Schmidt Marine

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.

Conserving Marine Life in the U.S.

Pew's conserving marine life in the United States (CMLUS) project focuses on protecting essential habitats found in coastal waters like oyster reefs, seagrass meadows, kelp forests, and salt marsh that provide nursery areas, food and refuge for a diversity of marine wildlife. Efforts include working with communities and partners to advance policy and management measures at the state and federal levels that conserve and restore economically and ecologically valuable coastal habitats. Additionally, the project promotes incorporating blue carbon into State Natural and Working Lands Strategies and establishing blue carbon targets in order to elevate the importance of coastal habitats.

Position Overview

The officer is a seasoned campaigner who collaborates with the CMLUS project director to lead and coordinate strategy implementation in California, while also overseeing other initiatives. The strategy includes a targeted but ambitious set of objectives focused on securing nearshore and coastal habitat conservation measures in U.S. coastal waters. The officer contributes to broader project strategies and objectives, providing expertise, insights, and feedback; represents Pew in meetings with government officials; builds new partnerships with stakeholder groups; works with policy experts and scientists to ensure that advocacy efforts are based on the best available science; and builds relationships with Tribal Nation leadership.

The position, working remotely from a home office in California, reports to the CMLUS project director and works closely with project team members in the Pacific, Washington D.C. and in other project regions, as well as with staff from conservation science, communications, government relations, and other Pew departments.

Responsibilities

• Foster a work environment that is inclusive, equitable, diverse, and in line with Pew and the project’s related goals.
• Lead or co-lead the development and implementation of effective strategies and plans to deliver program objectives.
• Develop and maintain a broad knowledge of the science, policies, and politics of nearshore and coastal habitat management in the U.S.
• Provide recommendations to guide development of Pew strategies and activities. Define and conduct specific research on key policy and scientific issues and engage with Pew’s research unit to ensure that the project’s work along the Pacific coast is based on sound data.
• Develop issue briefs, web features, newsletters, and similar product, ensuring factual accuracy for Pew’s Pacific coastal campaigns and communicating highly technical information in an effective way to multiple audiences through direct contact and writing.
• Partner with Pew operations staff including communications and government relations.
• Represent Pew with state and local policymakers, business leaders, Tribal Nations, the media, and other key stakeholders.
• Engage and cultivate new relationships with external organizations, including funders, government agencies, Tribal Nations, scientists, industry leaders, and non-governmental organizations, to raise the profile of and secure support for strategy-wide efforts.
• Participate in activities that support program and Pew-wide objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent experience required.
• Eight years of applicable experience.
• 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 jurisdiction(s) to Pew.
• Track record of successfully advocating for coastal habitat protections with key regulatory bodies.
• Strong written and oral communications skills.
• Time- and project-management skills, including an ability to meet multiple deadlines.
• Politically astute; able to understand the needs and motivations of different individuals and institutions, able to anticipate outcomes and conceptualize win-win scenarios that satisfy multiple agendas among multiple stakeholders.

Key attributes and preferred experience

• At least two years of management experience preferred and a collaborative management mindset.
• Able to set short and long-term planning goals in line with program strategies.
• Strong interpersonal skills and exhibits diplomacy and cultural sensitivity. Able to work productively with a wide array of individuals and stakeholder groups.
• Seasoned judgment, able to make decisions, justify recommendations, and be responsive, clear and firm with colleagues and partners.
• Ability to synthesize information and to focus quickly on the essence of an issue/problem and develop a solution. A strong commitment to producing measurable results.

Travel

Significant regional travel, up to 40% of the individual’s time, anticipated, including attendance at meetings and events regionally and nationally, as well as occasional trips to Pew’s Washington, D.C. office.

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.