The Science & Strategy intern is passionate about the oceans with experience in scientific research and information management. The intern supports initiatives to enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing among our 10 international offices and 50+ scientific staff. They maintain Oceana’s information collection and management systems, support the Science & Strategy team through general project coordination, and respond to research requests.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Essential Functions:
- Maintain Oceana’s science resources and infrastructure, including:
- creating and updating factsheets (on topics such as habitat protection and biodiversity) and trainings (on topics such as how to find credible sources)
- helping staff access those resources
- responding to requests for information
- Assist Science & Strategy staff in responding to research requests, including:
- surveying scientific literature and synthesizing findings for various internal and external audiences
- assisting in writing reports and memos on a variety of topics related to international ocean conservation
- helping track progress on Oceana’s campaign goals and initiatives on issues such as habitat protection and fisheries transparency
- Review and fact-check Oceana communications materials for scientific accuracy
- Monitor scientific publications and share relevant new findings with Oceana science staff
- Assist Science & Strategy staff with administrative and operational tasks, including:
- coordinating meetings among Oceana staff, preparing agendas, and taking minutes at meetings
- assisting with logistics, including travel planning and working with vendors
Job Requirements
Education and experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in marine science or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and work experience
- Experience with assembling, curating, and organizing data and resources
- Familiarity with citation managers (e.g., EndNote, Zotero) and/or collaborative tools (e.g., Slack, Vivo, SalesForce)
- Experience surveying and analyzing scientific literature, writing reports, and synthesizing scientific information for technical and non-technical audiences
- Experience creating learning materials (presentations, factsheets, memos, etc.) for a variety of audiences
- Familiarity with cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary settings
Skills and knowledge:
- Demonstrated interest in oceans or the environment
- Interest in and comfort with maintaining databases and information management systems
- Organized working style and attention to detail
- Adaptable to changing plans in a dynamic work environment
Required Competencies:
- Action Oriented: Makes things happen. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
- Manages Complexity: Is able to gather data, analyze situations and uncover root causes to problems. Can distinguish between what’s relevant and what’s not and to evaluate the pros and cons of potential solutions.
- Nimble Learning: Takes on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks. Can quickly adapt to new situations and to draw on past successes and failures to solve current problems.
- Instills Trust: Is able to gain the confidence and trust of others by demonstrating honesty and authenticity, acting with integrity, being consistent and credible.
