Trustee: Programme sub-committee

Blue Ventures; London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking organization dedicated to marine conservation and community empowerment. As a trustee, you will help shape strategies that support coastal communities in rebuilding fisheries and restoring ocean life. This role offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with experts in the field and contribute to impactful conservation efforts across multiple countries. If you are passionate about making a difference and possess the necessary expertise, we invite you to apply and be part of a mission that prioritizes both people and nature.

Qualifications

• Expertise in community-based conservation and small-scale fisheries.
• Strong understanding of environmental governance and international development.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic guidance and oversight for global programme portfolio.
• Review strategy, assess performance, and monitor risks.

Skills

Community-based conservation

Small-scale fisheries

Environmental governance

International development

Education

Degree in Environmental Science

Degree in Marine Biology

Job description

Thank you for your interest in joining our board of trustees. Blue Ventures is an award-winning charity working to rebuild coastal fisheries. We are committed to making conservation work for people, demonstrating powerful win-wins for marine biodiversity and coastal livelihoods.

We have a bold ambition: we’re working to create a world where small-scale fishers have bigger catches, better livelihoods and improved food security, and where healthy oceans teem with life for generations to come.

We are a diverse family of conservation and development professionals. Across 13 countries, our 300+ staff put fishers first. We fight for their rights, support them to fulfil their potential, and supply them with everything they need to manage and protect our oceans in ways that benefit people and nature alike. Our decentralised structure keeps us close to the coastal communities we serve and ensures our work is effective and sustainable.

Blue Ventures is going through rapid and sustained growth and is uniquely positioned to drive impact at scale in the marine conservation sector. We seek new board members to help maintain our commitment to strong and inclusive governance. We are truly committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our global organisation and board and welcome applications from candidates with lived experience in the countries and communities we serve.

If you believe you have what it takes to succeed in this role and share our values and ambitions, we would love to hear from you. You will find more information about the role in the rest of this pack and on our website, along with further information about our work and our plans for the future.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Fiona Holmes
Chair, Board of Trustees

Location: Global, preferably in locations that intersect with BV’s work in our programmatic countries. (Bristol or London - UK, Madagascar, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal)

Closing date for applications: 15 May 2025, 12:00 A.M GMT.

Start date: June 2025

Contract duration: 3 - 6 years

We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities

Blue Ventures is a marine conservation organisation that puts people first. We support coastal fishers in remote and rural communities to rebuild fisheries, restore ocean life and build lasting pathways to prosperity.Our work began two decades ago in Madagascar’s remote coastal communities and is growing globally.

Across a dozen countries, we’re partnering with traditional fishers and community organisations to design, scale, strengthen and sustain fisheries management and conservation at the community level.We bring partners together in networks to advocate for reform and share tools and best practices to support fishing communities across the globe.

Summary Terms of Reference

We currently have nine trustees on our board and three established subcommittees. One oversees our People and Culture function, one looks after our Finance, Risk, and Audit area, and the other is the Safeguarding Reporting Committee. All three are populated with trustees who are experts in their respective fields.

We are establishing a fourth subcommittee (the programme subcommittee) to address our core mission: supporting coastal communities in rebuilding fisheries and restoring ocean life. Our new trustee will be invited to join one of our subcommittees.

We seek two trustees to join Blue Ventures' Board of Trustees and contribute to the new Programme Committee. This committee provides strategic guidance and oversight of Blue Ventures’ global programme portfolio, helping to ensure its effectiveness, impact, and alignment with our mission to support coastal communities in rebuilding fisheries and restoring ocean life.

The ideal candidate will bring expertise in community-based conservation, small-scale fisheries, environmental governance, and/or international development. As a member of the Programme Committee, you will play a key role in reviewing strategy, assessing performance, monitoring risks, and advising on programme policies. You will act as a thought partner to our executive team and the Board, offering insight, challenge, and support to enable our programmes to grow responsibly, equitably, and with impact.

Please click here to download the full Terms of Reference andherefor the Appointment Brief.