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Ref.
2026/RRSA/15197

Job offer type
Field staff jobs

Type of contract
Service contract

Estimated budget
average 4 WD /month

Activity sectors
Global threats and organized crime

Deadline date
2025/06/23 23:55

Duration of the assignment
Beaded expertise

Contract
Freelancer

Duration
20 mois

Mission description

The Regional Representative serves as the primary representative of the project and the Strategic Director within their assigned region. In this capacity, they validate activities proposed by IORIS instrcutors, propose new regional initiatives subject to availability of budget, and engage directly with regional beneficiaries and partners on behalf of the Project Director. They are responsible for high-level engagement with senior officials in the region, particularly in relation to exercises, in close coordination with IORIS instructors and the Exercise and Training Managers. The Regional Representative coordinates and monitors all activities carried out by IORIS instructors and other team members in the region, while overseeing the implementation of trainings and exercises.

In addition to operational responsibilities, the Regional Representative acts as a regional political advisor, representing EU CRIMARIO at both national and international fora. They play a key role in promoting the use of the IORIS information-exchange system and the SHARE.IT interoperability framework throughout the region, in alignment with strategic guidance. On behalf of the Director, they also engage with national and regional authorities to facilitate the adoption and effective use of IORIS. Finally, they are tasked with developing and implementing tailored strategies to engage with States and regional organizations, ensuring a context-specific and effective approach to regional cooperation and project implementation.

Tasks to foresee:

·       Represent the Project Director within the region, and international fora, as directed;

·       Advise the Project Director on matters which may be of political/strategic value to the project;

·       Engage with regional beneficiaries and partners on behalf of the Project Director after due consultation with latter, with a view to identifying potential activities;

·       Mentor, advise and support counterparts conducting real-time safety, security and/or IUU IORIS-based operations, upon the invitation of the beneficiary partners, in accordance with guidance provided by the Project Director;

·       Propose and update a series of interconnected activities spanning the duration of the project to the Project Management Team, through a cohesive workplan, subject to budget availability, with a view to ensuring for the long-term uptake of IORIS, in a sustainable manner, including with industry, after due consultation with IORIS instructor;

·       Oversee, Coordinate and monitor trainings and exercises activities implemented by IORIS instructor and other team members within its region, in close coordination with the Exercises Manager, the Training Manager, and thematic experts, with/through the Executive Coordinator;

·       Promote the use of the IORIS information-exchange systems across his/her region in accordance with guidance provided, but especially by motivating organisations to self-teach new IORIS users within their respective organisations and others;

·       Mentor and advise those countries which have fully integrated, or are in the process of integrating, IORIS into their information-exchange SOPs;

·       Supervise other MEAL data collection in his/her region;

·       Ensure that the Communications Manager is kept abreast of ongoing EU CRIMARIO activities with his/her countries of responsibility.

 

 

Project or context description

The Critical Maritime Routes (EU CRIMARIO) maritime capacity-building project, established in 2015, is now deemed by many to be an EU flagship initiative in the Indo-Pacific, focused on strengthening regional maritime governance, covering maritime security and safety, and the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. EU CRIMARIO will consolidate what has been accomplished in the Indo-Pacific by intensifying sectoral activities addressing thematic whilst expanding to other countries in Central and Latin America, and selectively in the Caribbean if finances allow, with a view to broadening the IORIS information-exchange platform's reach and tied to this, its sustainability.

Ensuring maritime safety and security is essential, considering that 90% of global trade in goods is transported on the sea, including to and from the EU. Strengthening interoperability through a collaborative approach and enabling effective communication amongst the EU's partners and their maritime agencies is crucial to address evolving maritime threats such as piracy and armed robbery, transnational organised crime, and IUU fishing. By consolidating information exchange mechanisms and building a network around them, national and regional stakeholders can coordinate maritime operations in a timely and decisive manner, to protect national interests. This cooperative approach will promote global maritime stability by fostering safer and more secure sea lanes and potentially ports, and sustainable fisheries, which is vital for economic growth and international trade.

EU CRIMARIO has supported the implementation of the EU's Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (2021) and the updated EU Maritime Security Strategy (2023), by enabling the EU to cooperate with third States, and contributing to the EU's ambition of becoming a global maritime security provider. EU CRIMARIO's prime focus has been to support partners address maritime security and safety threats and challenges and to a lesser extent address sustainable fisheries. The project was launched in 2015 for the Indian Ocean and was later expanded to cover the entire Indo-Pacific in 2022, from the east coast of Africa all the way across to Latin America’s Pacific coast.

EU CRIMARIO has built its cooperation on the IORIS Maritime Cooperation, Communication and Coordination (MarCo3) platform, which is a neutral and secure advanced software application developed to support cross-sectoral cooperation at the national and regional levels. Though EU CRIMARIO has brought over 150 organisations on the platform including navies, coast guards, and maritime and fisheries authorities, customs, etc from over 60 countries, including several regional and global centres using IORIS, in total over 200 organisations have been trained on the tool as many of them have been trained by CRIMARIO partners themselves. A majority of these organisations use IORIS daily. Additionally, EU Member States' naval assets deployed in the region, EUNAVFOR Operations ASPIDES and ATALANTA also use IORIS as a secure communication link to regional states and even merchant vessels.

This network, now called the IORIS Community, is led by the IORIS Steering Committee (ISC) – a multinational governance body, composed of its most active users, which has been essential to secure the partners’ trust on the platform.

Building on EU CRIMARIO's achievements, the third phase’s focus will move onto intensifying cross-sectoral capacity building in specific areas (such as counter-narcotics, counter-piracy/armed robbery, search and rescue, fisheries, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, legal finish, marine oil pollution), to promote IORIS-based interoperability, to ensure for IORIS' credibility, long-term use and related sustainability.

The Overall Objective of this action is to strengthen maritime security and safety and the fight against IUU fishing. The Specific Objectives of this action are: 1) Partners' capacities to govern their maritime zones and address maritime threats are enhanced through inter-agency and regional cooperation; 2) IORIS' credibility, long-term use and sustainability are ensured.

 

 

 

Required profile

·       Master degree or equivalent qualification in maritime security/safety

·       Operational experience in navy, CG or equivalent or in operations centre

·       Experience in capacity building and administrative reforms the area of maritime security

·       Experience in organising Table-Top Exercises and Field Training Exercises, including appropriate design, scenarios and injects, of a national and regional level

·       Capacity to engage at the high level using acquired diplomatic skills

·       Capacity to work in multicultural environment

·       Fluent in English

·       Working experience in the Indo-pacific region would be considered an asset

·       Well connected to South Asia maritime administration. The applicant should have established working relations with those countries.

Additional information

Eligibility criteria 

  • Master degree or equivalent in maritime security
  • Operational experience in navy, CG or equivalent or in operations centre of at least 20 years
  • Well connected to South Asia maritime administration. The applicant  should  have  established working relations with those countries.

Other selection criterias :

-          Capacity to engage at high level. Diplomatic skills

-          Fluent in  English 

-          Capacity to work in multicultural environment

-          Internationnal mobility is viewed as essential in the completion of the expected tasks

-          Working experience in the indo-pacific region

Deadline for application : 2025/06/23 23:55

Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :

  • democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
  • peace, stability, and security ;
  • climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
  • health and human development ;

In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results. 

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