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Federal Policy Manager
Oceana
Washington, DC, USA
USD 74k-78k / year
Posted on Apr 22, 2026
The Federal Policy Manager serves as the federal policy lead on fisheries and ocean wildlife issues, working specifically with Oceana’s campaigns to save the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, champion responsible fisheries management in the United States, and defend conservation laws and policies from rollbacks.
The Federal Policy Manager advocates with Congress, federal agencies, and other policymakers to advance Oceana’s policy goals, under the direction of the campaign director and coordinating closely with Oceana’s field, communications, science, legal, and policy teams. The Federal Policy Manager also assists in fulfilling other organizational objectives, providing policy support as needed. This position reports to Oceana’s senior director for federal policy and is based in Washington, D.C. Occasional travel is required.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Essential Functions:
- Lead Oceana’s government relations strategies and activities for the campaigns described above, under the direction of the campaign director and the senior director for federal policy.
- Persuasively represent Oceana positions and campaign goals to Congress, the Administration, federal agency officials, and other policymakers.
- Develop and maintain extensive contacts in Congress and the executive branch.
- Track emerging threats to environmental laws and policies—especially relating to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Magnuson Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act, and Endangered Species Act—and to the agencies that implement these laws.
- Monitor developments in management of North Atlantic right whales and fisheries as they relate to Oceana priorities and objectives.
- Analyze relevant federal legislation, executive branch actions, and government reports.
- Coordinate with Oceana campaign teams to develop advocacy strategies to achieve campaign goals.
- Create and maintain advocacy and public documents in support of Oceana’s priorities, including fact sheets, congressional letters, public comment letters, backgrounders, action alerts, social media content, and reports.
- Represent Oceana in NGO coalitions and provide leadership in coalitions that are central to Oceana’s campaigns.
- Assist communications staff with media outreach opportunities and represent Oceana to media outlets as an expert on ocean policy as needed.
- Participate in the hiring and supervision of interns, fellows, and contractors.
- Assist in preparing formal comments for rulemakings and other federal agency actions.
- Undertake additional projects and perform other duties as needed.
Job Requirements
Education and work experience:
- Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in political science, public policy, conservation biology, environmental studies/science, marine affairs, or a related discipline. At least five years of advocacy or legislative work, preferably at the federal level and preferably on ocean conservation.
- Equivalent combinations of education and experience will also be considered.
- Experience in developing and implementing legislative strategies to win targeted issue-specific campaigns, including identifying decision makers, drafting advocacy materials, and conducting advocacy meetings with policymakers.
- Experience either leading or substantively participating in formal and informal coalitions.
Skills and knowledge:
- Knowledge of the federal policy-making process in Congress and the executive branch.
- Ability and desire to advocate for complex, progressive conservation positions in a variety of settings, from one-on-one meetings to presentations at large briefings and conferences.
- Strong writing skills and ability to write for a variety of audiences.
- Strong oral and written communication skills and keen analytical ability.
- Experience working to meet tight deadlines, completing unexpected projects, and effectively managing a demanding workload.
- Computer literacy, particularly with Microsoft Office applications.
- Flexibility to work long hours occasionally.
Required Competencies:
- Action Oriented: Makes things happen. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
- Instills Trust: Is able to gain the confidence and trust of others by demonstrating honesty and authenticity, acting with integrity, being consistent and credible.
- Effective Communication: Understands the value of effective communication. Can deliver messages in a clear, compelling, and concise manner. Actively listens, checks for understanding and adjusts content and style to meet the needs of different stakeholders.
- Manages Complexity: Is able to gather data, analyze situations and uncover root causes to problems. Can distinguish between what is relevant and what is not and evaluate the pros and cons of potential solutions.
- Builds Networks: Has a history of building formal and informal relationships inside and outside their organization. Is open to connecting and focused on forging relationships that can bring value to the work.
- Strategic Mindset: Can see the big picture and move into the future with clear intentions and purposeful actions. Acts today in a way that leads to achieving future objectives.
Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to be considered.
Oceana's U.S. offices are operating on a hybrid schedule. Staff are required to work from their assigned office on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. With agreement between the employee and their supervisor, the employee may work from home on Monday and Friday.
Oceana values a diverse workforce and welcomes people different from each other in many ways, including characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and national origin. Oceana considers all qualified candidates and seeks to recruit from a diverse candidate pool.
The salary range for this position is $74,000 - $78,000 annually.
Please apply by May 11, 2026