Senior Manager of Policy, Planning and Evaluation

Position description

Oceans 5 Overview: Oceans 5 is the world’s leading strategic regranting organization targeting ocean conservation. Since 2011, the organization has provided more than $120 million to over 190 organizations in more than 130 countries and regions to establish marine protected areas, stop overfishing, and constrain offshore oil and gas development. Its donors include 25 of the largest marine philanthropic institutions from the United States and Europe. It houses and manages four separate directed funds aligned with its overarching mission. These funds include the Oceans 5 General Fund (O5GF), the Joint 30x30 Funding Initiative (JTTFI), the Bloomberg Ocean Fund (BOF), and the Ocean Climate Diplomacy Initiative (OCDI).

A global team with geographic responsibilities for Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands, and the High Seas supports the grantmaking activities of the suite of funds managed by Oceans 5. The team also supports Oceans 5 donors, as well as other aligned partners like the Shark Conservation Fund, to advance collaborative grantmaking worldwide. It implements a global strategy that is rooted firmly in local knowledge and respect.

Oceans 5 works closely with civil society and Indigenous-led organizations to design collaborative projects and campaigns to influence government decisions through advocacy, research, communications, and capacity building, often leveraging opportunities presented by new elections, appointments, and policy changes. Its grantees have a remarkable record of accomplishment, having been instrumental in the most impactful ocean conservation initiatives of the past decade.

Senior Manager for Policy, Planning, and Evaluation:

The grantmaking of the family of funds managed by Oceans 5 is growing in pace and sophistication, supporting multiple portfolios and an expanding number of donors with a variety of interests and reporting requirements. An increasing number of individual grants are supported by multiple funds, which are underpinned by a common set of metrics and reporting requirements. In addition, donors to the family of funds increasingly expect Oceans 5 staff to support donor education, collaboration, and portfolio-level strategic discussions.

The Senior Manager for Policy, Planning, and Evaluation is a new position that will support tracking, reporting, story-telling, and evaluating the collective impact of the grantmaking activities at an organizational level across the family of funds. It will also support such work at the level of specific funds, as needed and directed. In doing so, the individual will work to support the diverse needs of senior staff, as well as Oceans 5 donors, and other partners in the field.

The organization’s strategic regranting supports three primary objectives: 1) establishing and strengthening marine protected areas; 2) stopping overfishing and combating illegal fishing; and, 3) advancing ocean-related climate mitigation. Oceans 5 and its family of funds tracks several sub-portfolios that support these main priorities, including subjects like shipping decarbonization, high seas protected areas, small scale fisheries, and offshore wind. The new Senior Manager will work closely with existing staff to track and report on the organization’s impact against its objectives, building upon existing strategies and metrics. It will support fund-specific tracking and reporting as appropriate, as well as organization-wide storytelling.

The Senior Manager also will support the periodic refinement of sub-portfolio strategies and metrics, as needed, while strengthening communications and discussions with Oceans 5 donors about the portfolio-level impacts of our grantmaking. The position will be responsible for developing and managing an emerging donor education program and assisting in critical evaluations of possible new issue areas. It will conduct periodic evaluations of grants and portfolios. This is a full-time position reporting to the Executive Director and is based out of this person’s home office. The salary is commensurate with experience and accomplishment.

Deliverables, Responsibilities:

• Assist with drafting strategy documents, refining and reporting metrics for grant portfolios, and preparing periodic reports and newsletters for donors and external audiences.
• Identify and lead evaluation and learning opportunities, consistent with funding strategies, objectives, and criteria.
• Maintain professional and collegial relationships with staff team, donors, grantees, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain broad knowledge, as well as subject matter expertise, of the science, policies, and politics of marine conservation and ocean conservation issues globally.
• Update and maintain details of projects under management in an online project database.
• Understand and support Oceans 5 policies and approaches, including media outreach, confidentiality, conflict of interests, security, ethics, and maintaining organizational health.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. Graduate degree in law, public affairs, public policy, or environmental science preferred.
• A minimum of eight years of directly related professional experience in the environment, conservation, natural resource, or public policy arena. Experience with ocean and marine conservation issues and professional advocacy/outreach strongly preferred. Experience with developing or implementing M&E frameworks and strategic planning is also strongly preferred.
• Proven project-management skills, including ability to handle several projects at different stages simultaneously and a strong capacity to set priorities. Demonstrated ability to facilitate and lead groups and teams toward productive outcomes.
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills with an ability to analyze and distill information clearly and cogently for internal audiences, policy makers, the media, and the public.
• Proficiency in English. Proficiency in another position-related language preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to develop and manage productive relationships with colleagues, consultants, and coalition partners. Excellent listening skills.
• Exhibit strong skills of diplomacy with seasoned and sound judgment. Ability to work productively with a wide array of different people and institutions that frequently disagree with and are in competition with one another.
• Knowledge and demonstrated proficiency in use of software (Windows, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and ability to learn or use technology for reports, meetings, and grants management (Google Suite, Zoom, Monday.com, etc).

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA): Oceans 5 is a sponsored project of RPA, an equal opportunities employer that values diversity at the organization. RPA does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Compensation will be commensurate with experience and accomplishment. For prospective candidates from the United States, the salary range will be $160,000 to $210,000. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including health coverage, retirement benefits, paid sick leave, vacation and holidays, commensurate with experience, accomplishment, and regional markets and statutes.

Application instructions

Please submit a cover letter, resume and writing sample, with ‘Senior Manager for Policy, Planning, and Evaluation: Your Name’ in the subject line. Oceans 5 will accept applications only at this address until the position is filled.

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