Chesapeake Bay Program Stewardship Goal Team Staffer

The Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) is seeking an individual for a three-year Environmental Management Staffer position within its Environmental Management Career Development Program. All CRC Staffers in the Environmental Management Career Development Program support the work of the Chesapeake Bay Program. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) brings together leaders from state, federal and local government, as well as academia and the watershed’s many communities, to collaborate on creating the best strategies and tools for cleaning up the Bay and the rivers and streams that flow into it and engaging with diverse communities to restore habitat health for living resources and promote stewardship for an environmentally and economically sustainable Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program is fueled by science and driven by partnership.

The Environmental Management Staffer in this position will support the CBP’s Fostering Chesapeake Stewardship Goal Implementation Team (GIT). With 18 million people living in the Chesapeake watershed, broad public and organizational engagement in conservation and restoration are vital. The Fostering Chesapeake Stewardship Goal Implementation Team is charged with increasing individual action; supporting environmental education; engaging with more diverse stakeholder groups; and advancing land conservation and expanded public access to green space and waterways throughout the Chesapeake watershed. This aims to build long-term stewardship of Chesapeake resources by watershed residents and organizations. Specifically, the Goal Implementation Team helps achieve these Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement goals and outcomes:

• Stewardship Outcome: Increase the number and diversity of trained and mobilized volunteers with the knowledge and skills needed to enhance the health of their local watersheds.
• Diversity Outcome: Identify stakeholder groups that are not currently represented in the leadership, decision-making, and implementation of conservation and restoration activities and create meaningful opportunities and programs to recruit and engage them in the Bay Program’s efforts.
• Environmental Literacy Goal: Enable students in the region to graduate with the knowledge and skills to act responsibly to protect and restore their local watershed.
• Protected Lands Outcome: By 2025, protect an additional two million acres of lands throughout the watershed—currently identified as high-conservation priorities at the federal, state, or local level—including 225,000 acres of wetlands and 695,000 acres of forest land of highest value for maintaining water quality.
• Public Access Outcome: By 2025, add 300 new public access sites, with a strong emphasis on providing opportunities for boating, swimming, and fishing, where feasible.

The Stewardship Goal Implementation Team has two Environmental Management Staffers to support their work. This Staffer would specifically work to support the Protected Lands and Public Access outcomes and would share responsibility for supporting the Diversity outcome and the Goal Team overall.

Environmental Management Staffer Role and Opportunities

As the Environmental Management Staffer in this position, you will work closely with the Stewardship GIT chairs, coordinators, and workgroup chairs and will assist them with the coordination, communication, and tracking of the collaborative team actions. The activities of all CRC Environmental Management Staffers generally fall into three categories: coordination and administrative support, projects and substantive assignments employing scientific, technical and/or creative skills, and professional development. As a Staffer for the Stewardship GIT and designated workgroups (Diversity, Protected Lands, and Public Access) you will work with the team to plan meetings and other important interactions, prepare briefing materials, track deliverables, and support workgroup member needs. The Stewardship GIT Staffer assists the chairs and coordinators in translating and implementing Bay Program policies and priorities such as diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility, and to share information with the GIT’s workgroups about funding opportunities, resources, tools, etc. Additionally, you will be engaged in assisting each outcome team as they navigate their responsibilities toward the Chesapeake Bay Program’s innovative Strategy Review System process, which tracks progress towards the partnership’s restoration goals and commitments by learning from past actions and using the reflection to plan work on two-year cycles.

While these vital coordination and administrative support functions can comprise a large portion of each Staffer’s experience (40-60%), they are balanced with consistent access to more substantive work such as working with the team to draft plans, strategy documents, and project proposals; data management; tracking progress toward performance targets; developing success stories; to help lead or participate in achieving projects or actions in the workgroups’ plans; and representing this work at various meetings or forums. As part of the Environmental Management Career Development Program, you will also spend time on activities to support your own professional growth and development by engaging in activities such as attending training sessions, participating in workshops and conferences, taking a course to develop and enhance a particular skill, volunteering, and more.

As an Environmental Management Staffer in this program, you would have a unique opportunity to develop up to three (3) years of professional experience through your day-to-day work activities while having dedicated time and support focused on your individual professional growth. This position offers an opportunity to work with a broad team of partners from across the Chesapeake Bay watershed representing a vast network of government (federal, state, and local) and nongovernment entities. The skills and network gained from this position will be valuable to someone seeking further education and/or career development in the environmental policy and scientific field. The spheres of work encompassed by the Stewardship GIT also allow for exposure to and experience in centering people as a priority approach to conservation – as we work to engage people in land conservation, protection and restoration, and other beneficial stewardship activities; seek to increase access to green spaces and waterways for recreation and well-being; strive to support and enhance environmental education; and work together to increase the diversity, inclusion, and representation among our partners, audiences, and those we serve.

