Vacancies

Deputy Secretary, Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication

Closing date for applications: 31 May 2024

Starting date: As soon as possible

Location: Secretariat offices[1], London

Basic salary: Approximately £71 700/year (exempt from UK income tax)

Job description and instructions on how to apply (see documents below)

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 hazardous substances and eutrophication.

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 Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication Committee (HASEC), amongst others, on eutrophication (including modelling), trends and effects of (hazardous) substances in the marine environment, atmospheric and riverine inputs. In addition, the person appointed will provide support to other areas of OSPAR’s work. The primary function of the role is to support HASEC to deliver OSPAR’s agreed strategic and operational objectives, ensuring the preparation of documents needed for its meetings, reports of those meetings, and appropriate follow-up.

Required competencies:

a 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 scientific knowledge and information to support OSPAR’s objectives, particularly in relation to hazardous substances and eutrophication;
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);
a positive constructive approach to working with scientists, environmental managers, and policy experts from a range of cultures and political/governmental/NGO backgrounds

Desired competencies:

experience or knowledge of processes and activities leading to emissions to water and air
experience or knowledge of marine environmental management including monitoring and assessment and the development of targets and measures to reduce human pressures on the marine environment;
experience of implementing policies relating to hazardous substances and eutrophication;
experience of working in an international environment or organisation.

[1] The Aspect, 12 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AS

[2] Applicants’ data will be handled in line with the OSPAR Privacy Policy, https://www.ospar.org/privacy