Job Description

Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is seeking an applicant to provide Fisheries Biology and Aquaculture support to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) West Coast Region (WCR) Oregon-Washington Coastal Office (OWCO) in Lacey, WA. 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 NMFS OWCO is responsible for implementing the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act (MSA). Through programs conducted under each of these statutes, NMFS seeks to protect and preserve our nation’s living marine resources through scientific research, fisheries management, enforcement, and habitat conservation. NMFS WCR works closely with tribes, local, state, and Federal agencies, and our stakeholders and partners (e.g., corporations, farmers and ranchers, aquaculture operations, homeowners, non-profit organizations, trade groups) to find science-based solutions to complex ecological issues.

Description

The objective of this position is to provide program support in conducting interagency consultations under ESA section 7(a)(2), MMPA section 101(a)(5)(D), and MSA section 104-297, including document preparation activities in the North Puget Sound, Central Puget Sound, or Lower Columbia River/Washington Coast Branch.

Tasks

Key tasks include:

• Respond to inquiries from action agencies, applicants, and their representatives, and provide pre-consultation technical assistance to action agencies, applicants, or their representatives during regular business hours. Examples of technical assistance likely to be provided include:
• Initial contact with consulting agency, applicant, or non-federal representative,
• Explanation of consultation process and information requirements, if necessary,
• Preparation or review of species lists,
• Recommendation of conservation measures to minimize adverse effects to listed species,
• Feedback on draft documents submitted by action agencies,
• Review of designs or coordination with engineer review of designs, and
• Site visits to potential project areas.
• Review consultation initiation packages for accuracy and completeness, and develop requests for further information sufficient to support initiating consultation, as needed.
• Consult with action agencies and their representatives or applicants as required to ensure action agency compliance with each statute, as needed. Communicate with Geographic Branch Chief to coordinate NMFS response to each consultation.
• Prepare appropriate documentation for each consultation and follow WCR protocol for quality assurance.
• Work cooperatively with North Puget Sound, Central Puget Sound, and Lower Columbia River/Washington Coast Branches and OWCO Division members as necessary to ensure efficient completion of work and consistency across the Division.
• Completion of technical assistance, documentary review, site visits with and for action agencies (or representatives or applicants) and associated documentation. Attendance at regional shellfish growers meetings for partner, applicant, or action agency representative communication and engagement to accomplish key tasks including pre-consultation technical assistance; Washington SeaGrant Conference for Shellfish Growers; Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association Annual Conference.
• Preparation of appropriate consultation documentation including, but not limited to, ESA letters of concurrence, ESA biological opinions, MSA essential fish habitat consultations, programmatic responses, and MMPA incidental harassment authorization letters.
• Preparation of related documentation, including assembling and managing administrative records as necessary to provide adequate and proper evidence of agency business, timely response to requests for information, and NMFS internal process documents as needed to comply with NMFS internal directives, including memos to the file that show compliance with West Coast Region quality assurance process.

Start Date: As soon as possible

Location: OWCO’s offices in Lacey, WA and occasionally at approved off-site locations

Travel: Travel is anticipated. The employee will need to travel to four mandatory Division meetings annually, and other meetings or site visits occasionally

Salary and Benefits: This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary, commensurate with experience, between $27.75 and $32.00 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 biological sciences, engineering, or natural resource management, and an 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. Master’s Degree in related field plus one (1) year experience or Ph.D. may be substituted for experience.
• Experience with or knowledge of the requirements of ESA section 7(a)(2), MMPA section 101(a)(5)(D), or MSA section 104-297 and their respective consultation processes.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for English-language composition.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Computer skills in the most common software applications, including Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite, and email.
• Experience with, or knowledge of, the requirements of the ESA, MMPA, NEPA and/or MSA and the consultation processes described above.
• Experience with, or knowledge of, shellfish, netpen and seaweed aquaculture.
• Valid driver’s license.

Additional preferred qualifications include:

• Experience providing biological, economic, or social analyses to support recommendations for natural resource conservation measures.
• Experience assessing the impacts of human activities on marine, estuarine, or anadromous species and their habitats as part of a regulatory program.
• Experience developing policy or procedures for the management and conservation of protected species including marine fish, mammals, or sea turtles.
• Background in biology, natural resource management, and salmonid and/or marine mammal species.
• Endangered Species Act Section 7 experience, including programmatic consultations
• Experience working with tribal governments

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 60,000 - 80,000.

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