The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to protecting the environment of the Baltic Sea. Its Contracting Parties are Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden.
The HELCOM Secretariat, which supports this mission, is located in Helsinki, Finland. Our team consists of approximately 50 staff members. We work in an open, friendly, dynamic and fast-paced international environment, where English is the official working language. At HELCOM, we foster a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere, offering all staff members the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to achieving our common goals. For more information about HELCOM, please visit our home page: www.helcom.fi.
We are currently seeking to recruit a project researcher to carry out tasks related to establishing a regional list of ecologically relevant marine communities, habitats and targets to support marine protected areas (MPA) planning and management for the EU-funded PROTECT BALTIC project (PROTECT BALTIC | Preserve, revive, thrive).
PROTECT BALTIC is a Horizon Europe funded project, aligned with the EU’s Restore our Ocean and Water Mission. The project aims for a healthy Baltic Sea environment by increasing spatial protection to 30 % by 2030, through the development of a protection optimization framework. The framework will be the first of its kind, co-created with Baltic Sea member states, and will serve as a blueprint for the planning, executing, governing, managing and monitoring of Baltic Sea protection and restoration initiatives.
Responsibilities and main tasks:
- Support the development and creation of an ecologically relevant list of habitats for the Baltic Sea, based on results from Baltic Sea wide biotic community and abiotic habitat modelling;
- Drive the cross-referencing of the habitats with existing habitat classification systems;
- Arrange the validation processes underpinning the habitat classification work;
- Support the work on drafting ecological protection targets for the Baltic Sea, using the habitat information as a basis, including setting preliminary targets and arranging the review and validation processes for these.
Qualifications and experience
The tasks require a person who is dynamic, organised, systematic and has a can-do attitude. An interest in diverse and interdisciplinary work, as well as international cooperation, is an asset in this position.
The successful candidate shall have:
- A university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant field, e.g. ecology or marine biology;
- A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience;
- Excellent planning skills and a proclivity for large scale process thinking;
- A broad understanding of Baltic Sea ecology and biodiversity;
- Practical GIS experience;
- Good administrative skills;
- Ability to work dynamically both in a team and independently;
- Excellent communication skills;
- Excellent English language skills.
Experience in the following will be considered an asset:
- Experience in working with large datasets and/or complex systems;
- Experience in habitat quality assessment:
- Understanding of multivariate cluster modelling (to facilitate the interpretation of the modelling results);
- Experience with existing habitat classification systems, e.g. EUNIS and Habitats Directive habitats.
Terms of appointment
The appointment is planned to be full time for 12 months, starting 1 September 2025. The salary for the position is 2900 € per month. Please note that HELCOM salaries are exempt from Finnish income tax. The position is located in Helsinki, Finland. While HELCOM offers options for partial remote work within the country, the successful candidate will be required to relocate to Finland for the duration of the contract.
Employee benefits include occupational health care, flexible working hours, hybrid working, generous leave allowance, recreational activities and professional development opportunities.
How to apply
Candidates with the required expertise and qualifications are invited to submit their application (consisting of a CV and a motivational letter) via email to recruitment@helcom.fi no later than 8 June 2025. Please write “PROTECT BALTIC project researcher” in the subject field of the message. Interviews for this position will be held on 17 June 2025.