Senior GEDSI Adviser Global Ocean Accounts Partnership

Senior GEDSI Adviser Global Ocean Accounts Partnership  

The ocean is at a turning point. So is the data that governs it 

At the Third UN Ocean Conference in 2025, every nation on earth agreed on something remarkable: that counting the ocean — its ecosystems, its economies, and the communities that depend on it — is no longer optional. It is essential. Nineteen countries have already pledged to build ocean accounts by 2030. A global movement is underway. 

But here is the problem. The women who have fished seagrass beds for generations. The Indigenous stewards of Pacific reefs whose knowledge spans centuries. The small-scale fishing communities whose livelihoods are the first casualty of a warming ocean. None of them appear in the data systems that shape policy, direct finance, or determine who gets left behind. Not because no one cared — but because the systems were never designed to see them. 

That is exactly what the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership exists to change.  

A role that matters 

This is a rare opportunity to join a small, ambitious, and globally connected team at a pivotal moment and to shape the direction of a programme that will influence how ocean data is collected, used, and governed for decades to come. 

As Senior GEDSI Adviser, you will be building and implementing the vision for social inclusion across GOAP’ 2030 programme of activities. The 2030 programme is an initiative spanning Small Island Developing States, coastal least developed countries, and five transboundary regions of high biodiversity significance — you will lead the mainstreaming of gender equality, disability inclusion, and social inclusion as a core design principle, not an afterthought. 

You will advise governments. You will work alongside coastal communities. You will push GOAP's programmes toward the highest levels of GEDSI ambition — GEDSI-Transformative status — and you will have the freedom to design and seek funding for your own initiatives where you see the opportunity. 

This is a consultancy that offers genuine agency, real impact, and reach. 

What you will be doing 

You will lead GEDSI mainstreaming across GOAP's full programme portfolio — from programme design and country work plans through to field-level data collection, partner capacity building, and donor reporting. You will be GOAP's in-house authority on UK ODA and International Climate Finance GEDSI requirements, and you will ensure that every programme GOAP delivers meets, and wherever possible exceeds, those standards. 

This is more than compliance, you will be driving real change. Helping governments see who they have been missing in their data. Supporting communities to shape the decisions that affect their lives. Ensuring that the benefits of sustainable ocean management reach the people who need them most. 

You will also bring people with you. Part of what makes this role extraordinary is the opportunity to mentor, influence, and inspire — to build a culture of GEDSI accountability across an organisation and its partners through practical demonstration, patient engagement, and the power of a compelling idea. 

Who we are looking for 

You are a seasoned GEDSI professional — at least seven years of experience — with deep, practical knowledge of GEDSI standards, ODA requirements, and the UK FCDO International Climate Finance framework (or closely related areas). You know what GEDSI-Transformative status means in practice, not just on paper and how to implement such a programme. You have worked in complex, multi-country development programmes, ideally in environment, climate, or ocean governance contexts. 

But your technical expertise is matched by your ability to work with people. You can translate the most complex compliance framework into language that resonates with a fisheries minister, an academic, a field data collector, or a community leader. You bring others along through credibility, empathy, and practical relevance rather than pressure.