MBNEP is seeking a Monitoring & Science Lead

Monitoring & Science Lead

Background: The mission of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) is to promote wise stewardship of water quality and living resources of the Mobile Bay and Tensaw Delta. Established as part of the Clean Water Act and funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency and its state and local partners, MBNEP helps lead local efforts to preserve ecological integrity in coastal Alabama.

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program brings citizens, local governments, non-profits, government agencies, and landowners together to protect and restore things that people value most about living in coastal Alabama: Access, beaches, fish and wildlife, environmental health and resiliency, heritage and culture and water quality. The Estuary Program is a non-regulatory organization, administered by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, that coordinates monitoring and research, restores natural habitats, and educates residents and visitors on how to be better stewards of our coastal environment. The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is one of 28 national estuary programs around the country that are working to safeguard and improve the health of some of our nation's most important coastal waters. The Estuary Program achieves results by closely collaborating with many partners to accomplish our shared goals of protecting and restoring things that people value most about living in coastal Alabama. The program’s restoration and conservation work is dictated by its Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. For more information about the program and its management plan, visit http://www.mobilebaynep.com.

The CCMP is a watershed-based action plan presenting a broad range of strategies to be pursued by federal, state, local and private organizations for the restoration, protection and sustainable management of Mobile Bay’s coastal resources. MBNEP’s role in its implementation is to partner with many different stakeholders, locally, regionally and nationally, to initiate actions identified in the CCMP, coordinate and communicate local needs and actions on a regional and national level, and to improve understanding about this unique estuarine ecosystem and its role in sustaining coastal Alabama’s environmental and economic health. Program activities include measuring status and trends of ecosystem health, ecosystem restoration, building community capacity and increasing citizen environmental stewardship.

Job Overview: The Monitoring and Science Lead has three primary responsibilities: Lead the implementation of and improvements to monitoring activities guided by the Mobile Bay Subwatershed Restoration Monitoring Framework for restoration activities and system-wide status and trends; development of science communication tools to improve community understanding of environmental issues; and provide staff support guidance for the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) including assistance with development and communication of data related to measuring change in environmental health and how it impacts community health and quality of life.

Essential Functions:
Monitoring Coordination

  • Coordinate Mobile Bay Subwatershed Restoration Monitoring Framework refinement and update to ensure consistency with other established regional monitoring frameworks.
  • Support local and Gulf-wide data management systems for collecting, storing, managing, retrieving, and disseminating data and information flowing from watershed monitoring efforts.
  • Oversee monitoring activities of all restoration projects; synthesize data; and develop communication pieces for public consumption. Work with scientists and contractors to determine what, if any, changes there are in the water quality, sedimentation, flow, biology, and habitat quantity and quality as a result of restoration efforts and watershed management plan implementation.
  • Analyze data generated through the implementation of EPA’s Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol and make recommendations for how to use the data to improve trash abatement activities at the local scale.
  • Oversee environmental assessments across the MBNEP service area ensuring use of best available methodologies and data gathering techniques; review of data for quality control; manage contractor contracts for performance and product delivery; and communicate deliverables to general public and target stakeholder groups.
  • Lead development of, or review monitoring plans and quality assurance program plan products for MBNEP related projects.
  • Coordinate ongoing MBNEP monitoring activities including the Comprehensive Coastal Sediment Loading Analysis Initiative and Coastal Alabama Hydrologic Modeling Program.

Tools Development

  • Oversee the development of a watershed condition index as a tool for measuring environmental health at the HUC-12 scale and coordinate its use as part of watershed planning.
  • Refine and implement the stressor evaluation framework on issues of environmental concern and strategize how best to deliver results of evaluations.
  • Develop other science communication tools as necessary to present complex science to the general public to provide them with the means to understand how their actions impact the environment

Science Advisory Committee Support

  • Support the Science Advisory Committee, including committee make-up and recruitment, organization and scheduling of meetings, distribution of all meeting notices and materials, invitation of speakers and preparation of meeting summaries.
  • Identify and coordinate SAC recommendations related to data and information gaps and needs focused on key biological and spatial-data assumptions and uncertainties (gaps in data).
  • Prepare and promote SAC recommendations for scalable, standardized, integrated, comprehensive monitoring program and periodic evaluation of program’s effectiveness.
  • Communicate SAC activities through status reports, articles including development of a State of the Bay Report.

Internal/External Relationships:

This position will work closely with other members of MBNEP staff and with other DISL staff as appropriate. This position will maintain ongoing relationships with other government agency resource managers, environmental professionals and scientists. In addition, this position will work with the different committees of the management conference as needed.

Job Requirements-Experience/Education:

Job requirements include a minimum of a M.S. in Environmental Sciences (Ecology, Biology or other related focus) and 5-10 years of experience in environmental monitoring, coordinating monitoring programs, or other related field; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing to a wide range of individuals and groups; experience in the use of Geographical Information Systems is a plus; and ability to work with minimal supervision.

Job Requirements- General:

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, monitoring data, and remote sensing products; ability to respond effectively to common inquiries or complaints from citizens, government agencies, or academia; and ability to effectively present information to top management and government agencies

Equipment to be used in the performance of the job:

The Monitoring and Science Lead must be proficient in the use of the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint; extensive knowledge of internet browsing and information mining.

Non-Essential Functions:

MBNEP is a small office and as such, all staff are expected to participate in various aspects of office management including answering of telephones, preparing purchase orders or requisitions, recycling etc.

Salary Range: $47,991-78,567 Job Location: 118 North Royal St., Suite 601, Mobile, AL 36602

Closing Date: February 14th, 2020. A Dauphin Island Sea Lab Employment Application (REQUIRED) may be downloaded from the DISL website (http://www.disl.org) or requested by phone, fax, or email. Return application along with cover letter and resume to: Ms. Roberta Arena Swann, Director, or email tengland@mobilebaynep.com. The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program/Dauphin Island Sea Lab is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. DISL does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.