Deputy Secretary
Closing date for applications: 31 October 2025
Starting date: End of June 2026
Location: London
Basic salary: Approximately £78 000/year (exempt from UK income tax)
For a complete job description and instructions on how to apply* please consult the OSPAR website: https://www.ospar.org/organisation/vacancies
We are looking for a highly motivated, outcome-focused Deputy Secretary with a can-do attitude and excellent team working skills to support OSPAR’s work relating to the offshore industry, radioactive substances, and the work of the Bonn Agreement.
Profile: University graduate (preferably in maritime or environment law, environmental engineering, environmental management, natural or environmental sciences). Minimum of five years’ relevant professional experience.
Specific duties and responsibilities: Primarily responsible for the work under OSPAR’s Offshore Industry and Radioactive Substances Committees, and the work of the Bonn Agreement. In addition, the person appointed will provide support to other areas of OSPAR’s work. The primary function of the role is to support OIC, RSC and the Bonn Agreement to deliver against the agreed strategic and operational objectives, ensuring the preparation of documents needed for their meetings, reports of those meetings, and appropriate follow-up.
Required competencies:
- a good working knowledge of regional coastal and ocean governance mechanisms and their regulatory basis, with particular reference to the marine environment;
- knowledge of relevant international and European, including EU, marine environment regulation and policy-making, as well as practical, legal and institutional operation of intergovernmental organisations;
- knowledge of IMO, other United Nations institutions and international NGOs with maritime and ocean-related mandates;
- understanding of and familiarity with the maritime and ocean industries, in particular offshore oil and gas extraction and transport, and the links to ecosystem-based management, including maritime and environmental risk and accident related issues;
- the ability to address the application of environmental knowledge and information for the purposes of the objectives and ongoing work of the OSPAR Commission and the Bonn Agreement;
- professional communication skills, including preparing and presenting material to scientists and managers in a multicultural setting and to represent the views and policies of the Commission and the Bonn Agreement in other fora;
- strong organisational and administrative skills;
- experience or knowledge of shipping aspects related to ecosystem based management of the marine environment, marine environmental monitoring and assessment and/or implementation of policies relating to the Bonn Agreement, the work of IMO and maritime pollution.
*Applicants’ data will be handled in line with the OSPAR Privacy Policy, https://www.ospar.org/privacy