Science and Policy Director

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Full Time Senior Management Santa Monica, CA, US

10 days ago Requisition

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

Heal the Bay is the most recognized environmental nonprofit group in LA for a reason: we have been keeping Southern California's coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy, and clean for people and marine life since 1985. Using education, science, advocacy, and community action, we raise awareness and make progress with practical solutions to often complex problems. We conduct hundreds of beach and community cleanups each year, informing people about the root causes of pollution along the shorelines and in their neighborhoods.

We advocate for strict water quality regulations that protect the health of both humans and the animals that call local creeks, rivers, and the Santa Monica Bay home. We operate the award-winning Heal the Bay Aquarium at the Santa Monica Pier, inspiring visitors to become stewards for the region’s most important natural resource: clean water. We also educate and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, with more than 10,000 students joining us each year for school field trips, science-based classroom presentations, and events.

Learn more about us lthebay.org/our-impact

The Science & Policy Director is a key leadership role at Heal the Bay, responsible for advancing our mission of making coastal waters and watersheds in Greater Los Angeles safe, healthy, and clean.

Reporting to the CEO, the Director manages a team of scientists and policy experts to drive strategic goals, with a focus on inland and coastal water quality, biodiversity, climate change and environmental justice. Specifically, Heal the Bay’s current strategic science and policy priorities include:

• Clean Water & Public Health – Protecting the health of people and coastal waters by reducing urban runoff, stormwater, wastewater, nutrients, and other sources of pollution; advancing stormwater capture and watershed solutions; providing trusted water-quality information; and serving as a watchdog for water-quality regulations and NPDES permits.
• Marine Ecosystem Protection & Restoration – Protecting and restoring healthy marine ecosystems and biodiversity through science, policy, MPAs, responsible resource management, and applied conservation and restorative aquaculture. Oversee Heal the Bay’s conservation and restorative aquaculture work at the Aquarium/Research & Discovery Center, ensuring projects are scientifically rigorous, mission-aligned, and connected to broader restoration and policy priorities.
• Climate & Coastal Resilience – Integrating climate change into Heal the Bay’s science and policy priorities and advancing solutions that strengthen the resilience of coastal and watershed ecosystems and Greater Los Angeles communities.
• Pollution Prevention – Reducing plastics, DDT and other legacy contaminants, and emerging and industrial pollutants through science-based policy, advocacy, source reduction, and systems change.
• Science-Based Response to Emerging & Acute Threats – Helping Heal the Bay identify and respond appropriately to emerging or acute threats to coastal ecosystems and public health, including sewage releases, oil spills, wildfires, and other significant pollution events.

Key responsibilities include working with the CEO to develop the overall strategic vision for achieving Heal the Bay’s science and policy goals. Independently, the Director is responsible for developing advocacy campaigns, overseeing research and regulatory analyses, and representing Heal the Bay in…