Position Description
Will develop and implement research projects and protocols in collaboration with the fishing industry and scientific community. Provide field and laboratory support for all data collection and monitoring initiatives of the NESFC Cooperative Research Branch.
Coordinate technical assistance at sea and ashore, coordinate training and equipment deployment aboard commercial fishing vessels, troubleshoot electronic data acquisition systems, collect data, and maintain scientific protocols that ensure research results meet research objectives. Maintain detailed records of equipment or software failures and efforts to provide solutions for recurrent problems or limitations. Additional duties include:

• Assist with procurement, distribution, and adherence to necessary permits for cooperative research projects.
• Participate in research trips aboard commercial fishing vessels, including coordination of scientific and vessel crews, staging of fishing vessels as research platforms, implementation of scientific sampling protocols, deployment and retrieval of fishing gear collection, sorting, and processing of fish catch or other sampling in support of fisheries research, and data entry.
• Maintain, service, track and repair laboratory and field equipment.
• Organize and provide logistical support for industry participants in cooperative research and electronic reporting programs; including recruitment with community leaders, program introductions, port visits to identify set-up requirements and constraints, equipment deployment and training, troubleshooting, data collection, and ongoing communication.
• Perform processing of fish and living marine resource specimens or samples for their use as biological data, including but not limited to analysis of age, growth, maturity, and diet.
• Track and maintain survey equipment, including but not limited to tub-trawl gear, measuring boards, scales, laptops, video equipment and any other equipment used for data collection. This also includes assisting in building necessary equipment such as measuring boards, video camera apparatus, etc.
• Collect a range of biological, fisheries, environmental, operational, and video data. This includes the large-scale processing of catches and fish for dissection, as well as sampling and tagging of animals for internal and external collaborators.
• Contribute to the development of scientific protocols, data practices, database development and software for data collection.
• Operate a variety of types of field equipment and technical software for data collection and provide monitoring that all data is collected following proper protocols.
• View and analyze video data to characterize and validate ocean bottom/sediment type.
• Assist with the management of fishery related databases, including developing, entering, error-checking, auditing, and manipulating data.
• Assist with processing and interpretation of data from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent research programs.
• Assist with production of data summaries, analyses, and visualizations for science and industry partners.
• Contribute to technical proposals, reports, and manuscripts.
• Participate in industry meetings, scientific symposia, workshops, and conferences in order to support and present cooperative research projects.
• Assist in coordinating and developing outreach materials, including user manuals, troubleshooting guides, newsletters and articles on Cooperative Research Branch accomplishments, challenges, and objectives, website materials, and social media content.
• Meet regularly (every month) with CRB leadership to debrief on activities, discuss issues, potential enhancements.
• Assist CRB with developing timely responses to incoming Action Items (i.e. Taskers).
• Assist in the training of newly hired staff.
• Work independently with little supervision to accomplish tasks.
• May operate small vessels on NOAA mission-related projects.

Required Skills

• 3 years of experience in the field or in a related area.
• Experience with identifying and applying technical solutions in a fisheries research setting.
• Experience with collecting data related to fish, protected species, or other species on commercial fishing vessels and process fish and other related samples.
• Work independently with little supervision to accomplish tasks.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with members of the commercial fishing industry, including working at sea.
• Experience working with scientific and fishery electronic data collection tools; specific experience with the FLDRS and/or other NEFSC data collection systems.
• Familiarity with information required for Northeast fishing Vessel Trip Reporting protocols.
• Ability to work with and troubleshoot data collection hardware/software.
• Capable of assisting or leading field teams to accomplish specific study objectives and implement appropriate scientific protocols.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with team members in adverse field conditions.
• Flexibility and patience to work with a team within an organization that is dispersed.
• Capable of facilitating interactions among team members with diverse sets of skill sets.
• Proficient in current MS Office software programs.

Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and be able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to enter the applicable government facility.

Education
BS in Marine Biology, Fisheries, Biological Science, related degree, or equivalent.

• CPR/ First Aid and Safety-At-Sea training.
• Valid driver's license.
• NSC Defensive Driving Course.

Benefits
All full time employees are eligible for the following benefits upon starting: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Paid Time Off, and 11 Paid Federal Government Holidays.

ERT is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer - All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran.