Officer, Preventing Ocean Plastics

Washington, DC (901 E)

The Environmental Portfolio at The Pew Charitable Trusts

For more than 25 years, Pew has been a major force in engaging the public and policy makers about the causes, consequences, and solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges. Our environment work spans all seven continents with more than 250 professionals working at the local, national, and international levels to reduce the scope and severity of global environmental problems, such as the erosion of large natural ecosystems that contain a great part of the world's remaining biodiversity, and the destruction of the marine environment.

Pew has worked in the United States and Canada since 1990 to protect vast stretches of wilderness and more recently expanded our land conservation efforts to Australia's Outback and Chilean Patagonia. Safeguarding these places offers an opportunity to conserve wildlife habitat, shorelines and landscapes for current and future generations. Our work relies on the sciences of conservation, biology, and economics to advocate for practical and durable solutions to the loss of biodiversity.

In the sea, reforms to how our oceans are managed are essential to address overfishing, pollution, and loss of habitat. Pew began its oceans program in the United States, focusing on ending overfishing and protecting fragile marine habitat. Starting in 2005, Pew's ocean conservation program expanded around the world and played a significant role in reforming marine fisheries management in the European Union and on the high seas and creating marine reserves around the world. Our work is grounded in the best available science and pursues domestic and international conservation measures that are long-term and provide permanent, durable protections for marine ecosystems.

Preventing Ocean Plastics

Pew's preventing ocean plastics project aims to provide the evidence base for concerted global action to reduce the flow of plastic into the ocean. The project focuses on evaluating and implementing the economically and politically viable steps and catalyzing effective and efficient efforts and investments globally to reduce the flow of plastics entering the world's oceans. Specifically, the project aims to help develop policies to address in-country plastic use and waste, unintentional microplastics, and plastics trade as well as increased accountability of public and private actions, all supported by the dissemination of research and tools.

Position Overview

The officer, preventing ocean plastics, will serve as a subject matter expert, focused on ensuring the policy positions advanced by the plastics team are based on the best available information. This position will focus on bridging the technical analyses conducted by the team with policy development and collaborate with team members across all six workstreams, which span modeling and scenario analyses to metrics development to policy advocacy. This position will also advise on the best approaches for multilateral policies and assist in developing and implementing strategies to deliver those policies.

Reporting to the project director, preventing ocean plastics, this position is based in Washington, DC (or London) and will participate in Pew's core in-office days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and will have flexibility to work from home the remainder of each week.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the country for which they are seeking employment without visa sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Foster a work environment that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible and in line with Pew and the project's related goals.
• Collaborate closely with team members across the technical and policy workstreams to ensure research conducted by the team, as well as the best available information, supports and informs the policy positions advanced by the team.
• Actively identify the science needs of the policy teams and provide advice and guidance to link the activities of the policy and technical teams.
• Master the technical analyses under the scenario modeling workstream and collaborate with project partners in conducting the analyses and support their development of policy recommendations.
• Represent Pew in the technical working group hosted by our partners under the Scaling Plastics Disclosure project's corporate disclosure and reporting platform and provide feedback in the development and implementation of the plastics metrics.
• Build partnerships with other organizations in the public and private sectors and cultivate and maintain productive working relationships with key government officials and nongovernmental partners.
• Research, write, and edit campaign materials, such as reports, policy briefs, fact sheets, presentations, letters, and web content.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and represent Pew publicly at conferences, events, and meetings and with the media to cultivate and engage key constituencies about the need for a corporate disclosure and reporting system for plastics.
• Develop contracts and budgets and manage and conduct oversight of contractors and consultants contributing to project objectives.
• Maintain a broad knowledge and keep abreast of developments and publications on the relevant policies, science and solution options to tackle plastic pollution.
• Contribute to and participate in tasks of the project and department as assigned, as well as activities that support program and Pew-wide objectives as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• Generally eight years of applicable experience in the conservation arena, with a particular focus on or familiarity with ocean and international policy, marine science, or plastics. Specific knowledge or experience in approaches to tackling plastic pollution, corporate disclosure and data and modeling analyses preferred.
• 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.
• Demonstrated business judgment and discretion in handling complex and sensitive matters.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills. Develops and maintains productive relationships with colleagues and partners from diverse backgrounds who may have disparate or conflicting goals or approaches. Excellent listening skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills. Experience synthesizing materials and focusing quickly on the essence of an issue and the means to address it. Confident in presenting Pew's views and one's own ideas and diplomatically persuading others as appropriate.
• Experience with delivering policy recommendations and/or scientific findings to policy makers and the public.
• Develops and moves projects forward with a high degree of independence and autonomy and achieves results in a complex working environment in which influence is often exerted indirectly rather than through traditional chain of command hierarchies.
• Strong problem-solving skills. Must be flexible, creative and consistent. A strong commitment to producing measurable results.
• Demonstrates a strong collaborative spirit.

Travel

Domestic and international travel expected approximately 20% of the time.

Total Rewards

We offer a competitive salary and benefit program, including: comprehensive, affordable health care through medical, dental, and vision coverage; financial security with life and disability insurance; opportunities to save using health savings and flexible spending accounts; retirement benefits to help prepare for the future; and work/life benefits to maintain a good balance.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Pew considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, sex, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity, military/veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

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