Chesapeake Bay Program’s Habitat 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 Habitat Goal Implementation Team (Habitat GIT). The Habitat GIT works to restore, enhance, and protect a network of land and water habitats to support native fish and wildlife populations, and to afford other public co-benefits, including water quality, recreational uses, and scenic value across the watershed. It does this by convening habitat experts from federal, state, local and non-governmental organizations to identify priorities, seek funding for projects, and leverage resources to facilitate projects that restore degraded and/or conserve high-value habitats. These habitats include wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation, and streams. There are two Habitat GIT Staffers who provide support to workgroups and action teams associated with these habitat types and species that depend on these habitats such as migratory fishes and birds, Eastern brook trout and American black duck. This Staffer position will co-support the Habitat GIT and be the primary Staffer for the Stream Health Workgroup, Brook Trout Action Team, and Fish Passage Workgroup. This position will also serve as Panel Coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species (MAPAIS).

Environmental Management Staffer Role and Opportunities

As the Environmental Management Staffer in this position, you will work closely with the Habitat GIT chairs, coordinator, and workgroup chairs and will assist them with the coordination, communication, and tracking of 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 and technical skills, and professional development. As a Staffer for the Habitat GIT and designated workgroups, you will work with the team to plan meetings and other important interactions, prepare briefing materials, track deliverables, and support workgroup member needs. The Habitat GIT Staffers assist the chairs and coordinator in translating and implementing Bay Program policies and priorities such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice; social science; and ecosystem services to the workgroups. Additionally, you will be engaged in the Chesapeake Bay Program’s innovative Strategy Review System process, which tracks progress towards the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership’s restoration goals by learning from past actions. As the Panel Coordinator for MAPAIS, you will work closely with the Panel Leadership and Executive Committee, including the Panel Chair and Vice-Chair. You will assist them with the coordination and communication for panel actions including but not limited to planning biannual panel meetings, tracking important deliverables including jurisdictional aquatic nuisance species management plans, distributing press-releases, and updating the website. Additionally, as Panel Coordinator, you will be responsible for helping draft and release the annual request for proposals for the yearly grant funding competition. The Panel Coordinator will be a main point of contact for the public throughout this process and is also responsible for receiving the proposals and coordinating and executing the reviewing and scoring process. While these vital coordination and administrative support functions can comprise a large portion of each Staffers 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; and representing this work at various 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 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 with a focus on habitat and natural resources management.

Environmental Management Staffers work a hybrid work schedule, dividing time each week between in-office work and telework. The selected candidate will work as a CRC employee at the U.S. EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program 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.

• Participate as an active member of these workgroup action teams and the HGIT steering committee.
• Provide meeting support to MAPAIS, Habitat GIT, workgroup and action team chairs by developing meeting agendas, setting up remote technologies such as video conferencing (training provided), drafting concise meeting minutes, and tracking and following-up on action items.
• Manage and update content, contacts, and calendar items on workgroup and panel webpages (content management system training provided for the CBP website). Maintain internal workgroup and panel email distribution lists.
• Update, track, and consolidate feedback on documents or resources as necessary from workgroup and panel members, leadership, and other experts.
• Assist with grant funding processes and management responsibilities and project oversite.
• Participate in the CBP’s Strategy Review System (SRS) process for the Habitat GIT workgroups and action teams, including the review and development of management materials, action plans, presentations, and associated materials.
• Participate as needed to write reports and communication pieces, perform analysis, consolidate data, report on performance indicators and other tasks as assigned, or as desired for professional growth.

Desired Skills and Interests

The ideal candidate for the position would have the following background and interests 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.

• Bachelor’s degree with a focus on natural or environmental science, fisheries, wildlife, forestry, or conservation biology degrees are encouraged to apply if those applicants have an interest in living resources management and/or policy. Candidates from related fields of study are welcomed to apply if interested and/or experience aligns with the listed subject areas.
• Knowledge of ecosystem management concepts including its physical, biological, social, and economic components as they relate to a large watershed restoration program is also desirable.
• Experience with grant-writing and/or grants management is recommended but not required.
• Familiarity and/or enthusiasm for team focus areas of aquatic invasive species, stream health, fish passage, and/or brook trout preferred is necessary.
• Ability to compile, track and assess environmental and natural resource data.
• Basic knowledge and application of GIS a plus.
• 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, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, Webex, etc.).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required.
• Familiarity with collaboration tools e.g., Mentimeter, White Board, etc.
• 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.
• Self-motivated and independent team-player.
• 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 the early August timeframe. An exact start date will be determined collaboratively with the selected candidate.