Individual Consultant for Sustainable Seaweed Development

Background

Timor-Leste has a coastline of approximately 783 km and a marine area of about 72,000 km², offering significant potential for seaweed farming (World Bank, 2021). Agriculture supports the livelihoods of 70 percent of the population and contributes 16.7 percent to GDP, yet productivity remains mostly low due to limited technical capacity, poor market access, and weak value chains (World Bank, 2021). Seaweed farming mostly concentrated on Atauro Island, Liquica, Lautem providing income and nutritious food, particularly for women, but farmers face challenges including limited technical knowledge, climate-induced "ice-ice" disease, and difficulties accessing reliable markets (Mittal, 2025).

Timor-Leste is working to build a sustainable Blue Economy under the IX Constitutional Government's Policy and Action Plan (2025–2035). Within this scope seaweed farming and value chain strengthening can be one of the practical solutions for coastal communities as alternatives sources of livelihoods.

The MACP-Blue project will address these current gaps by supporting the development of needed preliminary assessments, structured guidelines, capacity buildings, and developing a clear strategic approach. This consultancy aims to develop practical guidelines and strategies for roadmap documents to support sustainable seaweed farming, value chain, and market growth in Timor-Leste.

Duration: 6 Months

Scope of Work

The consultant will complete the following tasks:

• Site Assessment for Seaweed Farming in Timor-Leste
• Sustainable Seaweed Farming Guideline Development and Training
• National Seaweed Value Chain and Marketing Strategy
• National Level Consultation for Results Sharing and Finalization

Required Qualifications and Experience

We are looking for a consultant team with the following qualifications:

• Education: Degree in Aquaculture, Marine Biology, Fisheries Management, Agricultural Economics, or related fields
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in aquaculture, value chain development, or marine resource management
• Proven experience in developing similar guidelines development at national level
• Proven experiences developing National Strategic Document development for value chain & Marketing strategy for Seaweeds or similar products
• Experienced in providing TOTs/target training to various stakeholders e.g.- coastal communities, local & municipal leaders, government stakeholders, business owners
• Experience working with Government/MALFF and local/international business partners with regards to seaweed farming/marketing & value chain establishment is highly desirable
• Both national and international consultants can apply. Experience in Timor-Leste or similar contexts is highly desirable

Application Requirements

Interested applicants are requested to submit:

• Letter of Interest
• Technical Proposal
• Financial Proposal
• At least 2 samples of Previous relevant works
• CV(s) and contact details two professional referees

How to Apply

Application should be submitted via email to: [email protected]

Application package in English by Thursday, 17 September 2026 (5pm Dili Time).

Subject of the email: "Application – MACP-Sustainable Seaweed Development"

For details, please refer to TOR in this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FkTda_sEstYJRVTOjU4aODlU2JJReBNb/view?usp=sharing

Please Note: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted, and applications received beyond the cut off business day will not be considered.

Contact:
Silvania da Piedade
Procurement, Grants and Contract Officer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +670 77403728
Office: +670 3310016