### OSPAR Commission

- The Aspect
- 12 Finsbury Square
- London, EC2A 1AS

### Deputy Secretary: OSPAR Commission

- Closing date for applications:                   31 October 2025
- Starting date:                                   End of June 2026
- Location:                                        London
- Basic salary:                                    Approximately £78 000/year (exempt from UK income tax)

For a complete job description and instructions on how to apply 1 please consult the OSPAR website: https://www.ospar.org/organisation/vacancies
We are looking for a highly motivated, outcome-focused Deputy Secretary with a can-do attitude and excellent team working skills to support OSPAR’s work relating to the offshore industry, radioactive substances, and the work of the Bonn Agreement.
Profile: University graduate (preferably in maritime or environment law, environmental engineering, environmental management, natural or environmental sciences). Minimum of five years’ relevant professional experience. Specific duties and responsibilities: Primarily responsible for the work under OSPAR’s Offshore Industry and Radioactive Substances Committees, and the work of the Bonn Agreement. In addition, the person appointed will provide support to other areas of OSPAR’s work. The primary function of the role is to support OIC, RSC and the Bonn Agreement to deliver against the agreed strategic and operational objectives, ensuring the preparation of documents needed for their meetings, reports of those meetings, and appropriate follow-up.
Required competencies:
•         a good working knowledge of regional coastal and ocean governance mechanisms and their regulatory basis, with particular reference to the marine environment;
•         knowledge of relevant international and European, including EU, marine environment regulation and policy- making, as well as practical, legal and institutional operation of intergovernmental organisations;
•         knowledge of IMO, other United Nations institutions and international NGOs with maritime and ocean-related mandates;
•         understanding of and familiarity with the maritime and ocean industries, in particular offshore oil and gas extraction and transport, and the links to ecosystem-based management, including maritime and environmental risk and accident related issues;
•         the ability to address the application of environmental knowledge and information for the purposes of the objectives and ongoing work of the OSPAR Commission and the Bonn Agreement;
•         professional communication skills, including preparing and presenting material to scientists and managers in a multicultural setting and to represent the views and policies of the Commission and the Bonn Agreement in other fora;
•         strong organisational and administrative skills;
•         experience or knowledge of shipping aspects related to ecosystem based management of the marine environment, marine environmental monitoring and assessment and/or implementation of policies relating to the Bonn Agreement, the work of IMO and maritime pollution.

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Applicants’ data will be handled in line with the OSPAR Privacy Policy, https://www.ospar.org/privacy

Vacancy Announcement/ Job Description for the post of Deputy
Secretary at the Secretariat of the OSPAR Commission and the
Bonn Agreement 1

We are looking for a highly motivated, outcome-focused Deputy Secretary with a can-do attitude and excellent team working skills to support OSPAR’s Offshore
Industry Committee and Radioactive Substances Committee, and the work of the
Bonn Agreement. Working closely with the Contracting Parties to OSPAR and to the Bonn Agreement, the post offers a great opportunity to help prevent pollution and to protect and conserve the marine environment. The basic salary is in the region of £78 000 and, in line with the rules for international organisations, is not subject to UK income tax. A generous package of allowances could also apply depending on eligibility.

1.    Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for the post of Deputy Secretary at the Secretariat of the OSPAR Commission and the Bonn Agreement.
2.    Under the Commission’s Staff Rules, the appointment will be for a period of three years (subject to a six-month probationary period). After a review at the end of the three-year period, a second three-year contract may be offered. There is a maximum period of service of six years, except in special circumstances.
3.    The successful candidate will be asked to take up the post ideally by end of June 2026. The post is based at the Secretariat offices in central London. The Secretariat operates a “3 days in the office/2-days working from home” policy. The normal hours of work are variable and are those required to carry out the work. The post also requires frequent international travel, mainly within Europe.
4.    The post is open to nationals of the Contracting Parties to the OSPAR Convention (see paragraph 5), as well as nationals from any Member State of the European Union.
The OSPAR Commission
5.    The OSPAR Commission is an international intergovernmental organisation established to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. It consists of representatives of the Contracting Parties: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Union.

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Applicants’ data will be handled in line with the OSPAR Privacy Policy, https://www.ospar.org/privacy

OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic

Commission OSPAR pour la Protection du Milieu Marin de l’Atlantique du Nord-Est                             1 of 4

6.    The Commission is administered by a Secretariat, which also supports a sister organisation, the Bonn Agreement. The responsibilities of the Secretariat are to help the OSPAR Commission and the Bonn Agreement to develop and implement policies and regulations. The Secretariat is currently composed of an Executive Secretary, five Deputy Secretaries, and eight administrative assistants. The working languages are English and French.
7.   Further information about the OSPAR Commission can be found on the Commission’s website at OSPAR Commission | Protecting and conserving the North-East Atlantic and its resources.

