Social Impact Manager

POSTED: 7th August 2026
STARTING DATE:
As soon as possible
FULL TIME, ROTTERDAM

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 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.

• 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.

• 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…