Community Observer - UIC Science

UIC Alaska•Barrow, AK

13d•Onsite

About The Position

UIC Science is seeking a Community Observer to support National Science Foundation-funded Arctic research aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and/or the R/V Sikuliaq. The Community Observer will participate in a research voyage departing Seattle, Washington, in approximately October and concluding in Seward, Alaska, in approximately November, following a required one-week training period. The Community Observer serves as a vital liaison between research teams and North Slope Indigenous communities, providing daily communication regarding vessel operations and research activities occurring in subsistence use areas. This position works closely with UIC Science and Battelle Arctic Research Operations management to address community concerns, facilitate information sharing, and promote cultural awareness and sensitivity among vessel personnel regarding Indigenous subsistence practices and traditions. Additional responsibilities include serving as a communication link between vessel crews and subsistence hunters while offshore, informing communities and organizations of vessel activities, and monitoring for Arctic marine mammals, including recording sightings as required. The position requires extended periods at sea, a flexible schedule that may include work outside normal business hours, and the ability to work approximately 10 hours per day aboard a moving vessel. Exposure to challenging weather conditions and seasickness is possible. A valid United States passport is required.

Requirements

Ability to travel on a Research Vessel and perform office work.
Ability to test for and pass a non-DOT pre-employment drug screening and must follow all Non-DOT Drug and Alcohol testing program requirements.
Have personal ID, in the form of a valid driver’s license or passport.
Able to communicate in English verbally and in writing.
Ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds.
Knowledge and understanding of Inupiaq culture and priorities related to research.
Experience in subsistence hunting, including whaling and other marine hunting activities.
Strong oral and written skills to communicate and outreach to Tribal communities, Tribal leadership, agencies, Native Corporations, and other stakeholders regarding the research vessel’s activities.
Functional knowledge to effectively perform e-mail management and reporting.
Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Office, and Adobe programs.
Team player to develop strong relationships with villages, staff, and researchers.
Repetitive and prolonged postures involving standing, sitting, twisting, squatting, kneeling, stooping, and reaching to full range from above the head to the deck.
Employee must always have good balance and coordination to safely walk over catwalks, enter/ exit hatches, and over uneven and/or slippery surfaces.
Different docks have various combinations of barge drafts and river stages which make it necessary to step across, up, down, or over an obstacle to gain access to the dock from the barge or from the barge to the boat or from the boat to the dock.
Employee must have ability to sit and/or stand for at least 6-hour shifts, walk for prolonged periods, handle (lift, carry, push and pull) various materials and tools, climb ladders, stairwells while working in inclement weather.
Must be able to work in cold/hot weather while wearing required PPE (e.g., life preserver, respirators, goggles, etc.).
Must be able to lift at least 50 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Ability to speak and/or understand Inupiaq language is strongly preferred.
Prior ship experience of at least one thirty-day cruise aboard a large ship, including a science party of 25 individuals is highly desirable.
Speak and understand the Inupiaq Language.
Prior Community Observer position experience.
Resident of Northern coastal Alaska Indigenous Community.
Have or receive a current cold water offshore survival training certification.

Responsibilities

Support a research project funded by the National Science Foundation in Alaska waters.
Communicate with subsistence hunters in proximity to the scheduled research areas, Principal Investigators, Battelle Arctic Research Operations, and vessel crew members.
Scan the horizon and maintain communication between the ship, subsistence hunters and land-based stations to ensure to the best of their ability that all conflicts between animals, subsistence hunters, and the ship are avoided to minimize a potential negative impact.
Provide daily updates of vessel activities to a list of community and agency stakeholders.
Keep a logbook.
Be flexible with vessel logistics which can be extremely fluid (e.g., weather, ice conditions, schedule changes, etc.).
Perform duties generally on the bridge of the Sikuliaq.
Gain an understanding of shipboard operations and safety, as well as science activities, the tools used for data collection, ultimate data products and its availability to the public as well as the overall goal of the mission.
Provide a cruise report at the end of the cruise.
Maintain appropriate records and report on activities as assigned under their oversight responsibility.
Participate in daily planning meetings if requested.
Attend pre-cruise training and orientation with UIC Science one week prior to vessel departure.
Attend the July 2026 meeting of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission may be required.
Perform other duties as assigned.