Marine Project Officer - Coastal Monitoring and Adaptation Planning (CMAP)

The Role of the Marine Project Officer - Coastal Monitoring and Adaptation Planning (CMAP)

Louth County Council are seeking a Marine Project Officer to lead a transformative programme tackling the impacts of climate change on coastal and marine ecosystems.

Funded by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), Coastal Monitoring and Adaptation Planning (CMAP) is a €9.6M, cross-border project, led by Ulster University, that will help create sustainable adaptation to the threats posed by climate change and provide decision-makers and stakeholders at the coast with information on the nature of coastal change. CMAP focuses on integrating scientific research, community engagement, and policy development to deliver sustainable coastal adaptation strategies.

The Peace Plus CMAP Project:

PEACEPLUS is a cross-border funding Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and supported by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland administration. 

Purpose:

The role supports the delivery of CMAP’s objectives to:

• Develop and implement coastal monitoring protocols and datasets for sand, rock, and saltmarsh environments.
• Advance nature-based solutions for habitat and species recovery, including saltmarsh, seagrass, native oyster and seabird conservation.
• Facilitate community engagement and co-design of coastal adaptation plans and toolkits across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
• Promote cross-border collaboration, ensuring harmonized strategies for coastal resilience and marine ecosystem restoration.

Impact:

This role is central to creating Ireland’s first integrated coastal monitoring and adaptation framework, influencing policy development, and fostering a resilient, sustainable marine environment through evidence-based strategies and community-driven action.

Duties

The duties may include but are not limited to the following and the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Project Management

• Project management and delivery of the CMAP project in County Louth.
• Ensure the key activities and deliverables are achieved on time and within budget.
• Manage relationships with funders and partners as required.
• Ensure all funding requirements are met, including progress reports and claims.
• Liaise with stakeholders and possible project partners to further the wider objectives of habitat restoration.
• Conduct fieldwork to survey and sample habitats and species using appropriate survey methodologies.
• Procurement of appropriate sampling and project equipment and expert consultants associated with the project.
• Budget and data management

Citizen Science and Marine Education

• Promote and deliver citizen science and outreach events, in support of marine habitat restoration, including organisation and scheduling of public events.
• Develop best practices for citizen science surveys in support of blue carbon habitat restoration, providing relevant technical input.
• Support the wider CMAP Marine team with citizen science events.

Health and Safety Policy & Procedure

• Comply with all LCC and National workplace H&S policies and legislation.
• Comply with all statutory consents and permissions regarding the sites and wider survey activity.
• Maintain and enforce biosecurity protocol.
• Responsible for the appropriate and safe use and maintenance of field survey and other equipment for use on projects.
• Ensure surveys if completed by consultants or external parties comply with all H&S requirements (e.g. diving).

Wider climate and Biodiversity output of the council

• Deliver any other tasks that may be assigned by council management