Why Global Fishing Watch
FY2025 · Form 990Its mission and biggest programs, as filedEnsures healthy oceans for wildlife and people through smart resource management.
- Global Fishing Watch is an international nonprofit organization founded on the belief that information about the ocean, our Global commons, should be common knowledge. Our purpose is to create and publicly share knowledge about human activity at sea to enable…$9.5M spent in FY2025
- Engage national governments to use open data and adopt transparency: we are engaging selected countries to adopt transparency as a core principle and to share their vessel and ocean data more widely. Increased transparency, combined with our technology, is enabling…$6.5M spent in FY2025
- Advance transparency in international policies and forums: un agencies, regional bodies and other international institutions also need to embrace transparency principles for the ocean. In 2025, we secured explicit recognition of the role of transparency and technology in ending illegal…$2.7M spent in FY2025
Before you apply
FY2024 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the orgAbout the role
The org's own posting, as writtenThe application period will close on November 2, 2026, 9:00 am CET. Background Global Fishing Watch (GFW) is an international, non-profit organization committed to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency. Founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth, and Google, Global Fishing Watch became an independent non-profit organization in June 2017.
Our organizational strategy is centered on three pillars: 1) countering illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; 2) strengthening marine protection by improving the design and effectiveness of marine protected areas and other conservation measures; and 3) generating and openly sharing actionable and credible data on human activity at sea, increasing a science-based understanding of what is happening across our ocean and influencing change. An overarching principle across all of GFW’s work is promoting transparency in fishing and other human activity at sea in both policy and practice. In doing so, we aim to realize our vision of a healthy, productive and resilient ocean.
All of our work is underpinned by our efforts to make human activity at sea more visible, measurable and accountable, and is built on our technology and open data, which empower governments and civil society to improve ocean monitoring and management. Purpose of role In this new position, we are seeking an inspiring, strategic leader and accomplished manager who is passionate about delivering lasting impact for our ocean. Reporting to the Chief Impact Officer (CIO), this role is accountable for shaping the strategic direction and implementation of our work to combat IUU fishing and support effective implementation of the 30x30 global target and High Seas Treaty (BBNJ).
They will ensure our partnerships continue to grow in reach, quality, effectiveness, and impact — extending our reach and influence where we don’t have staff on the ground, helping to sustain the use of our tools beyond individual projects, and providing additional expertise in priority areas. The ideal candidate will bring proven experience in international marine conservation and ocean governance, along with a strong aptitude for engaging high-level government representatives across national, regional and international fora. The position also requires a strong understanding of, and enthusiasm for, leveraging our technology and data to effect change.
They will also bring a creative and collaborative mindset, working closely with Product, Research and Engineering to shape the continued evolution of our technology and data offering. The Director will be accountable for co-developing strategies with regional leads that encompass programmatic outcomes across IUU fishing and marine biodiversity, while connecting cross-regional initiatives where appropriate. They will oversee our regional programs in Africa, Latin America and the Mediterranean, line-managing the Head of Africa, Head of Latin America and Senior Manager, Mediterranean…
About Global Fishing Watch
From its Form 990- Budget $19.1M · Environment
- Staff 45 · founded 2017
- Pays its leaders $159K–$248K (11 reported)
- Open jobs 2 · Jobs at Global Fishing Watch · Full 990 report