Community Engagement Specialist

AECO - Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators; Tromsø; On-site; NOK 650,000 - 860,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Excellent insurance and pension schemes

Five weeks of annual leave

Access to occupational health service

Job summary

A leading Arctic tourism organization in Tromsø is seeking a Community Engagement Specialist to enhance local benefits from expedition cruise tourism. This role involves working with Arctic communities, developing tools for cruise readiness, and coordinating stakeholder engagement. A strong candidate will have higher education in tourism and experience in the expedition cruise industry, with excellent communication skills in English and a Scandinavian language. Competitive salary and benefits are offered, along with the opportunity to travel extensively across the Arctic region.

Qualifications

• Experience in the expedition cruise industry or tourism.
• Fluency in English and a Scandinavian language.
• Proficiency in Greenlandic and/or Inuktitut is advantageous.
• Proficiency with standard collaboration tools and basic document/report production.

Responsibilities

• Engage with destination management organizations and communities.
• Support the development of community-specific guidelines.
• Administer the 'Made in the Arctic' platform.
• Facilitate the 'Stakeholder Cruises' program.
• Monitor regulatory developments and support initiatives.
• Track progress and contribute to handbooks, reports, and stakeholder contact lists.
• Monitor regulatory developments and support training and capacity-building initiatives.
• Extensive travel across the Arctic is required.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Relationship building

Digital proficiency

Digital collaboration tools

Education

Higher education in tourism, community development, or related field

Tools

Collaboration tools

Job description

Community Engagement Specialist-Readyto make a difference in the Arctic?

The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) is an international membership organization with a clear mission: to ensure Arctic expedition cruise tourism creates positive value for the regions it visits, while protecting the natural environment, preserving cultural heritage, supporting local communities, and maintaining the highest standards of safety in member operations.

AECO is recognized as a trusted and responsible voice in the industry. We work closely with authorities and stakeholders to shape policies, set standards, and promote best practices for sustainable Arctic tourism. Together with 80 global members, we develop practical tools and comprehensive guidelines for Arctic operations—covering destinations from Svalbard to Greenland, Iceland, and Arctic Canada.

Our secretariat is a team of passionate professionals based in Tromsø, Norway, and beyond. As we enter an exciting phase of growth, we are recruiting for several new roles to strengthen our team.

Your role

Imagine working together with Arctic communities to ensure that expedition cruise tourism creates local benefits, safeguards culture and nature, and fosters long-term partnerships. At AECO, you will encourage collaboration,facilitatepractical projects, coordinate with stakeholders across the region, and promote responsible, transparent cooperation between operators and communities.

You will support AECO’s community engagement work across Greenland, Canada, Iceland, and Svalbard, coordinating projects andmaintainingstrong relationships with destination partners, local producers, and members of AECO. The position involves extensive travel across the Arctic region. Day to day, you will keep initiatives moving, document progress, and contribute to tools and measures that support respectful and well‑coordinated community visits from Arctic expedition cruise operators.

In this role, you will help deliver tangible outcomes that support local value creation, cultural integrity, and environmental stewardship across the Arctic region.This is a newly established position, reflecting AECO’s growing focus on community engagement and local value creation.

Key responsibilities

Engaging in dialogue and collaboration with destination management organizations, communities, and AECO members

• Developing the “AECO Cruise Ready” tools and workshop models to help communities prepare for cruise visits
• Supporting the development and updating of community‑specific guidelines in collaboration with local partners
• Administering the “Made in the Arctic” platform, which promotes authentic Arctic products and connects local businesses with expedition cruise tourism

Facilitating the“Stakeholder Cruises” program, inviting stakeholders on board cruise vessels to build dialogue and knowledge

• Coordinating Community Engagement Committee meetings and follow-up
• Tracking progress on AECO’s community engagement work
• Contributing to handbooks, reports, presentations, and maintaining stakeholder contact lists
• Monitoring relevant regulatory developments and supporting training and capacity‑building initiatives
• Extensive travel is required

Qualifications

• Higher education in tourism, community development, Arctic studies, or a related field, and experience in the expedition cruise industry or tourism
• Excellent communication skills and fluency in English (AECO’s working language) and a Scandinavian language

Proficiency in Greenlandic and/or Inuktitut (spoken in Arctic Canada) is a strong advantage

• Digital proficiency, including comfort with standard collaboration tools and basic document/report production

Personal attributes

• A strong relationship builder with the ability to work across diverse Arctic cultural contexts
• Flexible and adaptable — able to handle varied tasks and unpredictable situations
• Organized and independent, yet highly collaborative
• Proactive and solution‑oriented, with strong attention to detail and follow‑through

We offer

• A varied and meaningful role in an internationally recognized organization committed to responsible and sustainable expedition cruising in the Arctic
• An inclusive and collaborative working environment with shared dedication to AECO’s mission, bringing together colleagues of different ages, cultures, professional backgrounds, and areas of expertise
• Competitive salary and excellent insurance and pension schemes, including private health insurance
• Access to an occupational health service
• Five weeks of annual leave
• Modern and inviting office facilities located in the heart of Tromsø

Work location
Head Office, Tromsø, Norway. Alternative work arrangements may be considered.

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