JOB DESCRIPTION

• Commencement: February or March 2026
• Duration: Maximum of 50 days (with possible option to extend)
• Based in Buka, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, PNG (with some remote inputs)
• Open to PNG national and international candidates

 

 

About the Program 

For Australia and New Zealand, the emergence of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Bougainville is a key national interest; supporting the Government of PNG and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to implement the Bougainville Peace Agreement is an explicit commitment in the Australia government 2017 White Paper. An overriding interest is to maintain the peace that the Agreement brought about and that is enabled by political dialogue, within and outside Bougainville, and economic development. It implies a readiness to engage for the long term, accepting that the development of institutions and diversified economic opportunities will be slow.

The Bougainville Partnership (BP) took on its current form in 2016, inheriting activities from a number of separately administered initiatives. The structure of the program remains similar to the BP’s previous program, but with updated outcomes as follows:

Pillar 1 – Capable Institutions 

1. GoPNG and ABG institutions are able to carry out high priority tasks that support Bougainville’s development and the post-referendum dialogue: Supporting defined tasks connected with the development of essential institutions, the draw-down of powers, and Post-Referendum Dialogue.

Pillar 2 – Economic Development

2. ABG and business associations jointly plan and implement initiatives to improve the private sector environment for inclusive economic development: Measures to improve the environment for private sector development and deepen the dialogue between the government and the private sector will be promoted through technical assistance.

3. Women and men engaged in primary production have increased incomes and benefit from inclusive associations and cooperatives: The current agricultural value chain activities will be continued, focussing on improving cocoa quality and linking producers to markets. 

Women and men engaged in primary production have increased incomes and benefit from inclusive associations and cooperatives: The current agricultural value chain activities will be continued, focussing on improving cocoa quality and linking producers to markets. This objective must be complemented with an economic inclusive policy and strategy that helps the interest of women, youth and people living with disabilities to actively take part and benefit from the economic activities. 

Pillar 3 – Stronger Communities

4. Community, youth and women’s groups collaborate effectively to establish sustainable community assets, deliver services and advocate for their target groups: Formerly the peace-building component, activities will include continuation and expansion of the existing successful community grants program, initiatives to provide skills and foster networks for youth, and community infrastructure.

Pillar Crosscutting Outcome:

5. Women increasingly participate in decision making and take on leadership roles in civic, economic and political spaces: The program will use the entry points from its range of activities to promote women’s leadership.

The BP is part of the Australia PNG Subnational Program (APSP), which is an enabling mechanism comprised of three separately designed programs including: BP, the Western Province Partnership (WPP), the Kokoda Initiative Partnership (KIP), and the Subnational Governance Implementation Plan (SGIP). Each program has its own outcomes, theory of change, operational approach and separate monitoring and evaluation systems.

 

 

Position Overview 

The overarching objective of this assignment is to provide the ABG and development partners with a comprehensive long-term “roadmap” for the development of the fisheries sector, with clear, short- and mid-term actions. 

Anchor Bougainville Economy Strategy

Economic development is a priority for the ABG and the Bougainville Partnership. The ABG’s approach to supporting economic development is articulated within the Anchor Bougainville Economy (ABE) Strategy in the near term and the Economic Roadmap in the mid-long term.

The ABE Strategy 2025 priorities have been confirmed as the following five areas in a recently released Information Paper: 

• Priority Project 1: Business Registration 
• Priority Project 2: Revitalise Tax Office
• Priority Project 3: Consolidated Treasury 
• Priority Project 4: Implement Economic Laws
• Priority Project 5: Economic Enablers (Public Utilities)

The ABE Strategy also prescribes the three-pillar approach for the draw-down of powers, including: 1) ensuring ABG has enabling laws, 2) ensuring ABG has the organisational structures and personnel migrated from GoPNG to deliver the service and, 3) determining the cost of delivering the new ABG services and capturing the required funding to deliver. 

Bougainville Fisheries Management Authority Act 2020

The Fisheries Administration Advisor (the Advisor) will contribute to ABE Strategy Priority Project 4: Implement Economic Laws, as the Bougainville Fisheries Management Authority (BFMA) Act 2020 is a priority law for operationalisation. 

The BFMA Act, while passed by the Bougainville House of Representatives in 2020, was only gazetted in 2025, as there had been contestation in relation to how to take the legalisation forward.

There is now broad agreement within the ABG that the BFMA Act requires amendment. Concurrently, there is also agreement that the ABG should begin to operationalise parts of the BFMA Act where and when practicable.

The Fisheries Administration Advisor Role

To support these dual requirements, the Advisor will draft a Fisheries Administration Roadmap, which will outline:

1. Required amendments to the BFMA Act 2020 and any subordinate regulations.
2. A proposal for how to operationalise the current/amended BFMA Act 2020 including:
3. Strategic design and enabling frameworks to guide fisheries management 

This Fisheries Administration Roadmap will help clarify where we are now, where we want to be, and what resources are required to reach the destination. The roadmap is intended to outline and enable future support for the fisheries sector from the ABG, the national government and development partners. It will provide a guide towards achieving sustainable fisheries management for Bougainville’s inshore and offshore waters, in terms of economic, environmental and ecological outcomes.

It should be highlighted that the Advisor work will be confined to Bougainville’s “internal waters” as defined by the BFMA Act 2020 (includes any waters extending to three (3) Nautical Miles to sea from the baseline).

The Advisor will have dual reporting to the Director for Fisheries (ABG), Secretary, DPIMR (ABG) and the Team Leader, Economic Development (BP). Ultimately the Advisor will be accountable to the Team Leader, Economic Development (BP).

