Vacancies

Deputy Secretary, Biodiversity

We are looking for a highly motivated, outcome-focused Deputy Secretary with a can-do attitude and excellent team working skills to support OSPAR’s work on biodiversity

Closing date for applications: 24 February 2023
Starting date: Beginning of July 2023
Location: London
Basic salary: Approximately £69k/year (exempt from UK income tax)

Profile: University graduate (preferably in natural or environmental sciences). Minimum of five years’ relevant professional experience.

Specific duties and responsibilities: Primarily responsible for the work under OSPAR’s Biodiversity Committee (BDC), including marine protected areas, coordination of marine biodiversity and monitoring, protection of species and habitats (ICG-POSH). In addition, the person appointed will provide support to OSPAR’s Committee on human impacts on the environment (EIHA[1]) and other areas of OSPAR’s work.

The primary function of the role is to advise BDC to deliver OSPAR’s agreed strategic objectives, ensuring the preparation of documents needed for its meetings, reports of those meetings, and appropriate follow-up.

Required competencies:

good working knowledge of environmental policy of OSPAR Contracting Parties and its regulatory basis, with particular reference to the marine environment;
an understanding of the marine environment from an ecosystem perspective;
knowledge of practical, legal and institutional aspects of intergovernmental organisations;
the ability to address the application of environmental knowledge and information for the purposes of OSPAR’s objectives and ongoing work;
representational skills to present material to the Commission and its subsidiary bodies and to represent the views and policies of the Commission in other forums; and
strong organisational and administrative skills (including IT skills, among which should be familiarity with spreadsheets and data management).

Desired competencies:

experience or knowledge of marine environmental monitoring and assessment; and/or
experience of the development and implementation of policies of OSPAR Contracting Parties relating to marine biodiversity and ecosystems.

[1] OSPAR’s Environmental Impacts of Human Activities Committee