Social Impact Manager

The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop and scale technologies to rid the world's oceans of plastic. As The Ocean Cleanup expands its river and ocean operations across the globe, responsible project delivery goes beyond engineering and environmental performance. Every deployment depends on earning the trust of local communities, understanding social impacts, and ensuring projects create lasting value for the people living alongside them. Robust Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) are essential to achieving this. As Social Impact Manager, you will build the consistency and quality of the social dimension of our global Environmental and Social Impact programme. Working alongside Environmental Managers, local consultants, NGOs, research institutions, and cross-functional teams, you will ensure that stakeholder engagement, socioeconomic assessments, community impacts, and mitigation measures are delivered to a consistently high standard across countries. Your work will strengthen our social licence to operate, enable informed project decisions, and help ensure our technologies deliver positive outcomes for both people and the environment.

THE ASSIGNMENT As Social Impact Manager, you will lead the coordination of the social dimension of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP), and ongoing monitoring activities across The Ocean Cleanup's global river and ocean programmes. You will ensure that social considerations are integrated into every stage of project development—from baseline assessments and stakeholder engagement to impact mitigation and long-term monitoring. Rather than conducting every assessment yourself, you will enable successful delivery through local consultants, NGOs, and research institutions across multiple countries. You will define scopes of work, guide methodologies, review deliverables, and ensure social data is robust, comparable, and aligned with our environmental assessments. By bringing consistency to how we assess and manage social impact globally, you will help establish best practices that can scale with our growing project portfolio. Working closely with Environmental Managers and teams across Operations, Engineering, Research, and Communications, you will translate social insights into practical recommendations that improve project design and implementation. You will identify opportunities to strengthen community partnerships, mitigate social risks, and maximise local benefits, ensuring our projects are not only technically successful but also supported by the communities where we operate.

Key Deliverables Successfully coordinate the social components of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP), and monitoring activities across multiple international projects. Establish consistent methodologies and quality standards for stakeholder engagement, social baseline studies, impact assessments, and monitoring across countries. Build strong partnerships with local consultants, NGOs, research institutions, and community stakeholders to ensure high-quality, locally relevant social assessments. Ensure social findings are seamlessly integrated with environmental assessments and embedded in project planning, decision-making, and organisational impact reporting. Improve internal tools, guidance, and ways of working to strengthen The Ocean Cleanup's Environmental and Social Impact capability as the organisation continues to scale.

RESPONSIBILITIES Coordinate and oversee the social aspects of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP), and related monitoring programs. Collaborate closely with Environmental Managers to plan, manage, and deliver integrated ESI documents and analyses. Develop scopes of work, terms of reference, budgets, and schedules for local partners conducting social studies and stakeholder engagement. Guide local consultants and partners in applying The Ocean Cleanup’s methodologies for social baselines, impact analysis, and monitoring. Review and provide feedback on the social content of ESIA, ESMP, and monitoring reports to ensure accuracy, coherence, and alignment with environmental sections. Support and coordinate stakeholder engagement activities, including community consultations and workshops, in partnership with local actors. Identify and assess potential social risks and opportunities (such as local employment, livelihoods, and community benefits) during project planning and implementation. Maintain organized documentation and ensure social data and findings are integrated into internal impact dashboards and organizational reporting. Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Research, and Communications teams to ensure that social findings inform project design and decision making. Contribute to improving and standardizing ESI methodologies and tools to strengthen integration of environmental and social dimensions. Support or lead training, capacity-building sessions, and learning activities with local partners to promote consistent and effective implementation.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS Master’s degree in social sciences, development studies, sustainability, environmental management, or a related field. Years of experience: Junior level: 1–3 years of relevant experience in social impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, or community development. Medior level: 3–5 years of relevant experience with proven ability to coordinate social components of integrated ESI deliverables. Senior level: 5 or more years of relevant experience, including international project coordination and mentoring responsibilities. Proven experience contributing to Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP). Experience managing or coordinating local consultants, NGOs, or community-based organizations. Familiarity with social performance standards (such as IFC Performance Standards or SDGs). Strong communication, facilitation, and report review skills. Fluent in English, both spoken and written. Experience with stakeholder engagement, participatory methods, and qualitative data analysis is an advantage.

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS Excellent communicator able to engage confidently with local partners, communities, and technical teams. Empathetic and culturally aware, fostering trust and inclusive dialogue. Structured and detail oriented, ensuring high-quality and coherent integration of social and environmental content. Collaborative and diplomatic, working effectively across functions and geographies. Adaptable and pragmatic, balancing quality and efficiency in dynamic environments. Motivated by The Ocean Cleanup’s mission to deliver measurable environmental and social impact globally. Ability to work with tight deadlines. Willingness to travel internationally for partner coordination, stakeholder engagement, and field visits. Experience working with multicultural and multidisciplinary teams. Ability to manage multiple projects and partners simultaneously. Familiarity with digital data collection tools and reporting systems is an advantage. Fluency in Spanish and/or Asian languages is a plus.