Sr. Specialist, Ocean Policy, Pristine Seas (Science and Innovation)

How You’ll Contribute

The National Geographic Society invests in a diverse, global community of National Geographic Explorers who are leading a new age of exploration in support of our mission: to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world through science, exploration, education, and storytelling. These bold individuals represent more than 140 countries, and their vast array of backgrounds, perspectives, and fields bring us to the far reaches of the globe.

Within NGS, the Science & Innovation team is a department that oversees the Society’s grantmaking efforts in science, conservation and technology, develops and manages major mission programs, and establishes programmatic partnerships with like-minded non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Over the last fifteen years, Pristine Seas, National Geographic’s flagship ocean conservation program has helped to inspire the protection of 32 of the last wild places in the ocean, encompassing almost 7 million square kilometers of ocean. Pristine Seas seeks a Senior Specialist, Ocean Policy to support and scale our approach over the next five years

Under the direction of leadership across the team, and reporting to the Senior Director of Pacific Ocean Policy, the Senior Specialist, Ocean Policy will manage and execute a wide array of global ocean policy, program strategy, public affairs, and partner management activities to ensure the proper functioning of the Pristine Seas team.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include:

Policy (50%)

• Collaborate with the Executive Director, VP for Strategy and Operations, and the Senior Director of Pacific Ocean Policy to conduct research and develop briefing materials to help inform political strategy, marine protected area opportunities, and other special projects;

• Research and write briefings on scout and expedition locations to help build alignment and understanding of overall program strategy;

• Collaborate with Senior Manager, Strategy, to support project management for country projects, including tracking progress on marine protection targets post-expedition and updating relevant strategy documents, including the PS Archive;

• Collaborate with PS departments to plan and manage scout, expedition, and return trips. Represent Pristine Seas to field partners when necessary, and manage the development of detailed reports on events and outcomes with relevant team members;

Program Strategy (30%)

• Develop and execute operational and content plans for in-person team meetings, strategy workshops, and ocean policy convenings with logistical support from the Program Operations team;

• Support the Senior Manager, Strategy in grant reporting initiatives by compiling information, drafting, and copy-editing as needed.

Public Affairs and Partner Management (20%)

• Support partner management and special projects across Pristine Seas’ portfolio, including policy communications;

• Coordinate across NGS and PS departments on Pristine Seas’ messaging, internal and external-facing material development, to ensure program strategies are effectively communicated;

• Represent Pristine Seas as necessary at key events in partner countries and other relevant fora.

What You’ll Bring

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree

Minimum Years and Types of Experience

4+  years of professional work experience. Experience in the non-profit and/or environmental sector is preferred but not required.

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Strong understanding of marine conservation issues, project scope, and programmatic needs.

• Excellent project management and organizational skills with high attention to detail.

• Highly developed oral and written communication skills with competency in word. processing and spreadsheet (Google Drive, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Keynote).

• Ability to proactively anticipate problems and find creative solutions to challenging situations.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate professionally in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment and work with individuals and groups at all levels.

• Ability to exercise good judgment and work with minimal instruction and supervision when necessary.

• Ability to maintain high standards of confidentiality.

• Strong personal and professional integrity.

• Proficient in basic computer programs (including Office suite, Google docs, etc).

Desired Qualifications

• Degree or experience in program management, environmental science, marine science or policy preferred.

• Spoken and/or written fluency in a second language preferred.

• Familiarity and/or comfort with Adobe Creative Suite, contract management software, budgeting software, or field operations planning.

Supervision

No direct reports

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this position is $74,100.00 - $78,000.00.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31 (May not apply to all roles that are required to work during high volume seasons or essential workers. Please check with the hiring manager for confirmation.); paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Remote - Our Remote designation includes staff who must work in another location in the U.S. or abroad, such as our regional leads for our Education and International teams or regional fundraisers in Advancement. Staff may also be designated as Remote by their supervisors (with approval by the Senior Team lead) because of their job duties, and are afforded this status when it is beneficial to NGS, their respective team, and the employee.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We are looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, not a checklist that exactly matches the job description. We want to help you grow and in return, you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.