Lakes Habitat Restoration Specialist

Overview/ Job Responsibilities

Entarian is seeking a Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Specialist to provide technical, programmatic, data management, environmental compliance, outreach, and restoration planning support for the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation, Restoration Center. This position will support habitat restoration projects and related NOAA programs and initiatives in the Great Lakes region, including work associated with the Community Based Restoration Program and Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program.

The position is remote, with periodic on-site meetings in Ann Arbor, MI, and/or regional site visits and meetings with partners throughout the Great Lakes states.

Duties include:

• Support fishery habitat restoration planning and implementation, including the evaluation, identification, prioritization, design, implementation, and monitoring of restoration projects that support NOAA Restoration Center priorities, including CRP and DARRP.
• Provide technical and programmatic support for Great Lakes restoration projects, including coordination with NOAA staff, co-trustees, local partners, responsible parties, technical professionals, and other stakeholders to support project development, implementation planning, monitoring, and reporting.
• Support project review, tracking, and contract-related coordination, including technical review of project proposals and progress reports, support for field activities and subcontractor oversight, identification of potential contract deviations, and coordination with the NOAA Project Lead and COR as appropriate.
• Develop and support technical, scientific, outreach, and environmental compliance documentation, including restoration planning materials, NEPA and permitting documentation, project fact sheets, briefing packets, draft press releases, maps, story-maps, and other products.
• Perform data management, GIS, and reporting activities, including maintaining and inputting project data in office systems; supporting mapping and geospatial analysis; coordinating information requests; and preparing monthly progress reports that correlate cost, level of effort, activities, and accomplishments.

The salary for this position is approximately $70,000 - 94,000/year.

Some local travel for meetings, regional site visits, workshops, trainings, and conferences required; candidates must reside within the Great Lakes basin.

• Bachelor’s degree in coastal or aquatic sciences, fishery biology, fish ecology, hydrology, water resources, ecology, environmental science, biological sciences, or a related field. One year of additional relevant experience may be substituted for each year of degree deficiency, consistent with contract requirements.

• Minimum 5–8 years of professional experience in applicable field activities, methods, and practices related to habitat restoration, fisheries, ecology, aquatic sciences, or a related field.

• Demonstrated ability to support fishery habitat restoration planning, implementation, monitoring, and project evaluation.

• Knowledge of biological sciences and techniques pertaining to ecology, marine and anadromous fisheries, offshore and coastal aquatic habitat, invasive species, and Great Lakes habitats and resources.

• Ability to apply ecological principles to habitat restoration.

• Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations related to living marine resources and habitat restoration projects, including the Clean Water Act, Essential Fish Habitat guidelines, Estuary Restoration Act, Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

• Ability to perform field monitoring and habitat assessment activities to identify and evaluate habitat restoration projects.

• Experience coordinating with technical professionals, local partners, co-trustees, responsible parties, agencies, and other stakeholders.

• Strong organizational and project management skills, including project scheduling, budgeting, tracking, reporting, and handling multiple concurrent responsibilities.

• Strong oral and written communication skills.

• Ability to work independently;…