Senior Ocean Safety and Engineering Consultant

The deadline for applications is November 13th. Please apply via the link below. 

We are looking for a senior consultant with technical background in the ocean industry, extensive experience of working with maritime and ocean engineering community on a senior technical level and exceptional stakeholder engagement and partnership development skills to drive safety and engineering agenda within UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (‘the Ocean Decade’).

Background

In order to accelerate safety and engineering aspects into the UN Ocean Decade, Lloyds Register Foundation and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) have agreed to work together to establish the post of Senior Ocean Safety and Engineering Consultant.

The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (‘the Ocean Decade’) commenced on 1 January 2021. The Ocean Decade provides a common framework to ensure that ocean science can fully support actions to sustainably manage the ocean and contribute to the achievement of the2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’, and the Ocean Decade aims to achieve transformative change structured around 7 Ocean Decade outcomes. One of these outcomes aspires to create a ‘Safe Ocean’ whereby people are protected from ocean-related hazards.

This outcome was initially developed by focusing on ocean hazards such as storm surges, tsunamis, harmful algal blooms, or coastline erosion and their impacts for coastal communities. The outcome draws attention to increased use of coastlines for recreation and economic expansion which has increased access to the sea for many ocean workers, users, producing newly built infrastructure increasingly vulnerable to extreme ocean events. Climate change impacts on the ocean will have profound implications for all human societies and most ocean activities. Reduction and minimization of impacts from ocean hazards is needed at local to global scales.

The Ocean Decade Coordination Unit plays a critical role in putting in place co-design and co-delivery initiatives in order to support closer collaboration between science, technology and engineering.  Our aim is that the science and engineering from the Ocean Decade should be accelerated into policy and practice.

Published in 2021, LRF’s Foresight Review of Ocean Safety[1] has broadened the concept of Safe Ocean. The rapidly growing Ocean Economy needs to be established on solid foundations of resilient engineering, safe and sustainable engineering practices, and safe working practices to underpin all economic activity in the oceans. The Review calls for accelerating new research and development in emerging areas such as multi use infrastructures, nature-based engineering, marine spatial planning and full life cycle assessments. In addition, it calls for building a body of evidence and insight supporting the safety and welfare of those who work in the ocean economy.

Through its work, the Foundation supports close collaboration between science and engineering communities to advance progress towards Sustainable Development Goals relevant to the Oceans and beyond.

Increased focus on safety and engineering could play an enabling role in several Ocean Decade Outcomes and Challenges. In particular, the ‘Productive Ocean’ Outcome supporting sustainable food supply and a sustainable ocean economy’ as well as Challenge 4: Develop a sustainable and equitable ocean economy.

As the agency tasked with coordinating the implementation of the Ocean Decade, IOC is seeking an individual to lead on developing and progressing safety and engineering agenda within UN Ocean Decade.

The employment/contracting arrangement is flexible to suit the circumstances of the right individual, including being open to secondments.  The candidate could be an individual seeking to take up a major challenge in the later stage of their career, or someone mid-career looking to extend their work and experience.  

This full-time post is funded by the Foundation and the incumbent will spend a small portion of their time working with the Foundation ensuring good connections between the Foundation’s networks and portfolio with the networks and portfolio of the Ocean Decade.

Objectives

The role is instrumental in achieving two strategic objectives:

• To increase volume of ocean science that is applied in ocean industry and engineering practice.
• To increase volume of activities within the Ocean Decade related to safety as described above

Roles and Responsibilties

The specific tasks of this position over the period of three years are as follows:

• Map and identify relevant ocean safety aspects of the Ocean Decade Outcomes and Challenges.
• Engage with Ocean Decade partners including proponents of Ocean Decade Actions, informal working groups and national / regional structures to understand key challenges related to ocean safety aspects of the Ocean Decade and the degree of engagement with engineering communities/ industry.
• Develop a Theory of Change for the role of science in generating methods, tools and technical standards that can drive changes in regulations and industrial practices in support of Ocean Decade objectives.
• Prepare a strategy and action plan to underpin Theory of Change identifying (1) potential areas of intervention to address priority ocean safety challenges in the Ocean Decade, with particular attention to the Global South. (2) potential areas within Ocean Decade that would benefit from close collaboration with the engineering community/ industry and vice versa.
• Be a focal point for the engineering community within the Ocean Decade. Convene stakeholders, develop partnerships and collaborations between science and industry. As part of that, secure strong participation of industry and engineering community at 2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona and at the 2025 UN Ocean conference in France
• As part of the Action Plan, identify potential science & engineering capacity building and co-design initiatives in the growing Ocean Economies that lack science and engineering skills to achieve blue growth safely and sustainably.
• Carry out tasks as required by the Foundation and report progress.

For further information and to find out how to apply please click here

[1] https: Lloyd’s Register Foundation (2021) Foresight review of ocean safety: engineering a safe and sustainable ocean economy [online] Available at: https://www.lrfoundation.org.uk/en/publications