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  • Environmental Management Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium (Annapolis, MD; due Nov. 8)

    Oct 27, 2023 2:30 pm by Jordyn SiglerJobs

    Position Description and Application Information

    Chesapeake Bay Program’s Leadership and Management Teams Staffer

    Application Due Date: November 8, 2023

    The Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) is seeking an individual for a three-year Environmental Management Staffer position within its Environmental Management Career Development Program. All CRC Staffers in the Environmental Management Career Development Program support the work of the Chesapeake Bay Program. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) brings together leaders from state, federal and local government, as well as academia and the watershed’s many communities, to collaborate on creating the best strategies and tools for cleaning up the Bay and the rivers and streams that flow into it and engaging with diverse communities to restore habitat health for living resources and promote stewardship for an environmentally and economically sustainable Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program is fueled by science and driven by partnership.

    The Environmental Management Staffer in this position will support to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Principals’ Staff Committee (PSC); Management Board (MB); Enhance Partnering, Leadership, and Management Goal Implementation Team (GIT6); and GIT6’s Local Leadership Workgroup (LLWG).

    • The Principals’ Staff Committee works on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council to translate the restoration vision into policy and implementation actions: accepting items for Council consideration and approval, setting agendas for Council meetings, providing briefings to the Watershed Agreement signatories, and providing policy and program direction to the Management Board.
    • The Management Board works to provide strategic planning, set priorities, and offer operational guidance to the Chesapeake Bay Program, including overseeing the goal implementation teams and implementation of the management strategies.
    • The Enhance Partnering, Leadership, and Management Goal Implementation Team works to improve the leadership and management of the Chesapeake Bay Program and to assist partners and stakeholders in becoming environmental leaders in their communities.
    • The Local Leadership Workgroup works to continuously increase the knowledge and capacity of local officials on issues related to water resources and in the implementation of economic and policy incentives that will support local conservation actions.

    Environmental Management Staffer Role and Opportunities

    As the Environmental Management Staffer in this position, you will work closely with team chairs, coordinators, and workgroup chairs and will assist them with the coordination, communication, and tracking of collaborative team actions. The activities of all CRC Environmental Management Staffers generally fall into three categories: coordination and administrative support, projects and substantive assignments employing scientific and technical skills, and professional development. As Staffer, you will work with your teams to plan meetings and other important interactions, prepare briefing materials, track deliverables, and support member needs. Additionally, you will be engaged in the Chesapeake Bay Program’s innovative Strategy Review System process, which tracks progress towards the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership’s restoration goals by learning from past actions. While these vital coordination and administrative support functions can comprise a large portion of each Staffers experience (~60%), they are balanced with consistent access to more substantive work such as working with the team to draft plans, strategy documents, and project proposals; data management; tracking progress toward performance targets; developing success stories; and representing this work at various forums. As part of the Environmental Management Career Development Program, you will also spend time on activities to support your own professional growth and development by engaging in activities such as attending training sessions, participating in workshops and conferences, taking a course to develop and enhance a particular skill, volunteering, and more.

    As an Environmental Management Staffer in this program, you would have a unique opportunity to develop up to 3-years of professional experience through your day-to-day work activities while having dedicated time and support focused on your individual professional growth. This position offers an opportunity to work with a broad team of partners from across the Chesapeake Bay watershed representing a vast network of government (federal, state, and local) and nongovernment entities. The skills and network gained from this position will be valuable to someone seeking further education and/or career development in the environmental policy and scientific field with a focus on water quality, watershed restoration and natural resources management.

    Environmental Management Staffers work a hybrid work schedule, dividing time each week between in-office work and telework. The selected candidate for this position will work as a CRC employee at the U.S. EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office located in Annapolis, Maryland.

    Summary of Responsibilities

    The following provides some specific responsibilities that are likely to be assigned to the person accepting this position. This list is not exhaustive, and not all activities are concurrent. Staffers are considered a critical part of the team, working daily with networks of dedicated and passionate professionals, and can share in guiding and shaping important aspects of the work at hand.

    • Provide meeting support by scheduling meetings and developing meeting agendas, setting up hybrid meeting technologies such as video conferencing and collaborative tools (training provided), drafting concise meeting minutes, and tracking and following-up on action items with various staff and partners.
    • Manage and update content, contacts, and calendar items on committee and workgroup webpages on the Chesapeake Bay Program website (content management system training provided). Maintain internal committee and workgroup email distribution lists.
    • Update, track, and consolidate feedback on documents or resources as necessary from workgroup members, leadership, and other experts.
    • Assist with coordination, implementation, and tracking of actions specified in the two-year logic and action plan for the Local Leadership outcome.
    • Participate in the Strategy Review System (SRS) process for the outcome, including the review and development of management materials, action plans, presentations, and associated materials.
    • Assist with grant funding processes and management responsibilities and project oversight. This work may include identifying project ideas and setting priorities with the committees and workgroups, drafting project statements of work, and working with technical leads to track project status and provide project leads feedback from key committee and workgroup members (this usually involves helping to coordinate a project steering committee).
    • Participate as needed to draft reports and communication pieces, perform analysis, consolidate data, present at meetings, report on performance indicators and other tasks as assigned, or as desired for professional growth.

    Desired Skills and Interests

    The ideal candidate for the position would have the following background and interests however if you meet more than 75% of the qualifications of this description, we encourage you to apply. We welcome inclusion of nontraditional or nonformal education and experiences, volunteer, and lived experience that contributes to your fit for the position.

    • A Bachelor’s degree in environmental management, political science, public policy, business or related topics is preferred but science/technical degrees are also acceptable for those applicants that have an interest in management and policy.
    • Familiarity with or interest in one or more of the following areas: adaptive management, leadership programs (at all levels of government), budget and finance, and evaluation.
    • Ability to provide support by independently planning meetings, developing agendas, drafting concise meeting minutes, and tracking action items.
    • Familiarity with using hybrid meeting technologies such as video conferencing (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, etc.).
    • Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required.
    • Experience with or interest in collaborating with a range of partners and stakeholders as part of interdisciplinary teams representing a variety of interests, in an environment meant to build consensus.
    • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
    • Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
    • Ability to prioritize tasks under tight timelines in a fast-paced environment, to multi-task and remain flexible with shifting demands.
    • Self-motivated and a team-player.
    • Interest in learning how a multi-stakeholder, regional governmental-environmental-management partnership sets and achieves goals through collaboration, adaptive management, and science-based decision making.
    • A willingness to explore career options and interest in engaging in professional development activities.

    All Environmental Management Staffers are required to successfully complete a federal background check upon hire.

    Chesapeake Research Consortium is committed to a diverse workforce and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. CRC recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

    Salary and Benefits

    The annual salary for all Environmental Management Staffer positions is $48,688. Our competitive benefits package includes paid vacation, sick, and personal leave; affordable health, dental, and vision insurance options; paid holidays; and access to retirement saving options with an employer contribution. In addition to the experience gained through your work assignments, CRC can support your attendance at professional conferences, workshops, and trainings related to your position, identified future career interests and individual professional development plan.

    Application Instructions

    Applications (cover letter, resume, list of three references, transcript [unofficial accepted] and a short writing sample) should be sent electronically to Melissa Fagan, Environmental Management Career Development Program Coordinator, at faganm@chesapeake.org. Please include information about your immediate and long-term career goals as part of your cover letter.

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