Project Officer - Renewable Energy in a World Heritage context (m/f/x) - project: LANICE

Applications are invited for the position of

Project Officer - Renewable Energy in a World Heritage context

at the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS).

• Temporary position (September 2024-December 2025)

The CWSS is the secretariat to the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation on the Protection of the Wadden Sea (Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands) who shares the responsibility for the transboundary UNESCO Wadden Sea World Heritage Site. The Secretariat is located in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The working language is English.

The green transition of Europe’s energy supply will require a substantial development of renewable energy from offshore wind farms. A significant part of this development will take place in the North Sea, with major implications for the three Wadden Sea countries. The Wadden Sea Area is the sea-land boundary through which the cables will be laid to transfer the energy to the end users. In order to protect and guard the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site, it is necessary to further develop and apply planning approaches and best practice methods that will allow the cabling to take place, while ensuring that potential negative impacts of construction and operation are avoided, reduced or mitigated. Renewable energy is an important aspect in the Wilhelmshaven Declaration (2023) and is a key topic in The SIMP Integrated Management Plan for ONE Wadden Sea World Heritage. The objective in the TWSC is to intensify the application of common best practices to protect the Wadden Sea, supporting a nature friendly energy transition and fostering equitable conditions with the highest environmental standards for all three countries in collaboration with the energy sector.

To work towards this objective, the TWSC and its trilateral ad hoc Working Group Renewable Energy started the trilateral project Trilateral project: LANICE – North Sea wide acceleration of landing offshore energy while mitigating impact on the coastal environment. LANICE aims to support the achievement of EU renewable energy targets and climate change mitigation objectives while preserving the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site. Moreover, it aims to provide mitigation schemes to effectively reduce environmental impacts by investigating environmental conflicts and acceleration potentials for transmission grid projects for an environmentally sound energy transition. This project has received funding from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU and the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation.

The project officer will coordinate the Trilateral project:

LANICE – North Sea wide acceleration of landing offshore energy while mitigating impact on the coastal environment (2024-2025)

and will support the trilateral ad hoc Working Group Renewable Energy.

Your responsibilities:

• Coordinate and manage activities of the LANICE project in close collaboration with the trilateral ad hoc WG-RE, engaging the relevant stakeholders.
• Prepare and supervise contracts with external consultants.
• Facilitation of meetings of the trilateral ad hoc WG-RE, follow up of agreed activities and record keeping.
• Act as trilateral focal point for conservation issues in the context of renewable energy / energy transition.
• Contribute to the update of the state of conservation report to the World Heritage Centre in the topic of grid connections and renewable energy.
• Contribute to the development of specific request from the World Heritage Centre regarding renewable energy such as the adoption of a joint strategic approach to the planning and implementation of grid connection projects, with the aim of avoiding negative impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.
• Contribute to the update of the Quality Status Report on Energy and to the monitoring and assessing the impact of renewable energy infrastructure on the World Heritage Site in the framework of the Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment Programme (TMAP).
• Support on other CWSS tasks, especially in relation to the implementation of the key topic energy in the SIMP and in relation to relevant trilateral groups and projects and support corresponding exchange (including activities on biodiversity, sublittoral and coastal habitats, and natural dynamics).
• Share news and foster exchange (trilateral workshops, webinars) with target groups on grid connection environmental impact, mitigation strategies, and acceleration potentials.
• Support external communication and organisation of events on the topic of renewable energy in the context of World Heritage.

Your profile:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. spatial planning, environmental policy, conservation, environmental science) or corresponding education.

• Minimum of one year of relevant professional experience at national or international level, including in the fields of environmental impacts, marine spatial planning, grid connection, energy projects permitting procedures, and -preferably- nature conservation would be of advantage.
• Very good social and project management skills and flexibility and ability to support staff members where necessary.
• Basic knowledge of the work carried out at CWSS and basic understanding of the mission of the TWSC in safeguarding the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Wadden Sea World Heritage (https://www.waddensea-worldheritage.org/).
• Capacity to work in a team and work with stakeholders in a multicultural and multilingual environment.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Very good standard of spoken and written English as well as preferably one of the three languages: Danish, German, or Dutch.
• Ability to draft concisely and towards tight deadlines is essential.

Our offer:

• An attractive remuneration package.
• Flexible working hours, good balance of remote work and presence in Wilhelmshaven.
• A motivated team of fellow colleagues.
• Possibilities to develop your skills and advance your career in the international nature conservation context.

Terms of appointment:

Based on the German Collective agreement for Civil Service Employees (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst, TVöD), depending on qualification and experience comparable up to level 13.

Duration of appointment: The funding decision is still pending and is expected at the end of August. CWSS is seeking to recruit, as soon as possible, full-time until December 2025.

Applications:

Candidates with the required expertise and qualifications are invited to submit their application (CV and a motivation letter in a single pdf file) via e-mail to the Head of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, Sascha Klöpper:

• application@waddensea-secretariat.org

Please use

• “Project Officer” as the subject

of your message.

Deadline for applications:

• 6 September 2024

with interviews foreseen to take place before mid-September 2024.

• For further information on the job description, you may contact Soledad Luna via email luna@waddensea-secretariat.org or by phone +49 (0)4421-910822.

Due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has been in force since May 2018, you must be informed about the processing of the personal data you provide in the application process. Please refer to the following link: https://www.waddensea-worldheritage.org/website-terms-and-conditions