Principal Associate, Ocean Governance

Application Deadline: July 1, 2025

The Environment Portfolio at The Pew Charitable Trusts

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.

Ocean Governance

Many global environmental problems, from combating climate change to protecting biodiversity, ignore national boundaries and can only be addressed effectively through international cooperation. Because the ocean is an interconnected natural system governed by a patchwork of domestic and international jurisdictions, countries have long recognized the need for international cooperation to manage and safeguard its living resources.

Pew's ocean governance project is engaged in several lines of work where multilateral efforts would enable significant conservation outcomes. This includes reducing harmful fisheries subsidies that promote overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices through the World Trade Organization, protecting marine habitats in areas beyond national jurisdictions through our work on the U.N. high seas treaty and on the International Seabed Authority's mining code, and working toward the adoption of a global biodiversity target by the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect at least 30% of global land and ocean areas by 2030, known as 30x30, to bolster Pew's efforts to secure marine protections.

Position Overview

The principal associate plays an important role in supporting Pew and its partner organizations working at the nexus of international fisheries management and the U.N. high seas treaty to ensure that initiatives are well-planned, strategic, and collaborative. Reporting to the senior officer, Ocean Governance, the principal associate also works with colleagues across Pew, including engaging closely with the International Fisheries project, and with philanthropic partnerships, government relations, legal affairs, contracts administration, finance, and communications.

Located in Pew's Washington, DC, London, or Brussels office, this position 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.

Responsibilities

• Lead the coordination of partner groups to ensure transparency and information-sharing to foster and maintain relationships, including by convening regular in-person, hybrid and virtual meetings.
• Draft policy briefs, talking points and other resources, in collaboration with partner groups and Pew teams, to inform government engagement at regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).
• Contribute to the capacity building of other NGOs interested in engaging at the nexus of international fisheries management and the U.N. high seas treaty.
• Support the workshops and other convenings of policy decisionmakers, stakeholders, and experts at key meetings of regional fisheries management organizations and priority global-level events-including securing speakers and experts, agenda development, logistics, invitations, and preparing materials for briefings and events.
• In coordination with partner groups, engage with Pew's International Fisheries team to execute strategy/priorities in the RFMOs where Pew engages.
• Foster a work environment that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible and in line with Pew and the project's related goals.
• Assist with the initiative's contracts, monitor progress, and ensure products are delivered on time, within budget, and meet the contract's objectives.
• Collaborate with government relations, communications, legal affairs, partnerships and other colleagues to support the objectives of Pew's work.
• Participate in activities that support program and Pew-wide objectives.

Requirements

• Effectively works as part of a team, fosters consensus, and collaborates with diverse partners to advance pragmatic solutions.
• Skilled at informing and influencing internal and external audiences through written and oral communications.
• Aptitude to think strategically and creatively, adjust to changing circumstances, remain attentive to details and exercise sound judgment in problem-solving.
• Demonstrated time and project management skills, including a capacity to meet multiple deadlines by maintaining a high level of organization.
• Excellent applied research and analytical skills, including synthesizing technical scientific and/or legal information and identifying key themes.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Generally, six years of applicable experience.

Key attributes and preferred experience

• Experience in law, fisheries policy, international relations, or marine conservation science and planning.
• Experience with policy advocacy and campaigns and working in different regions globally.
• Experience convening groups of policymakers, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, and other constituencies.
• Comfort with developing and moving complex projects forward with a high degree of independence within a creative, fast-paced, action-oriented, and collegial environment.
• Naturally develops and manages productive and collaborative relationships to work productively with a wide array of different people and institutions that may disagree with and are in competition with one another.
• Experience working with governments and multinational institutions and general understanding of multilateral processes.

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 Ranges

Washington, DC salary range: 100,300.00 - 112,100.00 USD

London salary range: 52,500.00 to 58,600.00 GBP

Brussels salary range: 70,100.00 EUR to 78,300.00 EUR

Salary Range

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

This position offers a competitive salary and benefit program.

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.