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.
SEABAS Project Platform
We are currently seeking to recruit an enthusiastic Project Manager to lead and coordinate the technical work and HELCOM’s tasks for the SEABAS – Strategic Ecosystem-Based Planning for a Sustainable Baltic Sea. SEABAS is a transnational project platform that will enhance maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea by integrating strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and cumulative impact assessment (CIA). The platform synthesizes outcomes, methodologies and tools from previous and ongoing projects to develop harmonized regional frameworks for SEA and CIA, ultimately contributing to climate resilience, sustainable blue economy, and biodiversity conservation. HELCOM is the Lead Partner in the platform, with eight other partners from six countries. The project platform is co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme.
Responsibilities
Project Manager’s tasks include:
- Coordinating the overall implementation and progress of the SEABAS platform in close cooperation with HELCOM and other project partners;
- Ensuring timely delivery of milestones, outputs, and deliverables across all work packages;
- Organizing and facilitating project meetings, workshops, and capacity-building events;
- Managing communication between project partners, stakeholders, and policy area coordinators;
- Overseeing and compiling the consortium reporting to the funding authority, guiding the project partners and ensuring compliance with administrative and financial requirements;
- Supporting synthesis of project results and preparation of policy-relevant outputs (e.g., policy briefs, recommendations);
- Monitoring risks, proactively addressing project challenges, and ensuring high-quality results aligned with EU policies (e.g., Green Deal, Nature Restoration Law).
Qualifications and experience
The tasks require a background in e.g. environmental or geographical sciences and maritime spatial planning (MSP) processes as well as understanding of regional intergovernmental policy.
The successful candidate shall have:
- University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, marine policy, spatial planning, geography or a related field;
- Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience;
- Experience in coordinating multi-partner and interdisciplinary projects, preferably EU-funded or other international collaborative projects;
- Knowledge of maritime spatial planning, SEA/CIA processes, and EU marine and climate policies;
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to address different audiences and to engage with them;
- Ability to synthesize complex information into clear policy recommendations;
- Experience in event organization and stakeholder facilitation;
- Excellent organizational and administrative skills and proven ability to deliver to tight timelines;
- Ability to work independently, take responsibility and initiatives;
- Excellent social and team skills;
- Thorough knowledge of the English language as well as high competence in IT skills.
Experience/knowledge in the following will be considered an asset:
- Experience in GIS applications;
- Maritime spatial planning processes in the Baltic Sea context;
- Cumulative impact assessment related decision support tools.
Terms of appointment
The appointment is planned to be full time, starting in July-August 2025 until January 2028 and is based in the HELCOM Secretariat 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.
The monthly salary is 3300 €. Please note that the HELCOM salaries are exempt from Finnish income tax. 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 motivation letter as one file) via email to recruitment@helcom.fi no later than 1 June 2025. Please write “SEABAS Project Manager” in the subject field of the message.