Environmental Management Staffers work a hybrid work schedule, dividing time each week between in-office work and telework. The selected candidate for this position will work as a CRC employee at the National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways Office located in Annapolis, Maryland.

Summary of Responsibilities

The following provides some specific responsibilities that are likely to be assigned to the person accepting this position. This list is not exhaustive, and not all activities are concurrent. Staffers are considered a critical part of the team, working daily with networks of dedicated and passionate professionals, and can share in guiding and shaping important aspects of the work at hand.

• Provide meeting support by scheduling meetings and developing meeting agendas, setting up hybrid meeting technologies such as video conferencing and collaborative tools (training provided), drafting concise meeting minutes, and tracking and following-up on action items with various staff and partners.
• Manage and update content, contacts, and calendar items on goal team and workgroup webpages on the Chesapeake Bay Program website (content management system training provided). Maintain internal workgroup email distribution lists.
• Update, track, and consolidate feedback on documents or resources as necessary from workgroup members, leadership, and other experts.
• Assist with coordination, implementation, and tracking of actions specified in the two-year action plans for each of the outcomes.
• Participate in the Strategy Review System (SRS) process for the outcomes, including the review and development of management materials, action plans, presentations, and associated materials.
• Assist with grant funding processes and management responsibilities and project oversight.
• Participate as needed to write reports and communication pieces, perform analysis, consolidate data, report on performance indicators and other tasks as assigned.
• Develop special project(s) to serve and assist the workgroups and their outcomes, as identified by the core staff teams to meet the Staffer’s skills, interests, and developmental priorities.
• Serve as a point of contact for each workgroup among partner hosted events and meetings. Meetings and events may require you to conduct a formal presentation or serve as a facilitator for conservation related discussions.

Desired Skills and Interests

The ideal candidate for the position would have the following background, interests, and qualities, however if you meet more than 75% of the qualifications of this description, we encourage you to apply. We welcome inclusion of nontraditional or nonformal education and experiences, volunteer, and lived experience that contributes to your fit for the position.

• A bachelor’s degree with a focus on natural resources (biology, ecology, land conservation, etc.), environmental science, and related management, education, or policy; diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice; community engagement; geography; recreation, park, and tourism Management; or other related area of study. Background knowledge of aquatic/watershed/ecosystem functions, DEIJ-A best practices, outdoor recreation management or planning, and similar topic areas are helpful.
• Experience with engaging state and/or federal agencies, watershed organizations, local governments, and/or land trusts and conservation organizations to interpret, educate about, and/or develop solutions for environmental issues.
• Experience in developing and delivering written communication and outreach materials and in-person briefings and briefing materials for a variety of audiences such as government representatives, community leaders, and/or public audiences.
• Interest in diversity, equity, inclusion, environmental justice, and accessibility (DEIJ-A) and how DEIJ-A principals and practical solutions work within the context of environmental science, management, restoration, and community engagement.
• Ability to write for the web and social marketing platforms, including working within a content management system and appropriately tailoring text and graphics for optimal communication effectiveness.
• Ability to provide support by independently planning meetings, developing agendas, drafting concise meeting minutes, and tracking action items.
• Familiarity with using hybrid meeting technologies such as video conferencing (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, etc.).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required.
• Experience with or interest in collaborating with a range of partners and stakeholders as part of interdisciplinary teams representing a variety of interests, in an environment meant to build consensus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks under tight timelines in a fast-paced environment, to multi-task and remain flexible with shifting demands.
• Ability to take initiative and work collaboratively with a team.
• Interest in learning how a multi-stakeholder, regional governmental-environmental-management partnership sets and achieves goals through collaboration, adaptive management, and science-based decision making.
• A willingness to explore career options and interest in engaging in professional development activities.

All Environmental Management Staffers are required to successfully complete a federal background check upon hire.

Chesapeake Research Consortium is committed to a diverse workforce and encourages people from all backgrounds to apply. CRC recruits, employs, trains, and compensates regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Salary and Benefits

The annual salary for all Environmental Management Staffer positions is $49,905. Our competitive benefits package includes paid vacation, sick, and personal leave; affordable health, dental, and vision insurance options; paid holidays; and access to retirement saving options with an employer contribution. In addition to the experience gained through your work assignments, CRC can support your attendance at professional conferences, workshops, and trainings related to your position, identified future career interests and individual professional development plan.

Anticipated Start Date

We are looking to start a new Staffer in this role in mid-late August 2024. An exact start date will be determined collaboratively with the selected candidate.