DOI Marine Mineral Administration; MMA Fellowship - Scientific Evaluation of Stakeholder Relat

Organization

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)

DOI-MMA-2026-65

8/28/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is currently available with the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) located in Sterling, Virginia. Flexibility may allow virtual participation.

The Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), which was previously the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), promotes energy independence, environmental protection and economic development through responsible, science-based management of energy and mineral resources on the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The bureau is responsible for stewardship of U.S. OCS energy and mineral resources, as well as protecting the environment that the development of those resources may impact.

MMA's mission is to oversee the responsible development of the nation’s offshore energy and marine mineral resources with an integrated focus on safety, environmental protection and efficient oversight.

MMA is legally required to conduct environmental science and analysis for managing offshore oil and gas, sand resources, renewable energy, carbon sequestration, and critical minerals. MMA’s streamlined environmental analyses cover over 30 federal regulations and help the bureau make timely and durable decisions at every stage of offshore development.

Up-to-date science and research are foundational to support accurate analyses. We develop productive solutions, cutting-edge innovation, and cost-effective public and private partnerships.

MMA engages with stakeholders in a fair and transparent manner to foster trust and collaboration and to ensure that offshore development benefits all Americans. MMA upholds its federal trust responsibilities by engaging Tribal Nations and Native Hawaiian communities in the stewardship of culturally and environmentally significant federal lands and waters.

MMA's Office of Environmental Programs seeks a Fellow to gain experience in enhancing public engagement (the collaborative process of involving members of the public, Tribes, States, or others, in decision-making) by improving and evaluating stakeholder relationship management (SRM) advancements  will primarily conduct research on whether the pilot of an SRM tool is improving how stakeholder information is tracked, organized, and used across internal teams.

This research will use scientific approaches to evaluate process improvement in the fields of public engagement and communications. You will also input data into the SRM, review data for quality control, and contribute to the development of standard operating procedures. The primary research project for you includes designing a survey (in partnership with your mentor) to produce a report that evaluates the pilot year of the SRM against key performance metrics.

You will be involved in the over-arching effort to centralize stakeholder data, streamline outreach, and enable real-time analytics– delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, transparency, and trust for MMA's mission.

As the pilot year of the SRM will focus on tribal engagement, you will gain an understanding of the Tribal engagement and Government-to-Government consultation as well as the public comment process. Through the research project and interaction with colleagues, you will be exposed to social science methods for improving public engagement, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and associated environmental analyses, offshore energy policy, approaches to bringing innovation into government processes, government contracting, and program evaluation.

This project will provide an opportunity to collaborate and gain skills on a high-profile administration goal with representatives from throughout MMA’s program and regional offices, exposing you to a variety of perspectives and issues.

• Gain experience supporting the strategic improvement and evaluation of the SRM tool and its data collection processes.
• Learn to…