Office Location:

The location for this position is flexible within countries where The Nature Conservancy has an established office, ideally within a time zone compatible with North, Central, and South America. This position is not eligible for relocation or immigration assistance.

Who We Are:

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube  or on Glassdoor.  

Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. In addition to the requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of inclusion! Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote myriad TNC staff members, “you’ll join for our mission, and you’ll stay for our people.”

What We Can Achieve Together:

The Marine Spatial Planning Specialist provides technical, scientific, and process support to marine spatial planning (MSP) projects. The MSP Specialist is within TNC’s Protect Ocean, Lands, and Waters Global Strategy Business Unit (Global Protect Team), and sits within the Ocean Planning and Mapping Team, which serves as a global strategic and technical resource for countries and teams engaged in MSP, marine protections, ecosystem services, ocean management, and ocean science. They will be supporting MSP projects initiated under The Nature Conservancy’s significant and matrixed “One Conservancy’ strategy, Nature Bonds and other ocean priority strategies around the world. With the aim to secure durable conservation and climate outcomes by structuring and implementing sovereign debt solutions. These approaches generate new funding for conservation and nature-based climate action and enable governments to achieve ambitious conservation and climate policy commitments, such as in the 2021 Blue Bond in Belize. The strategy is an evolution and expansion of TNC’s proven Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation program.

Reporting to the MSP Science Manager, they will be responsible for supporting country programs and government agencies with initiating and carrying out MSP processes to reach ocean protection goals under the Nature Bonds program and other TNC ocean priority strategies. Responsibilities include supporting MSP capacity building in-country;  developing, presenting, and implementing training materials, templates, tools, and best practices; organize scientific and technical experts to inform MSP processes; develop and implement frameworks for stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation; assist with validation of conservation milestones and reporting. They will attend remote and in-person meetings and workshops as necessary during MSP processes. This position requires the willingness and ability to travel up to 40%, both domestically and internationally.

We’re Looking for You:

Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I make a difference?”, but you don’t know where to go or have the time to do it?  Welcome to The Nature Conservancy.  You have found the solution and now you can pointedly make a difference every day!

By joining our Global Protect Oceans, Lands, and Waters team, you will become part of a group that is a force to be reckoned with; a force for nature, a force for people, and a force for our planet.  Our team consists of a dedicated group who are leading the conservation effort on multiple fronts and who expertly bring strategy and action together. 

The location for this position is flexible within countries where The Nature Conservancy has an established office, ideally within a time zone compatible with North, Central, and South America. This position is not eligible for relocation or immigration assistance.

What You’ll Bring:

• Master’s degree in planning, political science, public policy, international relations, international development, social science, natural science, ecology or related field and at least 2 years related experience, or equivalent combination.
• Experience synthesizing, interpreting and communicating scientific information.
• Experience preparing reports of findings.
• Record of peer reviewed publications in scientific journals.
• Experience leading or participating on cross functional teams.
• Experience working and communicating with a wide range of people.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• On-the-ground experience with advancing ocean conservation and participatory processes such as marine spatial planning, marine protected area networks and/or sector-based management plans.
• Critical analytical thinking and excellent English writing skills are essential.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Ability to work well in a highly matrixed, decentralized and collaborative organization. Possesses strong interpersonal skills and political savvy.  Must be a team player.
• Ability to write and speak in a language other than English, such as Spanish, Portuguese, French or Chinese, highly desirable.
• Familiarity with ocean topics such as fisheries, offshore energy, aquaculture, climate change and/or other anthropogenic ocean impacts.
• Experience managing complex projects coordinating the work of peers and partners.
• Familiarity with spatial analysis tools.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet time sensitive deadlines.

What We Bring:

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on. Through grassroots action, TNC has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff, we impact conservation throughout the world!

The Nature Conservancy offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including: health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan including employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work wellbeing benefits. Learn more about our benefits at in the Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a work-environment that is supportive of the health, wellbeing, and flexibility needs of the people we employ!

Salary Information:

This position may be based in any country where TNC has an established entity, taking into consideration legal restrictions, such as non-national ratios and immigration processing times. For U.S. based applicants only, the starting pay range for this position is generally within the range of $65,280-$97,750 annual base salary and is based on location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. For all other applicants, pay ranges will be in local currency, the pay range will be based on the local labor market, and not tied to the above pay range. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment and used to determine your actual pay range. Additionally, for all applicants, actual pay will fall within a range based on a variety of factors including, for example, the candidate’s qualifications, specific skills, and experience.