Environmental Scientist

Job no: 530168

Position Type:
Staff Full Time

Campus: UMass Boston

Department:
Ctr for Mass Bays Natl Estuary

Pay Grade: 31

Date opened: 24 Aug 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

Applications close: 14 Sep 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

The Center for Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership (Mass Bays) is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded program hosted by the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Mass Bays’ planning area reaches from Salisbury to Provincetown, covering more than 1100 miles of the Massachusetts coast. Mass Bays is dedicated to protecting, restoring, and enhancing the estuarine ecosystems of Ipswich Bay, Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay.

We facilitate partnerships to prompt local, state, and federal action and stewardship, by convening stakeholders on the local and regional level, providing scientific basis for management decisions, and working with decision makers to identify problems and solutions. Mass Bays’ work is guided by the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), a 10-year plan that describes goals and objectives to reach our long-term targets for water quality improvement and habitat restoration to support the health and economy of communities that depend on them.

The Environmental Scientist provides technical assistance to Mass Bays community-based partners, state and local agencies, and regional staff to support implementation of CCMP priorities. This position is primarily responsible for implementation of the Mass Bays’ water quality monitoring program, supporting community-based monitoring, and associated data analysis and reporting. They participate in State of the Bays reporting, tracking progress towards habitat and water quality targets in the CCMP.

Specific areas of work are described below.

• Reviewing and updating the Mass Bays Monitoring Plan.
• Managing Mass Bays Water Quality Monitoring efforts with partners to investigate causes of habitat and water quality decline and inform decision-making.
• Writing project proposals for funding for coastal and estuarine studies related to water quality.
• Managing data and developing reports on water quality conditions to inform decision-making.

• Revitalizing the Volunteer Coordinators Network to identify monitoring priorities and capacity needs.
• Assisting partners with study design and data analyses.
• Providing training and support on the use of Mass Bays’ existing data tools including ETT, AquaQAPP, MassWateR and AquaSensR.

• Providing field assistance and other support to Mass Bays’ multi-faceted projects such as habitat restoration (e.g. eelgrass).
• Managing all things data-related for Mass Bays including data processing, analysis, and visualization for reporting and to inform decision-making.
• Using advanced GIS and other mapping tools to analyze and display data for multiple audiences.

• Managing grants as needed, including writing scope of work, budgeting, contracting, and reviewing deliverables.
• Training and mentoring graduate students, interns, and volunteers as appropriate.
• SFE/Center for Mass Bays National Estuary Partnership K

• Representing Mass Bays on technical and advisory committees and work groups pertaining to water quality issues.
• Presenting Mass Bays’ work and accomplishments at relevant meetings and conferences.
• Increasing collaboration with UMass Boston faculty and Centers on research projects.
• Contributing as an author to peer-reviewed publications.

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science or related field, or equivalent of 5 years’ experience in aquatic or marine science, marine sample analysis, or habitat mapping and assessment. Master’s degree preferred.
• Experience or coursework in physical oceanography, hydrology, marine and estuarine ecology, aquatic chemistry, and/or laboratory analysis.
• Knowledge of marine/coastal monitoring and data management best practices.
• Experience using ArcGIS and R software.
• Strong writing, data visualization, and communications skills.
• Experience coordinating and conducting field work.
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Grade: 31

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position. This is a grant funded position with a current end date of June 30, 2028, subject to renewal contingent on funding and university needs. All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources. UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process.

If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HR or .

Applications close: 14 Sep 2026 Eastern Daylight Time