Principal Officer, Global Conservation Initiatives

Position description

For more than 30 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’s global environmental program focuses on science-based, nonpartisan, and sustainable solutions to help protect the planet and people. We work in partnership with governments, Indigenous rights holders, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, local stakeholders, scientists, and other researchers to advance public policy so that nature and communities can thrive.

Since 1990, Pew has worked in North America, South America and Australia to protect large and critically important terrestrial ecosystems, including rivers and other freshwater resources, coastal temperate rainforests, interior mountain ranges, the northern boreal forests, Australia’s Outback, and Chilean Patagonia. We work to ensure these natural systems remain bountiful, functioning, and resilient, providing essential ecological services such as clean air and clean water, sustenance and food security for local communities and more broadly for the welfare of current and future generations. Our work relies on the sciences of conservation, sociology, 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 large scale 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. We also work to address systemic threats to the ocean, including from plastics, over-and-illegal fishing, seabed mining, and climate change.

Blue Nature Alliance

The International Union for Conservation of Nature recommends that countries strongly protect 30% of every habitat by 2030 (30×30). The rate of protection needs to accelerate in the coming years to ensure a healthy, resilient ocean, safeguard biodiversity, and conserve critical ecosystems. In addition to the designation of new and expanded areas, sufficient controls must be in place to achieve conservation outcomes in existing protected areas. This entails strengthening the management of existing reserves and upgrading their protections where needed.

Working alongside partners, the Alliance scope of work is truly global, and aims to protect global ocean biodiversity, build resilience, promote human wellbeing, and enhance ecosystem connectivity and function. In addition to partnering with local champions to secure the designation of new and expanded conservation areas, the Alliance works to strengthen the management and durability of existing ocean conservation areas and upgrading their protections where needed. The Blue Nature Alliance is a collaborative, dynamic global team comprised of staff from both The Pew Charitable Trusts and Conservation International, that aims to make an outsized impact on the ocean.

The Blue Nature Alliance (Alliance) is a global partnership between Conservation International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob Melani Walton Foundation.

Position Overview

The principal officer, Global Conservation Initiatives, Ocean Finance Lead, develops and implements a three-year pilot program with the Alliance that seeks to help three countries develop national marine finance strategies in pursuit of 30×30. This position works closely with the Alliance’s Conservation Finance Delivery Team, Country Leads, Conservation Finance Technical Lead, and Outreach and Resource Mobilization Lead.

Reporting to the senior director, global conservation initiatives, the principal officer provides strategic oversight and coordination of program objectives such as cost models and marine finance plans, participates in high-level engagements with government agencies, financial institutions, donors, and NGOs, and coordinates between the core executing partners of the Alliance.

Located in Pew’s Washington, DC, office, this position participates in Pew’s hybrid work program with core days in the office and the flexibility to telework the remaining days. Staff also enjoy four telework “flex weeks” per year. Committed funding is in place for this role through December 2027.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and operations of the pilot program over three years, providing strategic direction, vision, coordination, resource management, and supervision.

• Manage the program budget and oversee grant implementation, guaranteeing efficient and effective use of resources to reach the desired results of the project in accordance with the procedures of the donor.

• Oversee the work of multiple vendors and contractors supporting in-country efforts.

• Establish effective reporting, evaluation, and communication systems and direct the preparation of annual work plans and progress reports.

• Provide guidance and oversight over deliverables, such as financial models, financing mechanism analysis, and national marine financing plans, and oversee the completion of all technical requirements for said deliverables.

• Communicate with Alliance leadership and serve as the primary Alliance representative on the project and liaison with all internal and external stakeholders.

• Serve as an active member of the Alliance Conservation Finance delivery team and Pew environment portfolio’s conservation finance community of practice, led by the portfolio’s conservation support team.

• Engage with potential funders, government donors, and financial institutions to mobilize financial resources and structure deals.

• Represent Blue Nature Alliance publicly at conferences, seminars, and official forums and by authoring articles for newspapers, magazines, peer-reviewed journals, online publications, and social media platforms.

• Participate in activities that support program and Alliance’s objectives.

• Foster a work environment that inspires excellence, values impact, encourages transparency, builds mutual trust and respect, embraces and values diversity, and is collaborative, caring, and compassionate.

• Lead, guide and mentor network team members of the project including technical experts who are employed by partner organizations, contractors around the globe, and staff who participate in the Alliance conservation finance delivery team.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership including skills in conservation finance, marine conservation, strategic planning, management, supervision, and budgeting.

• Experience and knowledge of relevant donor regulations, policies and procedures with demonstrated success managing international projects of similar scope and scale.

• Experience leading and guiding in a matrix organizational structure.

• Proven aptitude to engage and collaborate effectively and establish strong working relationships with senior representatives of national and local government, the private sector, and civil society.

• Demonstrated experience implementing projects with rigorous timelines and deliverables and tracking program quality through donor-approved monitoring and evaluation systems.

• Superb technical and analytical skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with written and oral English fluency required.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; advanced degree in relevant discipline preferred.

• Generally, ten years of applicable experience, including staff, project, and/or consultant management experience, with a focus on implementing multi-sector programs on the international stage.

Key Attributes and Preferred Experience

• Deep conservation finance background, including general understanding of the development of robust cost models for conservation and identification, design, establishment of finance mechanisms and marine conservation.

• Skilled at working productively with a wide array of stakeholder groups, including governments; interpersonal skills that exhibit diplomacy and cultural sensitivity.

• Demonstrates experience or capacity to fully operate programs with a high degree of independence.

Travel

This position requires frequent international travel to meetings and conferences.

Work Authorization

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

Salary Range

$159,200 USD – $177,900 USD

The salary range represents a reasonable estimate of the annual salary based on Pew’s commitment to provide equitable and market-competitive pay. The actual salary offered will take into consideration many factors including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills and experience, internal pay equity, and business need.

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.

Application instructions

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