Vessel Strike Avoidance Observer - Empire Wind

AIS•Point Pleasant, NJ

5d•Onsite

About The Position

A.I.S., Inc. (AIS) is a national scientific services firm supporting maritime activities requiring certification of compliance with environmental regulations as well as collecting data for use by Federal, State, Municipal, and other government agencies along the US coastline. AIS is recruiting vessel strike avoidance protected species observers (VSA) to deploy on vessels conducting cable repair related tasks off the coast of New York during the summer/fall of 2026. The VSAs will be stationed offshore during 24-hour operations. The VSAO will work in opposite shifts during offshore operations which will be conducted 24/7 and will have an average of twelve hours of work per PSO per day. This position is expected to start in the summer of 2026 with deployments ranging from 2 – 6 weeks in length.

Requirements

Must have current STCW Basic Safety Training (BST), or GWO or BOSIET training.
Must have current CPR/First Aid certification.
4-year degree with major in biological or geophysical sciences
Must be certified by a physician as fit for sea duty including: Not be susceptible to chronic motion sickness
Ability to live in confined quarters
Ability to tolerate stress
Ability to lift objects up to 30 pounds
Ability to vigilantly monitor waters surrounding observation platform/vessel for up to 4 hours at a time and not more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period.
Must have passed an approved PSO course/training and provide certificate
Must be NMFS approved PSO (must provide NMFS approval letter)
Must possess a current real ID approved identification
Must not be affiliated with any group that may impair the objectivity or the appearance of objectivity
Must have proof of eligibility to work within the US.
Must be able to work in the U.S.

Responsibilities

Ability to vigilantly monitor for visual detections of marine mammals around vessel for up to 12 hours in a 24-hour period.
Advise vessel crew on the project specific regulatory requirements and real time mitigation actions
Identify marine animals using the naked eye and visual technology.
Documenting behavior and other essential data
Collect and enter data into the required data sheet in an organized manner
Conduct personal QA/QC checks on data collected
Attend daily toolbox, HSE and project related meetings as needed
Operate and maintain field equipment including Garmin GPS, binoculars with reticles, range finder, handheld thermal imaging and night vision devices, and high-resolution digital camera with video capabilities.