Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is seeking a candidate to support to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources (OPR) in Silver Spring, MD. OAI is a Virginia corporation established in 2003 that provides consulting and technical services to the US government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the private sector. We specialize in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional and technical services, and stakeholder engagement, supporting government contracts.
Description
The employee will provide support to the OPR Office Director (Director) and Deputy Office Director (Deputy). The responsibilities of the position include writing and editing a variety of documents, memoranda, and reports; ensuring OPR that products are appropriate for the intended audience and consistently reflect the Office Mission; assist the Deputy and the management support team with tasks needed to ensure the Director is briefed and ready for meetings and engagements; conduct detailed inquiries to obtain all necessary information to fully support the Director and Deputy in advance of meetings. The position requires working in a fast-paced environment with strict adherence to deadlines.
Tasks
Specific tasks will include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Assisting OPR staff with taskers by tracking and assigning them to the appropriate staff. Review and edit responses. Clear responses with the Deputy prior to submitting the response.
- Assisting with preparation of weekly reporting materials to track Office regulatory actions and the status of materials submitted for clearance.
- Attending meetings such as Fisheries of the Week, Priorities of the Week, and others, to assist with reviewing weekly reports, providing updates on status of regulatory actions and materials submitted for clearance, and assist with fielding questions from upper management related to items in the reports.
- Taking notes at regularly scheduled Division Chief Meetings and compiling them for Office-wide distribution.
- Assist with preparing the Director and Deputy Director for meeting and presentation activities by developing agendas, presentation slides and talking points, as well as arranging logistics.
- Working with Division managers and their staff to solicit input, distill key points, and develop documents for use by the Director and Deputy or in response to requests from Fisheries Management or Congressional Staff.
- Assisting with associated National Environmental Policy Act analyses and/or Endangered Species Act consultations, as applicable.
- Assist with compiling information in agency records, scientific literature, and other applicable information to assess impacts of activities on marine mammals.
- Assisting Federal staff with supporting program planning, monitoring, improvement, policy or regulatory development, and record keeping within the Division.
- Conducting data entry for the National Inventory of Marine Mammals and responding to Freedom of Information Act requests.
- Assist with special projects for the OPR Director, as needed.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field with 2 years of relevant experience.
- Subject matter expertise and knowledge of the ESA and MMPA for operational or research programs and activities in the coastal and marine environment is required.
- Knowledge of NMFS regulatory, research and management activities.
- Knowledge of NOAA operational and research activities.
- Experience providing substantive and administrative support during the development of, preparation for, and execution of meetings, presentations, testimony, roundtables, hearings, or conferences, including materials collection and/or development and ensuring quality control, completeness, and consistency.
- Experience tracking activities and tasks that result from meeting participation or incoming requests, as well as proactively monitoring action items, researching needed information, and managing due dates.
- Ability to work well with people in all levels of an organization, staff, management, and leadership.
- Ability to communicate clearly and concisely in writing and speech, especially the ability to edit and distill key points. Ability to be well organized and handle multiple tasks at once.
- Ability to work independently, reliable, self-starter, self-motivated and strong attention to detail.
- Ability to isolate and define critical conditions and problems within a program or part of a project in order to determine the environmental impact of various activities.
- Skill in oral and written communication in order to develop and present scientific assessments and analyses.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively both individually and collaboratively in a team/group setting.
- Ability to receive constructive feedback and implement appropriate action.
Start Date: April 2024
Location: Work may be performed off site.
Salary and Benefits: This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary, commensurate with experience, $34.00 to $38.00 per hour.