The Bonn Agreement
8.    The Bonn Agreement is the mechanism by which ten Governments, together with the European Union, cooperate in dealing with pollution of the Greater North Sea and its Approaches by oil and other harmful substances. The signatories to the Agreement are the Governments of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Union. Further information can be obtained from its website at: www.bonnagreement.org. Description of the post, main duties and requirements
9.    The person to be appointed will have attained a general educational standard equivalent to a good university degree, preferably in maritime or environment law, environmental engineering, environmental management, natural or environmental sciences and will have had at least five years' relevant work experience.
10. All members of the team report to the Executive Secretary and work together to deliver the priorities of the Commission and the Bonn Agreement. The responsibilities of the Secretariat are to help the Commission/Bonn Agreement develop and implement its policies and regulations and maintain effective relations with the Contracting Parties, the public, the media, and inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations. In addition, the Secretariat carries out general secretariat duties connected with the smooth running of the activities of the Commission/Bonn Agreement.
11. Deputy Secretaries are expected to make themselves familiar with the full range of the Secretariat’s activities and to help ensure integration across the different themes of work. The work of the OSPAR Commission and the Bonn Agreement is guided by their respective strategies, the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030 and the Bonn Agreement Strategy [REDACTED PHONE]. The work involves supporting relevant Committees and Working Groups to deliver against the agreed strategic and operational objectives and includes, inter alia, preparation of, and assistance at, meetings, the preparation of reports and documents for these meetings (including drafting technical reports, tracking implementation progress, editing draft background documents and measures on specific problems), writing the summary records of those meetings and ensuring appropriate follow-up to the conclusions of the meetings.

12. The person appointed to this particular role is responsible for the many strands of work that are under the Offshore Industry Committee (OIC), the Radioactive Substances Committee (RSC), and the Bonn Agreement. The person appointed will also support the work of the Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication Committee (HASEC) and will be expected to support other areas of OSPAR’s work.
13.     Specific duties associated with this role are: a. With regard to the OSPAR Commission: i. responsibility for supporting the work of OSPAR’s Offshore Industry Committee (OIC) and Radioactive Substances Committee (RSC), including their subsidiary groups, to ensure progress against relevant objectives under the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030; ii. promoting cooperation with other relevant international organisations including the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the London Convention and London Protocol and the International Atomic Energy Agency;

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iii. supporting the North Sea Network of Investigators and Prosecutors (NSN) and promoting linkages with OSPAR’s work; iv. providing support and input to other OSPAR meetings such as Heads of Delegation, the Coordination Group and the OSPAR Commission meeting; and v. any other tasks that may be assigned from time to time by the Executive Secretary. b.     With regard to the Bonn Agreement: i.    responsibility for supporting the work of the Bonn Agreement and its technical working group
OTSOPA;
ii.    contributing to the development of work related to MARPOL Annex VI; and iii.   promoting cooperation with other relevant international organisations including Inter Secretariat meetings and Interspill events.
14.    The principal skills and competencies required include:
•      a good working knowledge of regional coastal and ocean governance mechanisms and their regulatory basis, with particular reference to the marine environment;
•      knowledge of relevant international and European, including EU, marine environment regulation and policy-making, as well as practical, legal and institutional operation of intergovernmental organisations;
•      knowledge of IMO, other United Nations institutions and international NGOs with maritime and ocean- related mandates, their aims, objectives and activities, including experience with IMO key instruments related to maritime safety and the protection of the marine environment from ship source pollution;
•      understanding of and familiarity with the maritime and ocean industries, in particular offshore oil and gas extraction and transport, and the links to ecosystem-based management, including maritime and environmental risk and accident related issues;
•      the ability to address the application of environmental knowledge and information for the purposes of the objectives and ongoing work of the OSPAR Commission and the Bonn Agreement;
•      professional communication skills, including preparing and presenting material to scientists and managers in a multicultural setting and to represent the views and policies of the Commission and the Bonn Agreement in other fora;
•      strong organisational and administrative skills (including IT skills, among which should be familiarity with spread-sheets and data management);
•      experience or knowledge of shipping aspects related to ecosystem based management of the marine environment, marine environmental monitoring and assessment and/or implementation of policies relating to the Bonn Agreement, the work of IMO and maritime pollution;
•      experience in managing/leading projects is desirable as is experience of working in an international environment or organisation.
15. The bulk of the Secretariat's work is conducted in English, but documents, reports and publications are also produced in French and some of the correspondence is written in French. A thorough knowledge of English is therefore essential, as is the ability to draft quickly, accurately and concisely in English. Given equal professional qualifications, preference will be given to candidates who also have a good knowledge of French.

Terms of Service and Remuneration
16. OSPAR Secretariat staff enjoy privileges and immunities in line with the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom and OSPAR. The salaries of OSPAR Secretariat staff are exempt from UK income tax. Remuneration of staff members is guided by the salary scales of remuneration of the Co-ordinated Organisations for staff serving in the United Kingdom. Further details on the salary and on allowances which may be payable are contained in the “Remuneration” document. The full terms and

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conditions of service are set out in the Commission’s Staff Regulations (Agreement [REDACTED PHONE]), as amended from time to time.
Procedure
17. Further details of this post and the way in which applications should be made is included in the “Application Instructions” document.
18. The closing date for applications is 31 October 2025 and applications should be sent for the attention of the Executive Secretary to [REDACTED EMAIL]. The Secretariat will acknowledge receipt of your application by email. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within a few days, please contact the Secretariat to check that your application has been received. Please include the following in the subject line of your email: “Confidential: Application Deputy Secretary OSPAR_Bonn_Agreement”.
19.   The indicative timetable for this appointment procedure is as follows: Step                                                              Date Applications to be sent to the Executive Secretary by             31 October 2025 Shortlisting of candidates                                        [30 November 2025] Interview with shortlisted candidates resulting in                [17 December 2025] recommendations for appointment
Approval procedure finalised                                      [16 January 2026]* Successful applicant to take up appointment by                    [End of June 2026] Please note that the above timings are indicative only and, in particular, the date of the interview may change depending upon the availability of the interview panel.

* Due to the festive season, the approval process for selecting the candidate will take longer than usual.

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