach (estuaries, coastal areas, rivers). The first MOBULA 8 will be in Denpasar, during November 2022. The objective is to operate it in Indonesia at the end of this year. 

The SeaCleaners’ vision for the preservation of the oceans is global, long-term, and worldwide. It integrates economic, social, human, educational and scientific perspectives in a dynamic and solidarity-based project.

For this reason, The SeaCleaners is looking for a Field Officer to (i) set up its local office in Indonesia and develop its networks, (ii) carry out exploratory missions to locate and characterize plastic waste in aquatic environments (rivers and sea), (iii) provide assistance to prepare the operation of MOBULA 8, and (iv) to firstly make field investigations on solid waste management to develop a pilot project and secondly to provide support on project coordination. 

Reporting to Operational Hub Manager of The SeaCleaners, while working in close collaboration with the Operational team, the heads of the Scientific, Education; Development, and Communication Hubs, the Officer’s missions are divided into several themes as below:  

• Development of The SeaCleaners activities in the locality(ies) in which the Field Officer will be assigned.  
• Development and facilitation of a network of scientists, partner institutions, and educational partners in close collaboration and coordination with the Scientific / Education Hubs. 

• Implementation and follow-up of exploratory campaigns to locate and characterize marine plastic litter.  
• Support with formalities to operate the MOBULA 8, and other small collect boats 
• Lead field diagnostic to implement a waste management “pilot project”: pollution, main issues, local actors and solution, administrative formalities. 
• Programming and organising of collection campaigns.  
• Promotion of The SeaCleaners activities through exhibitions and events.  

• Promotion, implementation and coordination in cooperation with the operational hub of activities encouraging the development of the local and circular economy in Indonesia in localities which MANTA will stopover.  

The SeaCleaners is an international organisation. In addition, the MANTA will operate and stopover in several Asian countries, the Field Officer position will require English fluency, as well as Indonesian. Competence in other languages is a plus.  

The Field Officer position is located in Denpasar with frequent travel to coordinate the association’s actions with institutions (Java and other islands). A start-up period of a few weeks in France with the Association’s teams is envisaged.

Key activities  

Development of The SeaCleaners’s activities  

• To build, maintain, strengthen and develop external partnerships (associations, political and administrative institutions, companies, scientists and academics entities).  
• To ensure the representation of The SeaCleaners’s with the partners and stakeholders. 
• To raise public awareness by setting up innovative initiatives in the field of waste collection, and by implementing educational partnerships and activities.  

• To develop a network of volunteers.  
• To follow and carry out activities on the theme of plastic waste management.  
• To realize a strategic watch about the Indonesian regulation and environmental measures in force in the country  
• To identify the prospects for the Association.  

Operational organisation of collection and characterisation campaigns  

In close collaboration with the Association’s Scientific and Technical Hubs and with the MANTA Project team: 

•  To help set up and follow up an exploratory campaign (EXPLO Project) in the pre-identified collection areas in order to confirm the hypotheses for the dimensioning of the vessel, to prepare the deployment of the local scientific collaboration network and to identify the political, administrative, logistical and partnership issues to be dealt with for the realization of the MANTA’s missions.  
• To organise the missions (EXPLO & MANTA) in conjunction with the Scientific Operational Manager according to the political, administrative, logistical and partnership requirements and constraints according to the operational objectives set by the Association.  
• To formalise the requirements of The SeaCleaners relating to the treatment of waste collected at sea by the MANTA, including identification and contracting with the local waste treatment industries that meet these requirements.  

• To set up partnership agreements with the local actors of the waste treatment industries in accordance with the Association’s strategy of development of local circular economy.  
• To identify local scientific players and organise scientific collaborations in close collaboration with Scientific Hub.  
• To identify local associations and NGOs and organise joint actions in close relation with the Heads of the education and Voluntary Work Hubs.

Pilot project, in coordination with the operational hub team

• To identify a target area. 
• To make a field assessment to observe the needs and possibilities. 
• To meet local authorities and other actors (associations, companies…). 
• To get the administrative authorizations. 
• To coordinate the pilot project activities in partnership with a local entity. 

Animation and coordination

• To rigorously follow the realization of the various projects entrusted to him/her in the respect of budgets and schedules.  
• To prepare the meetings that punctuate the life of the local association.  
• To animate and manage the network of partners (associations, institutions, scientists, …) and voluntary members.  

• To ensure relationship and trust-building between the association, institutions, and volunteers.  

Advocacy and Lobbying

• To officially represent the association in Indonesia, and in particular with institutional and local partners. 
• To ensure the visibility and credibility of the association with identified local actors, including the local medias. 

• To assist the Communication Department in the organization of the communication campaign launched before and at the time of the arrival of the Mobula 8: preparation of the visit of the president of The SeaCleaners, press conferences, public relations, events with the local government, with various ministries… 
• Once the Mobula 8 is on site, follow up with the medias and if necessary, with local universities for scientific research, with our local partner for regular awareness sessions and beach/mangroves clean-ups. 
• To supervise the following communication campaign: elsewhere, where the Indonesian authorities will ask us to go with the Mobula 8 (Labuan Bajo etc.) 

Profile

Required qualifications  

• Higher scientific education (Master in Environment or waste management).  
• General engineering schools or equivalent qualifications.  
• Strong experience in operational project management activities.  

Previous professional experience  

The Field Officer should have at least 8 at 10 years of experience in the field of environmental, project manager. 

Experience or knowledge in the fields of maritime, marine pollution clean-up, science and industry would be a bonus.

Required skillset

Technical skills  

• Higher scientific education (Master’s degree in environment or waste management) with a good knowledge of the issues related to the preservation of biodiversity and the environment.  
• Good legal background in order to conduct contract negotiations as smoothly as possible, without having to rely on external legal support.  
• Good mastery of IT tools when using the purchasing information system: management charts, budget monitoring, risk monitoring assessment, etc.  
• Language skills: Indonesian and English read, written and spoken fluently.  

• Knowledge of environmental policies and environmental issues.  
• Knowledge of the territory of activity which is Indonesia and South-East Asia (political, economic, environmental, societal…).

Professional skills  

• Interpersonal qualities to build trusting relationships with the local actors of the MANTA Project.  

• Communication and public relations skills.  
• Ability to motivate and engage.  
• Ability to develop partnerships and to impulse a dynamic of networking around the MANTA Project.  
• Tenacity and resilience.  
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to listen, in order to identify the expectations and constraints of local actors, but also of the Association’s EXPLO & MANTA projects.  

• Open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity, in order to follow the scientific and technical developments of the Association’s EXPLO & MANTA projects.  
• Rigour and reliability, in order to make relations with external actors more reliable and to secure the operation of the MANTA.  
• Mobility, as many trips will be required in the areas preselected for the EXPLO and MANTA Project missions.  

To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter to: work@theseacleaners.org