The Arctic Council is the primary intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic States, Indigenous communities, and peoples on issues of common importance. CAFF is one of six Arctic Council working groups and is tasked with cooperating on species and habitat management and utilization, to share information on management techniques and regulatory regimes, and to facilitate more knowledgeable decision-making. It provides a mechanism to develop common responses on issues of importance for the Arctic ecosystem such as development and economic pressures, conservation opportunities and political commitments.

The Executive Secretary’s role – working under direction from the CAFF Chair – is to support the CAFF working group in fulfilling the above mandate by:

  • Managing the staff of the CAFF Secretariat, the finances associated with the Secretariat and projects carried out by CAFF;
  • Sourcing resources and funding to support CAFF activities;
  • Representing CAFF at meetings, conferences and in project committees;
  • Supporting development and implementation of CAFF and Arctic Council strategies;
  • Organizing meetings and project activities, drafting reports, disseminating official communications, distributing documents, coordinating working group’s activities, managing the CAFF website including the Arctic Biodiversity Service (ABDS);
  • Communicating with Arctic Council Member States, Permanent Participants, Observers and collaborators;
  • Coordinating collaboration and communication between CAFF, the Arctic Council Secretariat, other Arctic Council Working Groups, and partners;
  • Performing any other tasks assigned by the CAFF Chair.

The position is located at the CAFF Secretariat in Akureyri, Iceland. Applications for this position must meet the following requirements:

  • Administrative and managerial experience including budgetary and staff management.
  • Ability to work independently and with a team where strict deadlines are important.
  • Ability to travel internationally (regularly through the year).
  • Master’s degree or equivalent in biology, environmental sciences or equivalent.
  • Experience in international inter-governmental and scientific cooperation.
  • In depth knowledge about Arctic biodiversity, environment, Indigenous Peoples and stakeholder issues, and the Circumpolar Norths.
  • Fluency in oral and written English.

Read more about the position and the application requirements from here. 

The application deadline is midnight (GMT) July 1, 2023.