The Staff Scientist—Marine Conservation (Staff Scientist) is a key member of the Science and Evaluation team and, under the supervision of the Director, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, works to ensure that marine conservation efforts have a robust science foundation and are designed to achieve measurable conservation outcomes over time.
The Staff Scientist has subject matter expertise in marine ecology, coastal resilience, fisheries management, coral conservation, and marine species conservation including sea turtles and marine mammals. The Staff Scientist works with other members of the Science and Evaluation team to develop robust monitoring and evaluation approaches that support rigorous assessments of conservation impact. They are responsible for ensuring marine and coastal programs are science-based. The Staff Scientist will review requests for proposals (RFPs), select proposals that align with conservation outcomes, develop monitoring plans, provide technical assistance to programs and grantees as needed, review reports from grantees, and draft recommendations for staff and Board action. The Staff Scientist coordinates closely with the Director, Marine and Coastal Conservation, with the Science and Evaluation team and other Foundation staff. They are also responsible for other duties as assigned by the Director, Fish and Wildlife Conservation.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide subject matter expertise for the Foundation on all aspects of marine and coastal conservation, including but not limited to fisheries management, coastal resilience, coral conservation, and marine species conservation
- Work with the marine and coastal program leads to ensure a rigorous scientific foundation of the design and implementation of marine and coastal conservation strategies at NFWF (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation)
- Work closely with the Coastal Resilience Staff Scientist to ensure that NFWF’s coastal resilience efforts have a robust science foundation and are designed to achieve measurable ecological and socio-economic outcomes that benefit natural and human communities
- Establish marine and coastal science-based program outcomes and approaches to monitoring, including measurable goals and objectives in coordination with the program leads and the Science and Evaluation team
- Work with the conservation program staff and partners to solicit, review and develop funding recommendations that align with the science-based outcomes and strategies of the program
- Prioritize, establish and maintain networks with the myriad organizations and interests engaged in marine and coastal science work
- Keep abreast of scientific and policy developments that may impact efforts to promote marine and coastal conservation
- Seek opportunities for information sharing among grantees, partner institutions and with policy makers about lessons learned and accomplishments of grant-funded projects
- Work with contractors to develop science and evaluation tools that can be used to prioritize conservation investments and track outcomes
- Work with marine and coastal program leads and members of the Science and Evaluation team to compile project metrics from grants to help populate scorecards and assess impact of programs
- Prepare briefing materials and recommendations to support decision making by the Foundation’s staff and Board vPrepare and/or assist in the preparation of various descriptive and evaluative reports as directed vSubject to programmatic objectives and budgetary considerations, propose and conduct site visits in accordance with Foundation policy
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Director
SECONDARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Recommend new processes where needed to improve existing processes
- Recommend and lead efforts to improve existing processes
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS)
- Master’s degree with 3+ years of program management experience in marine and coastal conservation (or a closely related field)
- Experience working on marine species (fish, sea turtles, coral, and marine mammals being of particular interest), fisheries management, and/or nature-based solutions for coastal resilience. Experience liaising with coastal communities preferred
- Knowledge of marine and coastal habitats (e.g., sea grasses, mangrove forests, salt marshes, coral reefs), their value to society and threats that they face
- Experience conducting research as part of a multidisciplinary project or team
- Strong data management and analytical skills, including statistics and GIS, preferred
- Experience in building coalitions
- Demonstrated success program development
- Experience working with federal resource agencies, with experience managing cooperative agreements preferred
- Grants management and administration experience preferred
- Professionalism and leadership qualities
- Driven by a desire to meet and exceed goals
- Thrives in a rapidly changing environment
- Strong listening and communication skills
- Strong analytical and reasoning skills
- Ability to organize and prioritize work and meet deadlines
- Strong attention to detail and follow-through skills
- Computer proficiency. Experience using database software desirable
COMPENSATION
Commensurate with experience.
LOCATION
Washington, DC
