Policy Assistant
Reports to: Illegal Fishing and Transparency Campaign Director
Location: Remote (Brussels)
Duration: Temporary (Early August – 31 December 2025)
N.B. Applications will be assessed upon receipt; we therefore encourage early submission.
Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.
OCEANA’s Mission
We are a leader in science-based advocacy, and we campaign for policies to make the world’s oceans more abundant, vibrant, and biodiverse. We operate as a combined international organisation. Through recent expansion, our talented staff consists of about 250 people, working in more than 12 countries, including scientists, communications, policy and advocacy experts.
When you work at Oceana, you are part of an organization that changes people’s lives by protecting the oceans, improving food security and enhancing livelihoods. Whether you are contributing as a policy advocate, expert, fundraiser, or team member, you play a pivotal role in helping people achieve their goals every day. Our culture is one of talented people working together with a common purpose.
As an Oceana team member, you know that what you do matters. Join us today to protect the world’s oceans and restore them to their former level of abundance!
The role:
The main purpose of this position is to support Brussels IUU campaign’s needs:
- Support advocacy efforts and research for Oceana’s illegal fishing and transparency campaign in Europe.
- Work closely with the campaign and communications teams to help achieve policy goals.
The policy assistant will support Oceana’s campaign on illegal fishing and transparency in Europe. In close coordination with the illegal fishing and transparency campaign director and team, the policy assistant will help with the campaign’s advocacy goals and conduct research.
Are you passionate about ocean protection and interested in how EU policies can help fight illegal fishing? Join Oceana’s Europe team as a Policy Assistant to support our campaign on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and transparency. You will work closely with our campaign and communications teams to help us reach key advocacy goals.
Main Responsibilities:
- Assist the Oceana Campaigns team with communication, research, policy, or logistical tasks related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
- Prepare and deliver research outputs related to the IUU campaign (briefings and analysis on fishing vessels at high risk of committing illegal fishing).
- Assist with direct advocacy (meetings, events or email communication) with EU decision makers and companies to advance efforts to make public information on vessel ownership and stricter seafood import controls. Help dissemination of research to decision makers.
- Help prepare and review communication materials for use and distribution online and in the media (e.g., social media content, press releases, editorials, blogs, videos).
- Help advocacy and coordination with the Members of the European Parliament and the Commissioner.
- Help organise and participate in events organised by Oceana with key stakeholders.
- Daily coordination with the Campaign Director and other Oceana colleagues to ensure consistent, aligned and timely messaging.
- Keep up to date with ocean news, current social media trends, new opportunities, and offer insightful ideas to support Oceana’s communications for this campaign.
- Perform any other duties within the scope that her supervisor may require.
Candidate Requirements
Education and work experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in marine or environmental science, law, political science, or other relevant disciplines or equivalent work experience.
- At least 1 year of experience in legal, policy and/or communications functions with similar responsibilities.
- Knowledge of European Union decision making, with preference for knowledge on environmental or marine / fisheries policies..
Skills and knowledge:
- Excellent command of the English language, both written and verbal. Additional European languages, particularly Spanish and/or French are a plus.
- Excellent writing skills, to be able to deliver campaign messaging to different audiences on various platforms (briefings, Oceana in Europe website, social media, press releases)
- Strong research and analytical skills.
- Teamwork and organisational alignment.
- Achievement focus.
- An active listener with strong verbal and written communications skills.
- Must be proactive and actively engage fellow colleagues to coordinate actions, assemble and verify information.
- Data-driven and experienced in researching complex topics.
- Ability to work on more than one project at a time.
- Knowledge of EU (European Union) policy.
Other Requirements:
- Genuine interest in ocean conservation is a plus.
- Experience working with remote teams.
- Eligibility to work in Brussels.
The above declarations are not intended to be an “all inclusive” list of duties and responsibilities of the job described, nor are they intended to be such a listing of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Rather, they are intended only to describe the general nature of the job and are a reasonable representation of its activities.
Oceana is an equal opportunity employer and proud to provide equal employment opportunity to all job seekers. We are actively committed to ensuring that no individual is discriminated against on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
If you are interested in this offer, please send us your updated CV and cover letter in English before 26th July 2025, midnight CET. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so better submit as soon as possible. Only candidates shortlisted for an interview will be contacted.
FUNDACION OCEANA is the Controller of the Data Subject’s personal data and informs him/her that these data shall be processed in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April (GDPR) and the Organic Law 3/2018 of 5 December (LOPDGDD), for a legitimate interest of the Controller, providing the following information on the processing:
- Purpose of the processing: to include the Data Subject in the personnel selection processes, analyzing the applicant’s profile with the aim of selecting the best candidate for the Controller’s vacancy.
- Legitimacy of the processing: unequivocal consent clearly indicated by the Data Subject.
- Data storage criteria: data will be stored for a maximum period of one year, after which the data will be erased, guaranteeing full respect for confidentiality both in the processing and subsequent destruction. To this effect, once this period has elapsed, and if you wish to continue participating in the Controller’s selection processes, please send us your CV again.
- Updating data: in the event of any modification to your data, please inform us in writing as soon as possible to keep your data duly updated.
- Data disclosure: Your data may be communicated to third parties because it is necessary to achieve the purpose of the treatment, or by legal obligation.
- Rights of the Data Subject:
- Right to withdraw consent at any time.
- Right of access, rectification, portability and erasure of data and the limitation or objection to their processing.
- The right to file a claim with the Spanish Supervisory Authority (www.aepd.es) if you consider that the processing does not comply with the current legislation.
Contact information to exercise their rights: FUNDACION OCEANA. Gran Vía 62, 7 Izq. – 28013 Madrid. Email: Europe.Data@oceana.org
