Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is seeking an applicant to provide professional and technical support to the NOAA West Coast Region (WCR), in order to execute NOAA’s mission under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Magnuson‐Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). OAI is a Virginia corporation established in 2003 that provides consulting and technical services to the U.S. government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the private sector. We specialize in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional and technical services, and stakeholder engagement, supporting government contracts.

Background

The WCR of the National Marine Fisheries Service includes Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. The WCR implements several regulations, including the MSFCMA, ESA, MMPA, and NEPA. The WCR ensures the productivity and sustainability of fisheries and fishing communities through science‐based decision‐making and compliance with regulations, and to recover and conserve protected resources including marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish.

Description

This position will provide professional and technical support to the NOAA WCR, in order to execute NOAA’s mission. The employee will provide policy support, program implementation, education and outreach, regulatory and recovery coordination, and other scientific services. The employee shall ensure all requirements and reporting are conducted in accordance with the ESA, MSFCMA, MMPA, NEPA and other applicable laws and regulations.

Tasks

Key tasks include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

• Provide HMS policy support and analysis through coordination with staff in the preparation of rulemaking packages and/or policy documents and reports.
• Provide Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) for HMS Branch work products. This entails reviewing reports, memos, analytical documents, and other written material prepared by other Branch staff to ensure technical consistency with grammar rules and Regional style guides.
• For West Coast fisheries, provide economic statistics and data interpretation suitable for various audiences.
• Coordinate with staff of the HMS Branch in preparation of Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meetings, including preparing briefing papers, background documents and memos.
• Assist Region and Center staff on all aspects of implementing the PFMC’s draft swordfish management and monitoring plan. This may include economic and biological analysis, literature search, and report preparation.
• Engage in Committee and meeting participation as necessary to support Branch staff and to implement the PFMC’s draft swordfish management and monitoring plan.
• Provide progress updates at committee meetings.

Start Date: As soon as possible.

Location: West Coast Regional Office in Long Beach, California.

Travel: Travel is anticipated and authorized for this order. Domestic travel may be required for regional meetings and conferences to discuss and present project related work and objectives.

Salary and Benefits: This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary, commensurate with experience, between $35.00 – $42.00 per hour.

Requirements

Applicants must have the following minimum requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university, with a major in a field of study related to the requirements of this task order with emphasis in fisheries, oceanography, social science, natural science, mathematics, or hydrology, plus five (5) years of experience in a related field or combination of such totaling nine (9) years combined education/experience. A Master’s Degree in a related field plus one (1) year of experience or a Ph.D. may be substituted for experience. Experience in policy and analysis related to fisheries or other renewable natural resources.
• Ability to articulate, both in the written word and orally, biological and policy information to non‐technical audiences.
• Ability to work closely with people from diverse scientific and technical backgrounds.
• Basic computer skills (MS Office, etc.).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively both individually and collaboratively in a team/group setting.
• Ability to receive constructive feedback and implement appropriate action.