Marine Habitat Protection Specialist

Entarian•Silver Spring, MD

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

Entarian is seeking a Marine Habitat Protection Specialist to provide technical, environmental compliance, restoration planning, data management, programmatic, and outreach support for the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation, Restoration Center. This position will support the evaluation of complex development projects and their potential impacts on coastal and marine habitats and fisheries resources and assist in developing conservation recommendations to avoid, reduce, or offset those impacts. The position will also support habitat restoration projects and related NOAA programs and initiatives.

Requirements

Master’s degree in water resources, natural resources, environmental science, fisheries, biology, marine science, or a related field, with a minimum of four (4) years of specialized professional experience in applicable field activities, methods, and practices.
Knowledge of coastal and marine habitats and fisheries resources.
Demonstrated ability to understand complex development projects, assess their potential impacts on marine and coastal habitats, and develop conservation recommendations to avoid, reduce, or offset those impacts.
Knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations related to living marine resources and habitat protection, including the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and Essential Fish Habitat provisions.
Knowledge of biological sciences and techniques pertaining to ecology, marine and anadromous fisheries, offshore and coastal aquatic habitats, and invasive species.
Ability to apply ecological principles to habitat restoration and habitat protection.
Demonstrated ability to perform field monitoring and habitat assessment activities to identify and evaluate habitat restoration projects.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work independently; reliable, self-starter, self-motivated, and detail oriented.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as routine computer use including email, electronic file management, and calendaring.
Willingness for occasional travel.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident and be able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to access applicable government systems and facilities.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with deep and/or shallow coral ecosystems.
Experience developing NEPA documentation, including Environmental Assessments and documentation supporting Environmental Impact Statements.
Experience with ESA consultations and other federal environmental permitting and consultation processes.
Advanced GIS skills and capabilities, including model development, mapping and analysis, geodatabase creation, web-based GIS interfaces, and data management.
Technical writing skills and experience.
Experience working in a government office.
Experience with restoration and environmental project databases such as RCDB, DARRTS, and RIBITS.

Responsibilities

Evaluate complex development projects and their potential impacts on coastal and marine habitats and fisheries resources and assist in developing effective conservation recommendations to avoid, reduce, or offset those impacts.
Support environmental review and compliance activities, with particular emphasis on the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) provisions, as well as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Water Act (CWA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Develop and support NEPA environmental compliance documentation, including Environmental Assessments and documentation tiered to Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements, using established NOAA and CEQ methods, procedures, and guidance.
Coordinate with NOAA staff, NOAA General Counsel for Natural Resources, and applicable regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state agencies, and other partners, to support appropriate permits and consultation requests and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
Support the technical development of environmental compliance and consultation documentation under the MSA and ESA, including requests for EFH and ESA consultations.
Support fishery habitat restoration planning and implementation, including the evaluation, identification, prioritization, implementation, and monitoring of habitat restoration projects.
Provide technical and programmatic support for CRP and DARRP restoration projects, including coordination with NOAA staff, local partners, responsible parties, technical professionals, and other stakeholders to support project development, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
Provide geospatial and data support for restoration planning and DARRP cases, including tools and analyses used to identify and prioritize restoration actions.
Support project solicitation, review, and tracking activities, including distribution of requests for proposals, review and scoring of proposals, participation in technical review discussions, development of monitoring plans, participation in implementation planning, review of progress reports, and tracking of project accomplishments.
Provide programmatic management support by coordinating and inspecting field activities and contract deliverables; supporting subcontractor oversight; identifying potential contract deviations; and providing technical input to the NOAA Project Lead and COR without exercising technical direction or final contract acceptance authority.
Develop outreach and communication products, including draft press releases, project fact sheets, briefing packets, maps, story maps, and other materials; and support public meetings and other outreach activities as needed.
Perform data management and reporting activities, including compiling and inputting project data into RCDB, DARRTS, SharePoint, RIBITS, and other reporting databases and systems; coordinating information requests; and working with the IT team on potential process improvements.
Provide support to other NOAA programs and initiatives, including environmental resource and management studies, meeting participation and reporting, document development, engagement with topic experts, literature reviews, and geographic prioritization and project planning.

Benefits

Medical, Rx, Dental, and Vision Insurance
401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
11 Paid Federal Government Holidays
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Basic Life & Supplemental Life
Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
Employee assistance program (EAP)
Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
Skills Development & Certifications
Professional Membership Reimbursement
Employee Referral Program
Competitive compensation plan
Discretionary variable incentive bonuses based on factors such as individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance