19 August 2008

Director of marine conservation

The main work areas are: * Advice to Government and regulatory agencies on fisheries controls and the regulation of offshore industries as they affect marine nature conservation; * Setting standards for the identification of UK marine protected areas (including Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas under the EC Habitats Directive and EC Birds Directive, and under the prospective Marine Act), the identification of such areas in the UK offshore waters, and advising on the management of offshore marine protected areas; * Collating information on marine biodiversity and geodiversity in UK waters and making this information available to stakeholders, including through the development and dissemination of mapped information; * Advising Government on surveillance programmes for UK marine biodiversity, setting standards for the monitoring of UK marine protected areas, undertaking surveillance programmes for key components of UK biodiversity, and reporting the results of such surveillance and monitoring; * Advising and supporting Government in relation to international Conventions and Agreements for, or affecting, marine nature conservation, including OSPAR, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Migratory Species of Animals. The main responsibilities of the post are: * To serve as a member of our Executive Management Board to ensure the provision of effective leadership for Company staff and the implementation of our strategy, to agree resource allocations to programmes in the context of the organization's Corporate Plan, to approve policies and procedures, to oversee staffing issues, including Health & Safety, to manage corporate risks and also a programme of progressive change; * To advise the Joint Committee on the strategic direction of our marine work, and answer to the Committee for the effective discharge of our marine work programme; * To chair our marine governance group to ensure the effective discharge of marine work programmes and the efficient use of resources, and to ensure the overall coherence in our marine work; * To act as line manager of the Heads of the Management Advice, Marine Protected Area, Marine Habita ts and Seabirds and Cetaceans Teams, and to provide leadership, motivation and support to team managers in the conduct of their work programmes; * To represent our externally at a senior level and build effective relationships with key stakeholders (including country agencies, Government Departments and devolved administrations, non-governmental organisations and others; * To deputise for another Director or the Managing Director if required. * The Marine Director may also be invited to serve as a Company Director on the Board of our Support Co.


Qualification


Competencies Applicants would normally have a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject and at least four years relevant post-graduate experience. They should also have the following competencies: * Working with customers and partners * Highly-developed representational skills, with experience in influencing, negotiating and consensus-building and the ability to develop and maintain partnerships at a senior level with key stakeholders (Essential). Specialist/professional knowledge and skills * Operational experience in marine nature conservation and/or the sustainable use of marine biological resources (Essential); * General knowledge of marine biodiversity (Essential); Organisational knowledge * Broad understanding of the role and functions of the organization and its main partners in the UK and abroad (Desirable); Strategic planning and project management * Experience of corporate planning and strategy development (Essential); Personal effectiveness * Ability to manage a diverse and demanding workload effectively, assess priorities, and maintain a flexible approach to delivering objectives (Essential); * Committed to a culture of continuous improvement with the drive to implement changes to working practices across the organisation (Essential); Managing people and team working * Excellent staff management skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate and support staff in a rapidly changing environment, and to solve difficult management problems (Essential); * Strong leadership skills, with the ability to direct the work of a range of teams to deliver corporate objectives efficiently and effectively (Essential); Communication and information management * Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare papers and reports, make effective presentations, and chair meetings in an organised manner (Essential); * Experience in the use of normal office software (Essential); Finance, contracts and resources * Ability to manage organisational resources to achieve efficiency, effectiveness and value for money (Essential); * Experience in contract management (Essential). The closing date for this post is 19 June 2008. The anticipated interview date will be w/c 14 July 2008