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The Pew Environment Group

The mission of the Environment program is to promote policies and practices that protect the global atmosphere, preserve healthy forests and marine ecosystems.

For the past two decades, the Environment group of The Pew Charitable Trusts has been a major force in driving conservation policy in the United States, and increasingly internationally. The group’s work is focused on reducing the scope and severity of three major global environmental problems:

• Dramatic changes to the Earth’s climate brought about by the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the planet’s atmosphere;
• The erosion of large wilderness ecosystems that contain a great part of the world’s remaining biodiversity; and,
• The destruction of the world’s marine environment, with a particular emphasis on global fisheries.

The Environment Group’s Marine Program

For over a decade, the Pew Charitable Trusts has played a major leadership role in successfully promoting policies, both in the United States and abroad, that protect the ocean environment and the life it contains.  We have been instrumental in bringing about many of the major improvements in fisheries management and marine conservation that have occurred in the United States since the mid 1990’s.  These accomplishments include passage of the strongest conservation measures ever enacted by Congress to protect the nation’s marine fisheries; issuance of court ordered restrictions on destructive fishing practices in millions of square miles of federal waters; creation of the world’s largest marine reserve in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands; passage of the strongest restrictions ever enacted into law to protect sharks in U.S. waters; and internationally, adoption of severe restrictions on the use of highly destructive bottom trawls in approximately one-quarter of the world’s high seas.  In addition, we have sponsored a large number of groundbreaking research studies published in recent years that have fundamentally changed the way in which the scientific community, the public, policymakers and the media think about the world’s marine environment.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, seven of the 23 commercially fished tuna species, including bluefin tuna, northern albacore, bigeye and yellowfin are overfished or depleted.  An additional nine species are at the brink of being overfished, and considering the impact of illegal fishing, those species are overfished as well.  The boats seeking these tuna are responsible for more hooks and nets in the water than is any other fishery globally.

The Global Tuna Conservation Campaign

In addition, tuna is a highly valued fish in the northern hemisphere and as such has become a prime target for illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing fleets that, according to a recent report, are responsible for up to 30 percent of all the bluefin tuna landed every year and at least 10 percent of the remaining catches; that figure is most likely significantly higher as there is a lack of monitoring and verifiable reporting of catches by countries.

The Pew Environment Group’s Global Tuna Conservation Campaign will focus its work on transforming the management of these species on the high seas through work in various countries and regions, as well as through some of the key Regional Fisheries Organizations tasked with managing access to these species on the high seas.  We will also seek an Appendix I  listing for Atlantic bluefin tuna at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and  engage at the United Nations and the UN FAO when there are meetings where tuna and issues related to its management are on the agenda.

Position Overview & Responsibilities

This position is based in Washington, DC and will report to the senior officer, Global Tuna Conservation Campaign, Pew Environment Group. 

Working with the senior officer, the manager will assist with the strategic implementation of the Global Tuna Conservation Campaign.

• Provide advice and assistance to the senior officer, as requested, in identifying and setting highly measurable goals and targets as well as developing timelines and operational plans and functions for the campaign so as to achieve these goals and targets;
• Help to organize and host strategy sessions with NGOs and scientists, maintaining ongoing communications with stakeholders,  and, as necessary, representing PCT with national, regional and international conservation organizations;
• Maintain contacts with foundation sources, donors, and organizations who may not be strategic partners;
• Help to monitor budgets and hire and oversee other campaign staff as well as consultants;
• Respond to public inquiries about the Trusts’ Global Tuna Conservation work and other activities that fall under the purview of this initiative; 
• Represent the Trusts publicly at conferences, seminars and official forums as well as by authoring articles for newspapers, magazines and peer-reviewed journals;
• Work to ensure that communication and outreach is an essential component of the project; 
• Contribute to and participating in tasks of the department as assigned, as well as broader Trust-related projects and activities as needed.
• Collaborate with the campaign director and PCT Donor Services to provide project partners/donors with regular updates on project advancements;

The Global Tuna Conservation Campaign is designed as a four-year effort, subject to renewal by the PCT board at the end of the second year.  The position currently is approved for a 24 month term period through September 2011. 

• A minimum of eight years of experience in the international conservation arena.  This includes designing and implementing campaigns. Experience in the field of international marine conservation is a plus.
• Demonstrated strong analytical skills.  Ability to synthesize large amounts of information and to focus quickly on the essence of an issue/problem, determine whether it is ripe for intervention and identify the means to address it.  A strong commitment to producing measurable results. 
• Able to set short- and long-term planning goals in line with project management. Ability to analyze budgetary information and assess organizational capacity.  A task-oriented style, with focus on achieving clear and ambitious goals.  Demonstrated ability to meet multiple deadlines by maintaining a high level of organization.  Able to develop and move projects forward with a high degree of independence and autonomy. 
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including an ease in briefly summarizing the essence of issues and means to address them.  Strong oral, presentation, facilitation and written communication skills such that complex ideas, thoughts and concepts are clearly articulated for a general audience.  Clear, effective writing style.
• Exhibits skills of diplomacy.  Able to work productively with a wide array of different people and institutions that frequently disagree with and are in competition with one another.
• Strong understanding of how to manage by influencing others and the ability to read nuances of meaning accurately. 
• Seasoned judgment, able to make decisions, justify recommendations, and be responsive, clear and firm with colleagues and partners.
• Able to adapt to a complex working environment in which influence is often exerted indirectly rather than through traditional chain of command hierarchies.  Successful experience in leveraging ideas and creating projects that produce measurable results.
•  Masters degree in a relevant area or equivalent experience.

Travel

It is anticipated that the individual in this position will travel nationally and internationally to manage campaign activities, including, as necessary, to PCT’s Philadelphia office.