Responsibilities
The Coastal Resilience Extension Specialist, in consultation with key stakeholders and constituencies, will address the coastal resilience needs of a variety of constituencies by extending science-based information and providing direct hands-on operational and technical support to coastal communities, resource managers, and interest groups in South Carolina and the region. The Specialist will also contribute to research driven by community needs and provide hands-on operational and technical support for coastal hazard and weather issues addressed by the Consortium. Topical areas of work include coastal response to storms and sea level change, coastal and riverine flooding, coastal engineering, local government planning, coastal hazard adaptation, community resilience, and other synergistic focus areas.
Specific Duties
- Analyze and provide up-to-date information and appropriate contextualization about adaptation science, environmental hazard impacts, and resilience strategies to a variety of audiences through a range of methods.
- Identify information and service needs of constituents through targeted interactions with client groups and work with them in co-producing solutions to coastal resilience-related issues.
- Plan, conduct, and evaluate coastal resilience extension programs, vulnerability assessments, public seminars, and workshops for constituents in South Carolina and the region.
- Be current on data, trends and conditions which describe the status of coastal and oceanographic processes, chronic and episodic natural hazard events, hazard mitigation and adaptation.
- Identify existing and emerging opportunities related to coastal resilience awareness, hazard mitigation and adaptation in the built environment.
- Give formal and informal presentations on Consortium resilience activities at state, regional, and national conferences and workshops for local community officials and resource managers.
- Participate in the development and management of grant proposals with the Consortium, and/or other organizations and programs, to secure funding for client-driven coastal resilience research and extension projects.
- Contribute content to communications materials produced and distributed by the Consortium.
- Prepare performance-based program objectives, benchmarks, metrics, program evaluations, and other programmatic reports as required by the Consortium.
- Supervise student assistants and interns and serve on graduate student committees when appropriate.
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree in geography, environmental studies, marine science, coastal engineering, urban planning, climate science, public policy, risk communication or related field.
- At least 2 years of applicable experience in coastal resilience topics such as flooding, rising seas, erosion, extreme weather events, adaptation planning, extreme heat, or other applicable topics.
- Demonstrated experience in extension and outreach techniques and programs.
- Demonstrated ability to build partnerships and communicate, collaborate, and work effectively with internal and external stakeholders that come from a variety of backgrounds.
- Experience with local government systems and participatory democracy.
- Ability to interpret scientific research for non-technical audiences.
- Ability to develop applied, stakeholder-driven informational products.
- High level of analytical, organizational, and planning skills.
- Ability to work independently and as a part of a team.
- Effective oral and written communication skills.
- Fluency in computer and communications technology.
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated proficiency in grant writing
- Demonstrated proficiency in project and/or personnel management
- ArcGIS skills
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