The Advisor will also work collaboratively with personnel from the New Zealand-funded Te Pātui program, including, ensuring alignment/demarcation of respective workplans, sharing lessons learnt, and providing in-country support (if/where practicable).

 

 

Key Responsibilities 

Specific responsibilities for the Advisor include:

1. Literature review and outline of the Fisheries Administration Roadmap:
   1. Review the existing BFMA Act 2020 in terms of scope, function and content and highlight any areas of improvement needed.
   2. Review of other relevant legalisation and reports and incorporate into literature review.
   3. Signpost foundational work required for effective fisheries management more broadly, such as organisational design, management plans, science and monitoring.
   4. Draft a high-level outline of the Fisheries Administration Roadmap.
   5. Review and finalise the advisor work plan for review and approval by the ABG and BP management.
2. Draft a Fisheries Administration Roadmap, which will include:
   1. Required amendments to the BFMA Act 2020 and any subordinate regulations:
      1. Outline of, and process for, developing necessary amendments to the BFMA Act 2020;
      2. Outline of, and process for, developing necessary subordinate regulations.
   2. Proposal for the operationalisation of the current/amended BFMA Act 2020:
      1. Outline of, and process for, supporting DPI to understand the BFMA Act 2020 and their responsibilities and resources required to manage fisheries;
      2. Outline of, and process for, developing activity plans, budgets, forms, processes/procedures and manuals to operationalise the current/amended BFMA Act 2020;
      3. Outline of, and process for, support to restructure DPI to enable the operationalisation of the amended BFMA Act 2020.
   3. Outline an approach to establishing fisheries management frameworks including:
      1. Comment on and/or outline of a revised Fisheries Directorate organisational design and governance; outline of change management and capacity building requirements; 
      2. Identify the key inshore and offshore fisheries and priorities for fishery management plans;
      3. Outline of, and process for, and resources needed for the rollout of comprehensive stock assessment surveys and fisheries management plans for targeted fish stocks;
      4. Outline the requirements and structure for fisheries harvest strategies, for targeted fish stocks;
      5. Outline monitoring, compliance and surveillance framework. 
   4. Ensuring the roadmap is aligned to the three-pillar approach the ABG has developed to the draw-down of powers and establishment of new ABG services.

 

 

Specific Deliverables

Specific deliverables will include:

No.	Deliverable	Indicative No. of Days
1	Summary literature review of BFMA Act 2020 and relevant legalisation and reports (10 – 20 pages, not including annexes)	8
2	Draft a high-level outline of the Fisheries Administration Roadmap and updated advisor workplan for approval	2
3	Draft Fisheries Administration Roadmap	30
4	Final Fisheries Administration Roadmap and presentation to stakeholders	10
	Total	50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key working relationships 

ABG 

• Secretary, DPIMR
• Fisheries Director, DPIMR
• Senior Staff, Office of the Chief Secretary 
• Senior Staff, Department of Justice & Legal Services (DJLS)
• Senior Staff, Department of Treasury & Finance (DoTF)

Bougainville Partnership 

• Team Leader, Economic Development (BP Pillar 2)
• Team Leader, Governance & Institutions (BP Pillar 1)
• Capacity Development Advisor, DPI 
• Legislative Development Advisor
• Director, BP

Primary External Relationships:

• National Fisheries Authority
• Industry stakeholders
• Bougainville Business Associations
• Economic Sector Working Group
• Te Pātuitanga Ahumoana a Kiwa (Te Pātui) – A program run by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries that will support the ABG Fisheries Directorate
• Australian High Commission (Port Moresby) 
• New Zealand High Commission (Port Moresby

 

 

About You 

Qualifications

• A degree in fishery or marine resource management, marine science, economics, international law or similar.  Preferably with post graduate qualifications.

Knowledge 

• Strong knowledge of fisheries law, regulation and policy in Papua New Guinea or the Pacific region.
• Strong knowledge of strategic planning, functional analysis, organisational design, organisational governance, capacity building and change management.
• Strong knowledge of approaches to regulatory compliance.
• Some knowledge of working with government, the private sector and communities to manage and develop coastal fisheries in the Pacific region
• Some knowledge of the unique autonomy arrangements applicable in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (desirable).

Skills/Experience

• At least 10 years’ experience in fisheries management law and regulations.
• At least 3 years’ experience in fisheries management in the Pacific region.
• Experience working with bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors and coordinating multi-agency groups.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively in a cross-cultural environment.
• Ability to write and verbally communicate clearly and concisely in English.
• Ability to integrate and promote principles of gender equity and social inclusion in to aspects of previous roles

Personal Attributes

• Delivers Results
• Builds Internal and External Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty.
• Develops People
• Communicates
• Sets Vision and Direction
• Demonstrates Sound Financial and Business-Related Practices
• Builds Teams and Cooperation
• Promotes Technical Excellence and Quality
• Promotes Diversity Acts as a Role Model

 

 

How to Apply

• Please ensure to address the Key Selection Criteria (About You) in your cover letter, and submit your application online, along with your CV as a single document. 
• Applications must be submitted personally by individuals only. Applications submitted by a company or organisation will not be accepted. 
• The successful applicant will be engaged through an employment agreement determined by Abt.

 

We welcome and thank all applications; however, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Closing Date:  Friday, 23 January 2026, 12PM (Mid-day, local time) #LI-AUSBRIT

Abt Global is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to upholding high standards of Child Protection, Anti-bribery and Fraud Protection.

We encourage applications from experienced and capable women, and people with disabilities.