Director, Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas

~ The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and invigorate civic life. ~

We are an independent nonprofit organization - the sole beneficiary of seven individual trusts established between 1948 and 1979 by two sons and two daughters of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew.

Our work lays the foundation for effective policy solutions by informing and engaging citizens, linking diverse interests to pursue common cause and insisting on tangible results. Our projects encourage efficient, responsive governments - at the local, state, national and international levels - serving the best interests of the people.

We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our interest in fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.

With offices in Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Brussels and London and staff in other regions of the United States as well as Australia, Pew provides an exciting learning environment and the opportunity to work with highly talented individuals. We are a dynamic, rapidly evolving organization that values creativity and innovative thinking and fosters strong teamwork with mutual respect.

Position Overview

The Director, Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas, will develop and lead the implementation of a global campaign to advance a new international legal instrument enabling the establishment of marine protected areas and reserves on the high seas. This will include work in capitols around the world and at U.N. missions in New York.

The campaign will work closely with other organizations, including playing a core role in the coalition of 30-plus conservation organizations that comprise the High Seas Alliance (HSA) so as to galvanize international support for launching negotiations.

The Director, Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas, will lead a small, focused project team with the support of other Pew units. It is expected that this position is for a term period through September 2018, with the possibility of an extension pending the success of the program, funding sources and board decisions on continued support.

Responsibilities 

• Develop and implement effective campaign strategies, set achievable and measurable goals that will result in broad support for a decision to negotiate an implementing agreement in political capitols around the world and at key UN missions in New York. 
• Develop and oversee a communications strategy that seeks to change opinion and policy decisions. 
• Design cost effective budgets and monitor campaign expenses, evaluating project costs as needed. 
• Identify capacity needs, including hiring new staff and consultants to ensure the campaign has the necessary human resources to achieve its goals. 
• Work in close collaboration with other allies and organizations in order to maximize the impact of campaign strategies, including the High Seas Alliance. 
• Determine when goals are at risk of not being met, identify the causes and, when needed, take appropriate steps to fix any problems in ways that keep the campaign on course. 
• Develop and maintain a broad knowledge of the science, policies, and politics of international ocean policy and ocean conservation issues globally. 
• Develop and maintain working relationships with decision makers, government officials and national and international institutions, as well as relevant NGOs in the field. 
• Develop mechanisms to analyze policy opportunities that have relevance for campaign efforts. 
• Partner and collaborate with the Pew Philanthropic Partnership Group in order to identify potential donors, cultivate relationships and generate interest and support for a cause that result in significant funding for projects. 
• Serve as a spokesperson in order to cultivate and engage the public and key constituencies regarding the tangible mechanisms and measures that can be taken to address the need to protect marine life on the high seas. 
• Represent the Trusts publicly at conferences, seminars and official forums and by authoring articles for newspapers, magazines and peer-reviewed journals. 
• Contribute to, and participate in, the tasks of the department as assigned, as well as broader Pew international oceans projects and activities, as needed. 

Qualifications  

Requirements: 

• Bachelor's degree required; an advanced degree in public policy, international relations or environmental science strongly preferred. 
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience with a proven track record of leadership and accomplishment in designing and implementing programs on a global scale. Extensive experience in the international policy arena including working with the UN is strongly preferred as well as an in-depth understanding of multilateral processes. 
• A minimum of two years of previous direct supervisory experience required including experience managing performance management process for direct reports and providing career development advice and counsel. 
• Excellent political, strategic and analytical abilities with proven program management skills to develop, execute and evaluate a range of diverse strategies to achieve goals. A task-oriented, deadline driven style with a focus on achieving clear and ambitious goals. Able to develop and move projects forward with a high degree of independence and autonomy. 
• Demonstrable experience of successfully managing staff and teams based in dispersed geographies, able to develop and manage productive relationships with consultants, partners and others who contribute to the development of a project by anticipating possible outcomes. 
• Exceptional oral and written communications skills. Able to synthesize material and to focus quickly on the essence of an issue and the means to address it. Confident in presenting one's own ideas and diplomatically persuading others as appropriate. Ability to communicate complex ideas for a general audience, with strong public speaking skills and an ability to persuasively engage individuals or groups in dialogue that results in a desire to take action 
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with seasoned judgment and analytical capacity, and must demonstrate strong collaborative spirit and ability to make decisions. 
• Media-savvy and politically astute. Able to use marketing techniques and media exposure to communicate the impact of research on conservation needs. 
• Well-developed skills in diplomacy. Able to work productively with a wide array of different people and institutions that frequently disagree with and may be in competition with one another. 
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills. Must be flexible, creative, consistent and assume high accountability for all areas of responsibility. 
• Seasoned judgment, able to make decisions, justify recommendations, and be responsive, clear and firm with colleagues and partners. Prior to commencing employment with Pew, candidates for this position who were registered to lobby in any jurisdiction must certify termination of previous registration(s) and provide copies of termination notices with said jurisdiction(s) to Pew. 
• Fluency in English essential and fluency in other languages desirable. 

Note: International travel for this position will be required. 

Additional Information 

For the past two decades, Pew has been a major force in educating the public and policy makers about the causes, consequences and solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges. 

Our work is focused on reducing the scope and severity of three major global environmental problems: 

• Dramatic changes to the Earth's climate brought about by the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the planet's atmosphere; 
• The erosion of large terrestrial wilderness ecosystems that contain a great part of the world's remaining biodiversity; and
• The destruction of the world's marine environment.  

Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas 

Although the high seas make up a majority of the world's oceans, no institutional or formal legal framework currently exists to designate fully protected marine reserves beyond a country's exclusive economic zone except in the Southern Ocean.

These waters, covering an area larger than all of the world's continents combined, exemplify the tragedy of the global commons-exploited by all, but protected by none. The value of fully protected marine reserves has been increasingly recognized by individual countries which have established reserves in their own exclusive economic zones as a means to protect and conserve marine biodiversity and ensure the health of marine ecosystems.

On June 19, the U.N. General Assembly agreed to begin negotiations on an international agreement to create a legal mechanism for establishing marine protected areas on the high seas. This U.N. action sets the stage for talks to begin in early 2016 on a new global agreement for high seas conservation.

This project will utilize Pew's experience as a leader in the creation of science-based marine reserves and protected areas and international ocean policy to mount a global campaign that generates worldwide support for the negotiation of a strong new agreement. 

Compensation: We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits package. 

To Apply 

Please click below: "Apply Now Online!" to email your resume and a cover letter. Be sure to indicate "Director, Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas." 

~ Pew is an equal opportunity employer. ~