The Fisheries Program Manager will oversee Oyster Recovery Partnership’s (ORP) Sustainable Fisheries Program and develop, implement, and manage projects that enhance the growth of Maryland’s oyster aquaculture industry and improve sustainable fishing practices in the Chesapeake Bay.
Current opportunities include: supporting ongoing development and implementation of an electronic reporting platform for commercial seafood harvest; working with oyster aquaculture lease holders to develop innovative business tools and best practices; evaluating novel products for oyster aquaculture such as alternate substrates; and coordinating regional derelict fishing gear retrieval efforts.
The Fisheries Program Manager will work closely with ORP’s Coastal Science team and will collaborate with government agencies, other NGO’s, technology providers, and the aquaculture and wild harvest commercial industry to implement and expand upon existing projects. Projects are funded by federal, state, and private partners such as Maryland Department of Natural Resources, US Department of Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy, NOAA, and private foundations. The Fisheries Program Manager will support ORP’s contribution to the Maryland Aquaculture Coordinating Council and other regional or national management bodies. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, self-directed, and possess the ability to make sound project decisions. The position requires strong communication, leadership, strategic/critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Extensive experience and familiarity with shellfish aquaculture operations, fisheries science, and project management is required. We are seeking a candidate with experience working with fisheries stakeholders; knowledge of fisheries reporting and regulations; data reporting systems using mobile, web-based and desktop platforms; and expertise in managing and analyzing fisheries and environmental datasets.
Specific job responsibilities include:
- Project management including oversight of tasks, staff resources, schedules, communication, and deliverables
- Contract management including budget, communication with funding agency, and vendors
- Represent ORP on MD Aquaculture Coordinating Council and other management bodies
- Interact with and brief the ORP Board of Directors on aquaculture and sustainable fisheries initiatives
- Coordinate stakeholder input meetings and manage industry pilot testing group(s)
- Conduct regular communication with the commercial fishing and oyster aquaculture industry, e-reporting team, and state agencies. Serve as a key member of the e-reporting team
- Coordinate with software developers and provide technical input on e-reporting and mobile application platform development
- Organize, manage, and synthesize fisheries stakeholder input/fisheries data
- Write technical reports, proposals, contracts, and peer-reviewed publications
- Support ORP’s existing oyster restoration, monitoring, and sustainable fisheries programs
Essential Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries Science or related discipline, or technology or engineering. Master’s or PhD. preferred
- Extensive project management experience
- Coordination of data collection tasks, data management, and quality control and assurance
- Demonstrated experience and competence with statistical analysis and data synthesis (coding expertise in R, Matlab, etc. is a plus)
- Experience with GIS software (ArcGIS), conventional databases, and geodatabases
- Experience coordinating and leading field-based sampling
- Comfortable operating and working from small boats and larger vessels
- Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
