Aquaculture Operations Manager

Company Description Blue Alliance manages and finances large-scale Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in some of the most biodiverse places on earth to ensure their long-term conservation and livelihood benefits. We operate under long-term delegated management agreements with governments to implement state-of-the-art conservation, compliance and resource management practices, ensuring regeneration of marine life and improving the food security and livelihoods of coastal communities. Blue Alliance has developed a self-sustaining model for managing large MPAs by establishing Blue Economy social enterprises that positively impact coral reefs. These enterprises, owned by Blue Alliance, help alleviate poverty and reinvest all profits into MPAs. In this context, Blue Alliance established Aquahub, focused on the farming and commercialization of sea cucumbers and mangrove crabs. Blue Alliance currently oversees 3.4 million hectares of coral reef ecosystems across MPAs in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Tanzania. By integrating conservation with Reef-Positive Businesses, Blue Alliance is pioneering a financially sustainable model for marine conservation. The model is scalable. Blue Alliance aims to directly manage 9,000,000 hectares of large MPAs by 2030, thereby regenerating entire marine ecosystems.Role Description The Aquaculture Operations Manager is a senior, hands-on profile responsible for running AQUAHUB's day-to-day farming and site operations in Maluku and Banggai, Indonesia, and for acting as the Aquaculture Director's direct right hand across both production and operations. This is not a generalist administrative role: the person needs a genuine technical grasp of aquaculture production - survival, growth, biomass, and operational SOPs - combined with strong field leadership and the operational discipline to run remote sites.AQUAHUB's Indonesian operations are currently in a sea cucumber pilot phase. The Aquaculture Operations Manager will run the pilot at both sites and lead the progressive build-up from pilot to commercial scale production: recruiting and training all staff and establishing broodstock, hatchery, nursery, grow-out operations, and processing plant together with the teams and systems they require.The role also carries a business lens: translating field performance into cost, productivity, and risk terms. AQUAHUB operates as a community-based social enterprise, so the successful candidate needs to be genuinely comfortable working within that model, balancing commercial and production discipline with community relationships and a conservation-linked mission.Core Responsibilities1. Operations: from Pilot to Full Production

• Run the sea cucumber pilot at both sites and lead the build-up to full production, establishing broodstock, hatchery, nursery, grow-out operations, and processing plant in line with the expansion plan.
• Manage daily farming activities and biological performance (survival, growth, biomass), taking corrective action when results drift from targets.
• Manage site security, ensuring the protection of livestock, personnel, infrastructure, and equipment through effective security measures, access controls, and theft prevention.
• Implement, monitor, and continuously improve SOPs for stocking, transfers, grading, harvesting, processing, biosecurity, and other operational activities. All new or revised SOPs must be reviewed and validated by the central technical expert team before implementation.2. Team Leadership & HR
• Recruit, lead, train and develop the site teams as operations scale, setting clear standards for safety, performance, and consistent application of SOPs.
• Manage site-level HR administration: attendance, leave, onboarding, and first-line disciplinary matters.3. Logistics, Procurement & Administration
• Oversee logistics for both sites: vessels, vehicles, equipment, supplies (fuel, feed, spare parts, materials), and transport between all locations.
• Manage local procurement and supplier relationships, ensuring cost efficiency through competitive sourcing without compromising quality. Oversee the maintenance of infrastructure and equipment, escalating major capital expenditure requirements to the Aquaculture Director.
• Manage site budgets and petty cash, keep inventory, asset, and permit records, and submit financial and procurement documentation to Finance on time.4. Performance, Risk & Reporting
• Link production results to cost, productivity, and unit economics, and flag biological, logistical, and financial risks early with mitigation options.
• Report weekly and monthly to the Aquaculture Director on production, HR, budget, and risks, and contribute data to production planning and budgeting.5. Community & Stakeholders
• Build constructive relationships with local government, community leaders, and other stakeholders, ensuring the security of all assets including biological assets at all times, and represent AQUAHUB locally in line with its community-based, conservation-linked model.Candidate RequirementsEssential
• 8 to 10 years of experience in aquaculture, fisheries, or animal production, in remote Indonesia including leading field teams and running daily farming operations.
• Strong technical grasp of survival, growth, and biomass management and of operational SOPs.
• Demonstrated ability to manage logistics, procurement, reporting, and HR alongside technical/production duties.
• Experience in establishing or scaling farming operations, ideally taking a project from an initial stage to large scale commercial production.
• Experience working with coastal communities, including engagement with local leaders, community relations, conflict resolution, and operations in remote coastal environments.
• Experience managing farm security and operational risks, including theft prevention, protection of livestock and assets, access control, and coordination with local communities and authorities.
• Willing and able to travel regularly between Maluku and Banggai.
• Working proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia to communicate effectively with local teams, communities, and authorities and English to communicate with the head office.
• Comfortable and genuinely motivated to work within a social enterprise, community-based operating model.Preferred
• Formal qualification in aquaculture, marine sciences, or animal production
• Specific experience with broodstock, nursery, or grow-out systems (e.g. sea cucumber, fish, or similar species) in remote Indonesia.
• Valid driving licence; boat handling experience is an advantage.How to apply: send your CV to idn.job@bluealliance.earth, subject line: AQUAHUB OPERATIONS MANAGER [YOUR NAME]