The Marine Operations Specialist maintains vessels, vehicles, facilities, tools and equipment, and mechanical systems related to the marine conservation programs of the Virgin Islands Program, acting as the primary operator of and assuming primary responsibility for TNC’s marine vessels (power boats under 30 ft). The MOS will be based in St. Croix, USVI and will support field coral restoration efforts as a captain and diver. They will manage TNC’s boats, trailers, and other vehicles and perform or oversee maintenance and repairs. They will be responsible for ensuring safe boating practices, training captains and crew according to TNC boating standards, and liaising with the Diving and Boating Safety Officer and TNC’s Diving and Boating Control Board. Additionally, they will function as a member of the dive team conducting scientific diving for coral restoration objectives and participating in data collection and processing.
The Marine Operations Specialist:
- Acts as primary captain for all boating and diving operations, safely navigating and operating 20-30’ vessels for conservation activities, including but not limited to SCUBA diving, snorkeling, drift diving, and night diving. This position regularly spends 2-3 days per week in the field and occasionally up to 5 days in the field. Field days may extend up to 10 hours.
- Ensure all boating activities are carried out safely and make go/no go calls on boating activities, considering weather and site conditions, crew and diver experience, and special considerations of executing planned tasks.
- Assumes primary responsibility for TNC boats, trailers, trucks, and other vehicles, including performing and minor maintenance and repairs, overseeing major maintenance and repairs, maintaining a vessel log, taking responsibility for boat registration and monthly marina fees, ensuring necessary safety equipment is present and in good working order, and ensuring all vehicles are safely stored during inclement weather events.
- Acts as a member of the diving team, performing restoration activities on SCUBA (e.g., coral collections and fragmentation, nursery installations and maintenance, coral outplanting, coral spawning activities, data collection, etc.)
- Ensures adherence to the standards of the TNC Diving and Boating Safety program.
- Trains other staff members to serve as TNC boat crew and captains according to TNC boating standards, conduct annual boating safety refreshers, ensures boat operations are conducted safely, and monitors boat use and maintenance logs.
- Acts as a member of the TNC Coral Innovation Hub and contributes to a wide range of conservation activities, including but not limited to:
- Constructing coral nursery structures or other specialized field equipment.
- Processing restoration data using software such as Microsoft Excel and TagLab.
- Assisting in aquaculture facility tasks such as facility expansions, repairs, and maintenance; coral husbandry; or coral fragmentation.
- Maintains, properly cleans and stores, organizes, inventories, and purchases field and lab equipment and supplies.
- Make decisions in rapidly changing and potentially hazardous conditions that may affect the safety of staff and resources.
- Performs tasks with minimal supervision and makes independent decisions based on analysis, experience and context.
We’re Looking for You:
Are you looking for work you can believe in? At TNC we strive to embody a philosophy of Work that You Can Believe in where you can feel like you are making a difference every day.
By joining our Caribbean Division’s USVI team, you will become part of a group that is a force to be reckoned with, a force for nature, a force for people, and a force for our planet. Our team consists of a dedicated group who are leading the conservation effort on multiple fronts and who expertly bring strategy and action together.
The ideal candidate should be a certified in SCUBA and experienced in operating and maintaining vessels. They also actively participate in and support coral restoration efforts including field work and data collection, and may work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by supporting and shaping the work of our Coral Innovation Hub!
What You’ll Bring:
- Bachelor’s degree and 3 years’ experience in natural resource management or similar field, including operating and maintaining marine vessels, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Experience operating vessels (less than 40ft) while safely deploying and retrieving SCUBA divers while moored, at anchor or during drift dives.
- Experience operating VHF radios, Sounders, Compass and GPS Chartplotter.
- Experience conducting minor boat and trailer maintenance and repairs and experience troubleshooting and performing minor mechanical and electrical repairs while out on the water.
- Open Water Diver certification from an internationally recognized certification organization (NAUI, PADI or equivalent) and at least 25 logged dives.
- Experience with Microsoft Office suite.
- Basic First Aid and CPR certification, or the ability to obtain a current certification; current oxygen administration certification or the ability to obtain current certification
- Experience performing physical work and ability to lift 50lbs.
- Ability to meet physical and medical standards as set by TNC diving control board.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience operating marine vessels in the Virgin Islands.
- S. Coast Guard licensed captain (25 ton or higher).
- Current or previous authorization under AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Sciences) or Rescue Diver certification from a qualified organization (NAUI, PADI or equivalent) or trainings, certificates and skills that match or supersede rescue diver training.
- Experience maintaining Yamaha and/or Suzuki outboard engines.
- Ability to participate in a variety of conservation activities, including activities in the water, at the aquaculture facility, in the office, and in a workshop setting.
- Ability to complete tasks independently, meet deadlines, and complete administrative tasks such as keeping electronic logs, completing expense reports, and communicating via email in a timely manner.
- Positive attitude, passion for coral reef conservation, and high level of motivation to conduct restoration at scale.
- Experience in natural resource management, conservation, or restoration. Experience working in coral reef ecosystems preferred.
- Experience identifying Caribbean coral, fish, and common benthic species and conducting coral reef ecological monitoring surveys.
- Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated
Additional Information
- This is a term-limited position, with an anticipated end-date June 30, 2027. Depending on funding, there may be the possibility of an extension.
- The location for the position is St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Only applicants who are currently eligible to work in the United States will be considered. Unfortunately, The Nature Conservancy is unable to provide support for a work permit for this position.
- This position requires a valid driver’s license and compliance with TNC’s Auto Safety Program. Employees may not drive Conservancy-owned/leased vehicles, rental cars, or personal vehicles on behalf of the Conservancy if considered “high risk drivers.”
Salary Information:
The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of USD $52,000– $57,000 for annual base salary. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate’s location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.
