Program Operations Specialist: Project Administrator

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

14d•Onsite

About The Position

The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES) at the University of Washington is seeking a Program Operations Specialist to join the Global Observations of Biogeochemistry and Ocean Physics (GOBOP) Group at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). Reporting to Dr. Jonathan Sharp, the position is based at PMEL and leads the administration and management of the PMEL Adopt-a-Float outreach program. The program connects regional high school classrooms with Argo profiling floats, giving students the opportunity to name a float, learn about ocean concepts, explore float data, and discover careers in ocean science. The role will grow the program by engaging additional schools and outreach partners, potentially including regional community colleges, and organizing outreach events. It also supports the GOBOP team’s logistics, reporting, and external communications in support of the Argo mission.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Earth Science (such as Oceanography or Atmospheric Science), or a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Project Management, Marketing, or a similar field; equivalent education and/or experience may substitute where permitted.
At least 12 months of job-related experience; equivalent education and/or experience may substitute where permitted.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to manage multiple tasks.
Experience or interest in arranging and running meetings.
Broad basic computer skills, such as the Microsoft Office suite.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Strong organization, self-motivation, attention to detail, and time-management skills.
Experience with or training in project management and handling deadlines.
Experience developing graphical or visual content to communicate information.
Ability to work well in a team and prioritize team success.
Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities while exercising sound judgment and initiative.
Valid driver's license for occasional regional school trips; a personal vehicle is not required.

Nice To Haves

Educational background or interest in ocean or environmental science.
Experience with web design.
Experience with budget management.
Experience developing and/or implementing outreach events.
Experience organizing and leading small groups with a common goal.
Ability to occasionally assist in the float lab with unpacking, packing, or testing floats and maneuvering floats or boxes weighing up to 80 pounds with another individual’s help.

Responsibilities

Grow, manage, and administer the PMEL Adopt-a-Float Outreach Program; organize and optimize existing outreach content and materials, coordinate events with regional high school teachers, develop tools to track engagement outcomes, and manage the program budget.
Organize approximately quarterly school visits, conducted by GOBOP team members in collaboration with PMEL and UW colleagues and students.
Assist with shipping, float deployment planning and notifications, budgeting, purchasing, file organization, and intern coordination.
Contribute to the development, management, and maintenance of performance metrics tracking the status and needs of hardware, software, and data quality-control efforts.
Assist in drafting textual and visual content for proposals, reports, presentations, outreach stories, publication media, and digital platforms such as the group website.
Perform other tasks as assigned to support the GOBOP Argo team.