Conservation Policy Manager

Posted: Open to internal and external applicants
Reports to: Senior Director of Conservation Programs
Status: Full-time, hourly or salaried status, benefitted position
Hours of work: Standard Monday–Friday workweek, 8am–5pm. Occasional need for weekend or after-hours work as related to events and other projects.
Date needed: First week of January 2025
Posting expires:    When filled. Priority given to candidates who apply by October 21^st.

 Position Description:  

The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Conservation Policy Manager to join the Conservation Programs and Policy team. The Seattle Aquarium’s conservation policy and advocacy program, housed within our Conservation Programs and Partnerships (CPP) department, is critical to deliver on our mission: Inspiring conservation of our marine environment. We work in collaboration with a variety of partners at the local, state, and national levels to advance our conservation priorities—climate resilience, sustainable seas, and clean waters—and a regenerative and equitable future for all life on this planet.

Over the past six years, our advocacy work has contributed to the successful passage of laws that are consistent with our priorities and values and that reflect our input. The Seattle Aquarium has been increasingly recognized as a leader on ocean policy issues and become a resource for elected officials, agencies, and fellow non-profits, among others. We have also been actively increasing our engagement in social and environmental justice policy issues and voting rights.

The Conservation Policy Manager will lead policy and advocacy efforts related to advancing ocean health, environmental justice, and our conservation priorities at the local, state, and federal levels, under the strategic direction of the Senior Director of Conservation Programs. Priority policy issues currently include plastic pollution, wildlife and ecosystem recovery, environmental justice, voting rights, climate change, and marine protected areas.

All positions at the Aquarium support our SALISH Values (Sustainable, Awe-Inspiring, Learning and Improving, Inclusive Community, Scientific Integrity, Honoring Place). As a part of our values, the Aquarium is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. We adopted a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategic plan and Regenerative Plan. We envision a future in which ocean and coastal communities survive and thrive, where we can meet the needs of the present while building more resilient and equitable systems for the future.

Work carried out by the person in this role is anticipated to include leading Aquarium advocacy efforts in the Washington state legislative session and our engagement in several policy-related coalitions, including Plastic Free Washington; supervising and supporting two policy staff (one permanent and one seasonal); building relationships with external partners; leading multi-faceted policy campaigns; and integrating DEIJ and regenerative practices throughout team management and policy work. We work within a short, fast-paced Washington state legislative session each year from January through March or April, in which bills move quickly and the window for influencing decisions can be extremely narrow. Federal policy processes are year-round, and the pacing and deadlines associated with things like rulemaking tend to allow more time.

As part of our inclusive community value, skills and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant cultural, community, career and/or formal or information education.

Key functions:

Policy advocacy: 

• Lead multi-faceted policy advocacy efforts for the Aquarium. Tasks are likely to include writing comment letters and communicating with elected officials and their staff; influencing bill text; drafting and delivering testimony for legislative or agency hearings; strategizing with partners and engaging in negotiations with other stakeholders as bills move through the legislature; and collaborating with other departments to engage Aquarium guests in action opportunities.
• Represent the Aquarium on lobby trips to DC.

Team management: 

• Lead and support the policy team, ensuring a supportive, healthy, inclusive, and anti-racist work environment. Foster professional growth of team members through coaching and mentoring, providing feedback, training and professional development, and accountability.
• Recruit, onboard, and mentor a seasonal policy associate each year to add team capacity for the state legislative session, in addition to supervising a full-time ocean policy coordinator.

Conservation policy expertise and leadership: 

• Build and apply expertise in a portfolio of policy issues, including leading our engagement on plastic pollution and waste policies; serve as a resource to colleagues, external partners, state agencies, and legislative staff on these issues.
• Represent the Aquarium on working groups, technical advisory committees, and coalitions such as the Plastic Free Washington coalition.
• Track, analyze, and evaluate potential Aquarium engagement on environmental issues and proposed policies at all levels of government, particularly Washington state and federal.
• Oversee the development of position statements and in-depth position papers on complex emerging topics based on thorough scientific literature reviews and other available sources of knowledge.
• Develop and deliver presentations and do media interviews on ocean policy issues and Aquarium positions and actions.
• Lead efforts to organize press conferences, legislator convenings, and other events on policy topics at the Aquarium.

Collaboration and partnerships: 

• Exercise diplomacy and respect in all external and internal interactions. Build new policy partnerships, prioritizing Tribes and BIPOC-led organizations, in a genuine way and with a long-term commitment.
• Collaborate across CPP teams and departments to advance collective progress toward our mission and ensure that Seattle Aquarium board, staff and volunteers are informed of our policy work and priorities.
• Support work related to local, state, and/or federal government funding requests for the Seattle Aquarium.

Equity, inclusion, and justice: 

• Advance and integrate diversity, equity, access, inclusion, justice, and regenerative practices throughout team management and policy initiatives.
• Contribute to the team’s efforts to learn together and to dismantle white supremacy culture within our team and across the organization. Contribute to DEIJ evolution processes within our coalitions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required skills and experience: 

The conservation movement has historically marginalized many communities. Our team actively seeks to dismantle this practice and to broaden participation in the marine conservation profession, making it more inclusive of the full diversity of our communities, more responsive to community needs and perspectives, and thus more effective in conserving biodiversity and ecosystems. Staff who are passionate about anti-racism, social justice, environmental justice, Indigenous Knowledge, multilingualism, and other intersections are an asset to our work.

The skills and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant professional, cultural and community experiences, jobs, internships, volunteer experience, and/or formal or informal education.

• Experience with legislative processes, influencing policy decisions at one or more levels of government, and strategically and diplomatically navigating complex political landscapes.
• Passion for using policy processes to make change.
• Dedication to conservation of the Salish Sea and the broader marine environment, and to environmental justice, anti-racism, and social justice.
• Knowledge of and practical experience with ocean conservation issues that are relevant to the Salish Sea; interest in working on policy advocacy related to plastic pollution, production, and waste.
• Ability to build and maintain positive, respectful relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, including community partners, legislators, Tribes, and government agency staff; use diplomacy and approach others from an empathetic and curious perspective; and work collaboratively within coalitions.
• Understanding of and/or commitment to learning about the importance and complexities of Tribal treaty rights, Tribal sovereignty, and how Black, Indigenous, and global majority groups have approached conservation.
• Ability to take initiative, identify emerging policy opportunities, and advance projects without direct daily supervision, and to be proactive in seeking guidance whenever needed.
• Ability to organize work, re-prioritize, and guide team members in re-prioritizing as needed to meet the kinds of structured deadlines that are common in current public policy processes.
• Experience coaching, mentoring, or managing staff, interns, or volunteers; ability and commitment to create a supportive, healthy, and inclusive anti-racist work environment.
• Experience with public speaking, such as leading trainings or workshops, giving presentations, testifying in public hearings, or storytelling, and an interest in presenting to government bodies.
• Experience synthesizing findings from scientific papers as well as other available sources of knowledge and developing written communications in a variety of formats for different audiences (which could include, for example, legislators, the media, and diverse communities).
• Lived experience, personal relationships, or professional connections with Tribes and/or communities of color.
• Experience with or willingness to learn PC software, videoconferencing tools, and internet browsers (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Zoom).

Working conditions:

• Most work is performed in a typical office setting at a computer workstation in an open office environment with frequent interruptions.
• Some exposure to elements as employees are located in campus environment with multiple buildings, outdoor and semi-covered areas, for example moving between Aquarium buildings in all types of weather to participate in meetings.
• May be a hybrid position with some days working remotely from home, to be agreed with supervisor, but some on-site workdays and meetings will be required every week. Staff working remotely are subject to the Seattle Aquarium’s telecommuting policy.
• Must be flexible for occasional evening, early morning, or weekend hours in support of events and projects (e.g., volunteer trainings, press conferences, partner events, legislative hearings, lobbying meetings, coalition retreats).
• Domestic travel for lobbying, conferences, relationship-building, and other meetings up to 10% time annually. International travel may happen in the future but is expected to be rare.  

Salary and benefits: $73,000 – 83,000/year ($35 – $40/hour) * Dependent on experience. Please include salary expectations in your materials. Full-time staff are eligible for the Seattle Aquarium’s comprehensive benefits package to include medical, vision, dental, an employer-funded health reimbursement account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b retirement fund with employer match, access to a subsidized ORCA pass, a Seattle Aquarium Family Plus membership and generous paid time off.

*This position meets the duties test for professional exemption status.  The status of this position as either hourly or salaried/exempt will be determined at the time of hire in relation to Washington State’s salary exemption threshold for 2025 of $77,968.80/year.

How to apply: The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don’t feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.

Interested candidates should upload a résumé to our online application to be considered. Application review will begin immediately.

SeattleAquarium.org/careers

Please let us know if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for this job by emailing us at jobs@seattleaquarium.org.

Note: If offered the position, candidates must pass a background check. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second chance employer.

About the Seattle Aquarium: 

The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world’s one ocean. Our passionate staff increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing an inspiring visitor experience, engaging daytime and evening events, conservation education programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, community outreach to marginalized populations, research that advances understanding of animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild, advocacy and policy work, an award-winning volunteer program, high-impact marketing and communications, and more.

Our values, developed in conjunction with our staff, include commitments to adopting and promoting sustainable practices, creating awe-inspiring experiences, constantly learning and improving, fostering an inclusive community, maintaining scientific credibility through evidence-based practices and honoring our unique place by using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.

Proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, we’re among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. by attendance, and we welcome over 850,000 people each year. Guided by our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment, we’re working to substantially increase our conservation impact by expanding our campus with a new building, the Ocean Pavilion. Learn more at SeattleAquarium.org.

Timeline:

We anticipate the following recruiting schedule for those candidates who are selected for consideration. The following dates are preliminary and subject to change. We will work with candidates to set interview dates. If hired, relocation assistance is not available.

• Application deadline: Late November, 2024
• Priority given to applications received by October 21^st, 2024.
• Interviews completed by early December.
• Start date: January 2, 2025 (some flexibility may be possible)