Bioacoustician Specialist

Bioacoustician Position

Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is seeking an applicant to provide Bioacoustician services to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), Marine Mammal and Turtle Division (MMTD) in Miami, FL.

OAI is a Virginia corporation established in 2003 that provides consulting and technical services to the U.S. government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the private sector. We specialize in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional and technical services, and stakeholder engagement, supporting government contracts.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center's Marine Mammal & Turtle Division's (MMTD) primary mission is to assess marine mammals and turtles relative to management objectives in U.S. waters, or oceans where the SEFSC or U.S. has a vested interest. The overarching goal is to provide scientific support for the conservation and recovery of marine mammal populations guided by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act requirements, regulatory policies, and Guidelines for Assessing Marine Mammal Stocks (GAMMS).

Broadly, the program is focused on understanding the health, ecology, population status, and dynamics of approximately 90 marine mammal stocks within our jurisdiction (Gulf of America, South Atlantic, and the Caribbean) including 3 endangered large whales:
Rice's whale, sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico, and the North Atlantic right whale and five species of endangered sea turtles. The research feeds into MMTD's assessment science, including abundance estimation and monitoring of abundance trends, identification of units to conserve, life history (including quantification, condition, and health), and understanding ecosystem state (structure and function). In addition, MMTD provides technical support for monitoring and evaluating restoration activities being implemented to address the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) impacts.

Research & Data Analysis

• Develop and manage passive acoustics research projects focusing on key cetacean species (North Atlantic right, Rice's, and sperm whales) to support stock assessments and habitat protection.
• Process, analyze, and interpret passive acoustic data to detect, localize, and classify biological and anthropogenic sound sources.
• Investigate spatiotemporal distribution, core habitats, and migratory routes to assess and mitigate risks from human activities.
• Synthesize findings into technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and professional presentations for management counterparts and leadership.

Fieldwork & Laboratory Operations

• Construct, service, and maintain acoustic hardware (moored/drifting hydrophones, towed arrays) and oceanographic gear, while overseeing lab infrastructure and data storage.
• Plan and participate in field missions to deploy, retrieve, and operate drifting/moored hydrophones, towed arrays, sonobuoys, and oceanographic gliders.
• Conduct real-time acoustic monitoring, visual observations, and standard oceanographic data collection, operating government vehicles as needed.
• Manage acoustic data pipelines by uploading metadata and maintaining deployment and detection databases on SEFSC servers.

Program Administration & Collaboration

• Support project planning, daily lab administration, and operational workflows across the Passive Acoustic Ecology Program.
• Represent the acoustics team in periodic SEFSC, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division (MMTD), and center leadership meetings to align goals and share program updates.

Start Date:

September 30, 2026, or as soon as possible.

Location:

Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, FL.

Travel:
Travel is anticipated, including to participate in fieldwork, meetings, workshops, and conferences.

Salary and Benefits:
This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary, commensurate with experience, between $52.00 - $62.00 per hour.

Requirements

Applicants must have the following minimum requirements:

• Ph.D from an accredited college or university with a major directly related to a field of study related to…