The Irish Wildlife Trust is hiring a Marine Advocacy Officer
Job Title: Marine Advocacy Officer
Organisation: The Irish Wildlife Trust
Address: 8 Cabra Road, Dublin 7, Ireland
Salary: €30,000 - €35,000 per annum subject to experience
Hours: This is a full time 5 days per week post
Contract Type: Fixed term contract until end of 2023 (with the option of continued employment subject to project funding)
Closing date for applications: 01st November 2022
Start date: As soon as possible.
About the Irish Wildlife Trust
The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is a non-governmental organisation and charity founded in 1979. The Irish Wildlife Trust aims to conserve wildlife and the habitats it depends on throughout Ireland while encouraging a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the need to protect it.
The Irish Wildlife Trust works to create a better future for Ireland’s biodiversity by motivating and supporting people to take action to protect biodiversity. We achieve this through wildlife walks and talks, citizen science projects, community & school education, practical conservation activities, and biodiversity campaigning and advocacy.
About the role
Background:
The Irish Wildlife Trust is a partner in two campaigns seeking greater protection of marine life by advocating for the designation of new marine protected areas (MPAs) and improved management of existing MPAs. The two campaigns are “Fair Seas” (Ireland) and “From Paper Parks to Effective Protection” (Europe-wide).
Fair Seas is a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental non-governmental organisations and environmental networks. Fair Seas is calling for 30% of Ireland’s ocean territory to be fully protected by 2030. Fair Seas’ aim is to see Ireland, with a renewed appreciation of the ocean, become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive. The IWT is a lead partner organisation in Fair Seas.
“From Paper Parks to Effective Protection (An NGO alliance to protect and extend European MPAs)” is a coalition of European environmental organisations led by Seas at Risk and Oceana. This campaign is seeking to improve the management of marine protected areas in Europe to bring about effective protection within MPAs. The IWT is the Irish partner organisation in this project.
Overview of the role:
The focus of the Marine Advocacy Officer role is to lead the delivery of IWT’s objectives in the two MPA campaigns, working on the two complementary campaigns side by side and acting as a liaison point between them. This role will appeal to a candidate with a strong knowledge of marine conservation and a desire to communicate the importance of marine protection to a variety of stakeholders and audiences from the general public to government representatives.
Responsibilities:
A detailed programme of work will be agreed with the successful candidate at the outset. The successful candidate will report to the IWT Coordinator as well as working closely with the Fair Seas and Seas at Risk campaign teams. Responsibilities include;
Advocacy
Researching and writing submissions to public consultations on policies, legislation and developments affecting MPAs in Ireland
Advocating for a strong EU Nature Restoration Law, including meetings with EU Members of Parliament
Analysis of management issues in Irish MPAs in the context of existing legal protections such as the Habitats Directive (with support from legal experts)
Stakeholder Engagement & Communications
Organising stakeholder engagement events, such as workshops, talks and outings to communicate the importance of MPA designation in Ireland
Supporting the delivery of Fair Seas events such as seminars and conferences
Identifying and communicating opportunities for collaboration between our Irish and European campaigns
Attending occasional in-person meetings in Brussels with our European partners
Engaging international NGO partners working in MPA advocacy
Supporting the production of Fair Seas reports, policy position and website articles
Communication of reports, press statements, policy positions and outputs from both campaigns to the IWT network and beyond through social media, press releases, IWT magazine articles and talks
Tracking campaign activities and deliverables, assisting in writing reports to project funders
Essential skills or experience:
A relevant university degree or equivalent qualifications or experience
Experience working as part of a team
At least three years of experience working in marine science or nature conservation advocacy
Experience in research and report writing
Experience organising meetings and events
An understanding of marine ecosystems and marine conservation biology
Knowledge of the EU and Irish policies and legislation affecting the marine environment
Understanding of the roles and interactions of various marine stakeholders such as: civil society groups, researchers, commercial interests, state agencies and politicians
An ability to communicate effectively, both written and verbally
Skills in communicating scientific information to a diverse range of audiences
Organisational and time management skills and the ability to manage and prioritise workloads and deadlines
Proficiency in working across software platforms: video meetings, word processing, spreadsheets, social media
Desirable skills or experience:
Advocacy and lobbying experience in an environmental NGO
Strong knowledge of the Irish and EU legislative process
Experience of analysing data from the marine environment including GIS analysis
Experience writing evidence based submissions to public consultations
Personal attributes and competencies
Passion for wildlife conservation and the mission of the IWT to engage people with nature conservation
Enjoy working as part of a team
Ability to use own initiative and work independently
Conditions of Employment This role allows for remote working options. The successful candidate will be expected to attend occasional meetings / workshops in person at our Dublin office. Full time desk space will be provided in our office if requested. The IWT office is in Phibsborough in Dublin City one minute from the LUAS line and close to Dublin City Centre. The successful candidate will be required to be available for occasional travel within Ireland and internationally when necessary. How to apply To apply for this position please email your CV and cover letter to jobs@iwt.ie Your cover letter should be in pdf format and a maximum of two pages in length. In your letter please outline your motivation for this position and why you feel you have the skills and experience to succeed in the role. Please put Marine Advocacy Officer in the email subject line. For queries about this position or terms of employment please email jobs@iwt.ie Deadline: 01st November 2022, 18:00. Application after this time will not be considered.
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