OARS Program Coordinator

Job description

Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability (OARS) is an endorsed programme of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The OARS vision is to provide society with the observational and scientific evidence needed to sustainably identify, monitor, mitigate and adapt to ocean acidification, from local to global scales.

OARS builds on the foundation work of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON), and its regionally-focused hubs, towards achieving SDG target 14.3, 'Minimize and address the impacts of Ocean Acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels.

This role will proved the support to successful deliver this programme as well as contributing to the success of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network and ocean acidification research and impact at the SMSRC.

As OARS is an international programme the Programme Officer will be expected to travel and spend short periods at national and international events, such as the UNFCCC COP, the UN Ocean Conference and the UN Ocean Decade Conference.

Key Accountabilities

• Global Ocean Acidification Activities: Support the activities of OARS through the organisation and management of regular OARS leadership, champions and working group meetings.
  
  Manage the OARS contribution to the Ocean Decade, and manage any interaction with designated coordinating actions.
  
  Act as a link between the OARS secretariat and the GOA-ON Executive Council and secretariat.
  
  
• Ocean Acidificaiton Knowledge into Action: In partnership with colleagues at the OA Alliance, support the identification, development and publication of ocean acidification 'knowledge to action' case studies.
  
  
• Monitoring and reporting: Oversee OARS internal programme reporting (e.g. drafting meeting reports, organizing internal meetings, collating performance and impact monitoring data).
  
  Collate OARS programme performance data and evidence and report this back to the UN Ocean Decade Co-ordination Centre, (IOC-UNESCO).
  
  
• Communication: Act as the focal point for OARS external communications and dissemination activities (including webpage/website, social media, short films, webinars, popular articles etc).
  
  Facilitate communication between, the existing UN Ocean Decade endorsed actions assigned to the OARS programme and support the creation and successful endorsement of others.
  
  Support communication within and between the OARS Outcomes, their co-champions and working groups.
  
  Facilitate the creation, publication and wide dissemination of OARS Outcomes and products.
  
  Participate in the organizing team for the annual GOA-ON Ocean Acidificaiton Week.
  
  
• International Reputation and Engagement: Facilitate and Co-ordinate the participation of OARS at large national and international events, such as UN COPs (UNFCCC, CBD, BBNJ), UN Ocean Conference, Ocean Decade Conference, World Ocean Summit, IUCN meetings.
  
  Faciliate and promote the involvement of OARS partners in collaborative policy relevant activities.
  
  Support the Director of theSMSRC in his role as the co-lead of GOA-ON and the co-focal point for the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.3.
• Ocean Acidificaiton Research in the Region: Promote and facilitate the uptake of ocean acidification research at the SMSRC, nationally and across the region.
  
  Manage the involvement of the SMSRC in collaborations and partnerships, such as GOA-ON and the South Asia GOA-ON regional hub.
  
  Develop materials that promote ocean acidification literacy.
  
  

Key Interactions
Internal

• Director of SMSRC
• SMSRC senior leadership team
• Academic marine research and operational support staff at SMSRC
• UKF students
• Academic staff at UKF outside the School of Marine Science
• UKF operational staff (communications, partnerships, engagements, finance and procurement)

External

• Academic and research collaborators
• Media outlets and journalists
• Governemental and Intergovernmental agencies and organisations
• Contractors and logistics providers

Qualification & Experience

• A master's degree or a degree in a related scientific topic, preferably marine or ocean related, or equivalent work related experience
• Post-graduate qualification in Science Communication or related discipline (or equivalent time in a related role in industry or academia)
• Minimum of 7 years' post graduate experience in delivering science communications and research impact.
  
  
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic and team leadership, operational planning, and budget management.
  
  
• Establish international network.
  
  
• Proven knowledge of marine science and research activities and outcomes.
  
  

Essential
Skills & Competencies

• Familiarity with marine science and research activities
• Some experience of project management
• Excellent general oral and written communication skills.
  
  This would include evidence of effective report writing (in English) and data collation skills, and an ability to speak to a range of audiences at public events and fora
• Experience of using different communication tools and media (including webpages and social media) including a knowledge of appropriate AI and ML tools
• Good organisational skills

Desirable

• Passion for the marine environment
• Innovative and creative thinking
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Flexibilty and adapatbility
• Background in, or associated with, academic or marine research institutions
• Strong portfolio of science communication products and outputs

Required Skill Profession

Other General