Department: Acopian Center for the Environment (ACE)

Contract type: Service contract

Job location: Yerevan

Application deadline: 12/10/2024

We are seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented individual with a background in political science, international relations, or diplomacy to contribute to the development of European and global policy impact reports. The role will focus on a cutting-edge project that involves creating digital twins of the ocean, an innovative approach to environmental modeling and simulating marine environments for policy compliance and development. The analyst will work part-time to support the project’s policy dimension by analyzing and supporting the policy impact of the tools and services developed within the project, crafting sector-focused policy briefs, and developing training guides and toolkits through various communication channels to relevant policy stakeholders, including national authorities, regional bodies and European policymakers. This role is ideal for candidates looking to apply their expertise in policy analysis to innovative environmental projects at a regional and global scale.

Responsibilities

• Research current European and regional policies and UN Sustainable Development Goals related to marine environments, digital innovation, and sustainability.
• Work with project partners to develop surveys and conduct interviews with project pilot leads to assess project impact.
• Develop comprehensive policy impact reports that outline and quantify the influence of digital ocean twins on European and regional regulations and help progress policy objectives of the European Green Deal, Destination Earth, and the UN Decade of the Ocean.
• Create sector-specific policy briefs informing policy stakeholders about new services created within Iliad, targeting industries such as shipping, fisheries, offshore energy production, coastal management, and marine conservation.
• Collaborate with the project team to ensure policy reports are aligned with technical advancements and project goals.
• Prepare workshops, webinars, events, and policy competitions with the aim to disseminate, discuss, and promote project outcomes.
• Assist in the preparation of the Iliad Final Symposium and high-level policy dialogue events by inviting and engaging with policy stakeholders, including government bodies, international organizations, and industry leaders.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in political science, international relations, or diplomacy.
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear and concise policy briefs and reports.
• Strong understanding of European and global policy frameworks, particularly in environmental and digital innovation contexts is desired.
• Experience or interest in marine policy, sustainability, or digital technologies is a plus.

Additional information

Please apply here.

This is a part-time position with mostly flexible working hours. Max up to 100 hours/month. 

Duration: January 15, 2025 to 31 July, 2025

About Iliad:

“Integrated digital framework for comprehensive maritime data and information services” (Iliad) is an EU-funded project under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. It builds on the assets resulting from two decades of investments in policies and infrastructures for the blue economy and aims at establishing interoperable, data-intensive, and cost-effective Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTOs). It capitalizes on the explosion of new data provided by many different Earth sources, and advanced computing infrastructures in an inclusive, virtual/augmented, and engaging fashion to address all Earth Data challenges. The combination of geo-visualization, immersive visualization, and virtual or augmented reality allows users to explore, synthesize, present, and analyze the underlying geospatial data in an interactive manner.

The enabling technology of the Iliad DTOs will contribute to the implementation of the EU's Green Deal and Digital Strategy and to the achievement of the UN Ocean Decade's outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals. To realize its potential, Iliad DTOs will follow the System of Systems approach, integrating all existing EU Earth Observing and Modelling Digital Infrastructures and Facilities to promote additional applications through Iliad DTOs, and to be deployed on the Iliad Marketplace. Like an app store, providers will use the Iliad Marketplace to distribute apps, plug-ins, interfaces, raw data, citizen science data, synthesized information, and value-adding services derived from the Iliad DTOs.

The American University of Armenia is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

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