Description
ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY
Ocean Conservancy educates and empowers citizens to take action on behalf of the ocean. From the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico to the halls of Congress, Ocean Conservancy brings people together to find solutions for our water planet. Informed by science, our work guides policy and engages people in protecting the ocean and its wildlife for future generations.
DEPARTMENT SUMMARY
Our country’s ocean and coasts face an era of unprecedented activity. Wind farms and other energy facilities, commercial fishing, recreation, shipping, and other interests are all competing to use the same waters, including environmentally sensitive areas and wildlife habitat. Without comprehensive, coordinated planning, we end up with ocean congestion and conflict that can harm our ocean environment and thwart our ocean economy. Ocean Conservancy is helping tackle this problem by supporting coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP) that will protect, maintain, and restore healthy marine ecosystems while allowing sustainable economic development. Planning allows us to make smart, balanced choices that will help our ocean and communities thrive. By taking a step back, listening to stakeholders, and looking at the big picture, decision makers will have better-informed choices about how to preserve a healthy ocean and thriving economy.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Program Assistant provides logistical and administrative support to the CMSP team, managing the administration of Ocean Conservancy's CMSP program by scheduling important meetings, drafting and circulating action items and meeting minutes, and coordinating internal team follow-up and other activities. The Program Assistant also tracks and organizes all program work products and outcomes for internal and grant reporting purposes and updates and maintains stakeholder engagement records. In addition, he/she provides research assistance, written materials, and copy editing to support the CMSP program.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Program Assistant will:
Manage the flow of information among program team members to ensure and enhance communication within the team and achieve maximum effectiveness.
Arrange and coordinate meetings and maintain meeting calendars for team members; coordinate logistics and scheduling for stakeholder fly-ins and other federal and state advocacy events.
Draft agendas and notes for team meetings, circulate action items and meeting minutes, and coordinate internal team follow-up and other activities.
Update and maintain the CMSP stakeholder database and other stakeholder engagement records; use Raiser's Edge software to pull lists, update and track stakeholder information; support CMSP team outreach efforts by assisting with stakeholder research.
Track programmatic work for internal and grant reporting purposes, including orchestration and tracking of deliverables and assistance in grant reporting to communicate success and effectiveness.
Keep CMSP program documents, records, and files updated, organized, and easily findable; ensure consultant invoices are received and paid on a timely basis.
Assist with research, draft written materials (such as blogs or program updates), and provide copyediting assistance to the CMSP team.
Other tasks as required.
REQUIRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE
Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail are essential; excellent multi-tasking skills with the ability to see the big picture and remain attentive to details, deadlines and deliverables.
Highly collaborative with an appreciation of the benefit of a multi-disciplinary team approach; willing to take on a variety of tasks to further the program goals.
Ability to be flexible and work under pressure.
Scheduling, administrative assistant, or project management experience preferred.
Strong writing and communications skills; demonstrated ability to synthesize and convey information clearly and precisely in a written format.
Proficiency in Microsoft office products; familiarity with Raiser's Edge preferred.
Interest in environmental policy and congressional politics; commitment to Ocean Conservancy’s mission and goals.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
B.A. required, preferably in a relevant specialty such as management, communications, public policy, or another field related to coastal/marine affairs or environmental protection.