The Texas Sea Grant College Program is dedicated to the understanding, wise use and stewardship of the state’s coastal and marine resources.
It is part of a network of 34 university-based programs in coastal and Great Lakes states that operate as a partnership between the state governments and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Texas Sea Grant is located at Texas A&M University and is part of the College of Geosciences. Texas Sea Grant focuses on three primary, interconnected activities: research, outreach and education.
What we want
The Coastal Resilience Program Manager, under direction, supports the Texas Sea Grant College Program to plan, organize, direct, and manage extension activities associated with the Resilient Communities and Economies (RCE) strategic focus area. The Coastal Resilience Program Manager will lead the development and implementation of education, outreach, and engagement programs that engage and support coastal communities in effectively preparing and planning for environmental and economic challenges. The overarching goals of the Coastal Resilience Program Manager are to: 1) engage with communities to develop and implement programs through science-based approaches to coastal resilience that sustain human health and ecosystem services; 2) engage with communities to develop and implement sustainable best practices that assist Texas coastal communities in adapting to changing environmental conditions; and 3) engage with communities to inform coastal resilience policy and decision-making grounded in the best available scientific knowledge and understanding. The selected candidate will subscribe to and support our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) as stated above. If this description appeals to you, we invite you to apply to be considered for this opportunity.
Required Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to coastal resilience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Five years of leadership experience supervising teams, which includes two years of project management experience.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Successful track record in cultivating and maintaining community partnerships.
- Strong commitment to engagement and collaboration with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Strong writing and oral communication skills.
- Knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet applications.
- Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
Preferred Education and Experience:
- Master’s degree.
- Two years of outreach or extension experience in community engagement related to coastal resilience.
- Two years of experience in cultivating relationships with university faculty, elected officials, and/or community stakeholders for community engagement.
- Experience in securing sponsored awards from federal/state agencies.
- Experience in responsible and ethical sponsored project and budget management.
- Experience in the development, management and administration of strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of organizational programs.
- Experience in collaborative efforts with external partners resulting in long-term program success.
- Experience in providing technical assistance for developing and implementing community resilience programs.
- Experience in collaborative engagement with resource managers to manage coastal resources.
- Experience in translating and disseminating peer-reviewed research to non-academic communities and stakeholders in community resilience and hazard mitigation.
- Experience in program evaluation or assessment.
- Innovative problem-solving abilities to generate creative solutions to challenging societal problems.
- Experience in conflict resolution.
Responsibilities:
- Strategic Planning - Provides leadership in the management and administration of strategic planning, implementation, evaluation, and reporting of RCE focus area activities.
- Leadership - Oversees the stewardship of the RCE vision for long-term program development and continuation. Supports Texas Sea Grant to plan, organize, direct, and manage extension activities associated with the RCE focus area. Manages extension specialists who support the RCE strategic focus area. Serves as the extension lead to grow the RCE portfolio through community engagement to maintain existing relationships and cultivate new relationships with partners who benefit from coastal resilience capacity building. Serves as the extension lead in developing and implementing large program initiatives.
- Program Development - Supports the Texas Sea Grant extension team in maintaining existing community, academic and research partnerships and cultivating new partnerships that meet RCE program goals and objectives. Develops and implements engagement programs that applies the most current and relevant science in coastal resilience. Provides technical assistance, and training to communities that integrates applied research and education. Applies new and existing decision-making protocols and practices to build community resilience. Support workforce development by enabling training and professional development opportunities to students and industry. Assists local, county, and state governments to develop and implement action plans and guidance for coastal resilience. Supports researchers in analyses of adaptation and resilience strategies for improving coastal resilience. Supports researchers in developing and/or evaluating innovative approaches to coastal resilience. Engages with Sea Grant network and other external partners on projects that enable coastal resilience. Serves on state, regional and national committees associated with coastal resilience. Assists with the development and dissemination of products that enable and promote coastal resilience.
- Program Administration - Oversees extension, education and outreach support for RCE activities across the extension team. Provides leadership in the development and implementation of procedures for RCE focus area activities. Develops and implements processes that evaluate RCE related programs to support organizational effectiveness goals and objectives. Assists administration with the financial planning and management of RCE program activities. Assists with capturing metrics, performance measures, accomplishments, and impacts of activities within the RCE focus area.
- Funding - Leads the visioning for long-term capacity building and growth within the RCE portfolio. Leads planning efforts to determine sources of funding support and partnerships that enable sustainable RCE programming. Leads the development, capture, and implementation of sponsored projects related to coastal resilience. Serves as the principal investigator on RCE sponsored projects through project and budget management in a responsible and ethical manner to meet the goals and objectives of sponsored awards.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
