Program Manager, Ocean Leadership Fellowship

About SOA

Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) is a global nonprofit on a mission to restore ocean health by unleashing the power of young leaders, bold ideas, and collective action. SOA works at the intersection of entrepreneurship, policy, and community, supporting early-stage ocean solutions and mobilizing a worldwide youth network to turn ideas into impact.

The Opportunity

SOA's flagship program, the Ocean Leaders Fellowship (OLF), is an annual fellowship for emerging civil society ocean leaders aged 18–35, gathering 40 Fellows from across the globe to develop their leadership, expand their networks, and advance the 30x30 campaign for marine protection. In 2026–2027, SOA is running a pilot for an Ocean Legal Fellowship that tests whether a legal profession-focused cohort model can complement the existing campaign-focused approach.

What You'll Do

The Program Manager is the operational anchor of the Ocean Leaders Fellowship, supporting the Senior Manager across two parallel projects: (1) the Ocean Leaders Fellowship and (2) a scoping pilot for an Ocean Legal Fellowship. Primary responsibilities include cross-cultural program management, curriculum design and delivery support, event planning and logistics, and operational coordination across a globally distributed Fellow cohort and partner network.

Location: Remote (Global, CET timezone preferred). Contract: 6-month independent contractor agreement, with possible extension. Hours: Part-time, 25–40 hours per week. Reports to: Senior Manager of Ocean Leaders Fellowship.

Cross-Cultural Program Management (~35%)

• Hold primary day-to-day communications and operations across global Fellowship cohorts in multiple time zones.
• Coordinate with regional representatives in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
• Support maintaining partner relationships across geographies and disciplines, including with partner organizations and legal practitioners and academics.

Curriculum Design and Delivery (~25%)

• Partner with the Senior Manager to deliver curriculum across topics such as marine governance, climate communication, campaign advocacy, and policy literacy.
• Adapt OLF curriculum to lawyer audience for the pilot project for ocean lawyers.

Event Planning and Logistics (~25%)

• Support end-to-end operational planning and on-site coordination for annual youth gathering at an international conference.
• Work with the Senior Manager and program leadership to build, track, and adhere to program and event budgets.
• Support execution of three virtual regional Legal scoping design workshops (in Africa, SE Asia, Latin America).

Learning & Reporting (~15%)

• Support funder reporting including quarterly progress and annual report documentation.
• Create and ensure completion of baseline, midterm and endterm surveys from Fellowship cohorts.
• Support marketing team in creating and producing public-facing program content.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of program or project management experience, including direct ownership of multi-stakeholder programs, events, or learning experiences.
• Excellent cross-cultural communication skills, with proven experience working across multiple regions and time zones.
• Strong cross-functional collaborator who communicates proactively and builds trust across teams.
• Self-directed and autonomous; comfortable being the sole operational anchor for a workstream.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including funder reporting and partner correspondence.
• Comfort building, tracking, and adhering to budgets.
• Comfort with virtual collaboration and program delivery tools: Airtable, Mighty Networks, Zoom, Google Workspace.

Nice to Have

• Background or strong working knowledge of ocean conservation, climate, or environmental policy work.
• Conversational fluency in Spanish, French, or another widely-used global working language.
• Experience supporting or operating within legal, policy, or advocacy programs (BBNJ, CBD, IUCN, RFMOs).
• Significant event planning and logistics experience.
• Demonstrated curriculum design experience.

What We Offer

• A dynamic, collaborative, and mission-driven work environment.
• Flexible, remote work with a globally connected and passionate team.
• Opportunities for international collaboration and professional growth.

How to Apply

Please submit a resume and a brief cover letter to information@soalliance.org with the subject line "Your Full Name_OLF Program Manager" by July 1st. In your cover letter, address the question about leading a complex multi-stakeholder event or program, and note if you have previously participated in any SOA programming.

More information: LinkedIn

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis — apply by 1 July 2026.