Take Reduction Team Coordinator at Saltwater Inc – Seattle, Washington

At Saltwater Inc. we believe that high-quality data is vital to the health of our fisheries and oceans: our mission is to provide that data. We are a Women-Owned Small Business and are constantly seeking new team members who share our passion for innovation and environmental wellness. We are currently recruiting for Take Reduction Team (TRT) Coordinator to coordinate the TRT process and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) West Coast Region (WCR) efforts surrounding action to reduce whale entanglements, including leading implementation of the Plan. The project will also support the accumulation, synthesis, and distribution of data and analysis that help facilitate dedicated engagement with various stakeholders throughout the U.S. West Coast, and promote effective progress by all entities aiming to address the threat of whale entanglements, including NMFS. The TRT will address 3 strategic marine mammal stocks (i.e., Central America/Southern Mexico humpback whales, Mainland Mexico humpback whales, and Eastern North Pacific blue whales) and 5 commercial fisheries, including Federal sablefish pot, California (CA) Dungeness crab pot, Oregon (OR) Dungeness crab pot, Washington (WA) Dungeness crab pot, and CA spot prawn pot. Additional fisheries and/or marine mammal stocks may be included in the notice formally establishing the Team in 2025.

Work will be up to 40 hours per week and performed remotely with some travel required. The contract has a one-year base period and will have up to four (4) 12-month option periods.

Duties:

• Coordinate TRT activities led by NMFS. This will include working with TRT facilitators, as necessary, on scheduling and generation of agendas for related TRT planning meetings, along with generation and dissemination of meeting notes or summaries of key information needed to support agency decision making around the formation and planning of the TRT, as appropriate.
• Help coordinate identification, evaluation, and recommendation of potential TRT members, as needed.
• Help coordinate the work of NMFS scientists in support of TRT meetings, including maintaining regular contact with key NMFS staff on progress of their work, and facilitating review of materials to be included in TRT meetings by NMFS TRT planning team.
• Maintain regular communication with TRT members via email, phone, and virtual communication, leading into, during, and after TRT meetings, to ensure knowledgeable engagement by all TRT members throughout the process.
• Coordinate with TRT facilitators on the development of TRT meeting agendas and meeting summaries for internal and external dissemination.
• Coordinate with implementation of the Plan developed by the TRT, including production of Federal Register notices supporting implementation of regulatory and non-regulatory measures, and environmental compliance documents supporting regulatory measures such as National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other associated documents and internal/external briefing and outreach materials.
• Assist with collection, management, evaluation, and dissemination of entanglement data as reported to NMFS West Coast Stranding Program.
• Participate in Stakeholder Working Group meetings (and other similar entanglement-related meetings) and provide needed assistance to NMFS with information exchange for entanglement working groups and other interested stakeholders.
• Work with researchers, managers, fishermen, and other stakeholders to develop/refine analyses of entanglement data and other related information, as well as any other information products that can be used by NMFS and other stakeholders to help address the entanglement issue.
• Complete periodic reporting of updated data and analysis as required by NMFS and other stakeholder interests; including dissemination of preliminary summary updates of entanglement data at least once a month.
• Coordinate review of entanglement reports by NMFS staff on at least a quarterly basis, including scheduling and preparation of materials needed to support these meetings.
• Participate in aerial surveys or other field work in support of entanglement science or management initiatives by NMFS.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Completed undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university with emphasis on biological science, conservation biology, wildlife management or related fields.
• Project planning and management in a team environment
• Working with diverse groups of stakeholder teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge and experience working with the requirements of the MMPA related to TRTs and Take Reduction Plans
• Knowledge and experience working with entanglement data reporting, management, and evaluation.
• Experience working within the West Coast Region Stranding Network, particularly with respect to entangled whale response.
• Knowledge of gear configuration, seasonality, distribution, effort, and regulations associated with fixed gear fisheries off the U.S. West Coast.
• Experience working directly with researchers, fishermen, fishery managers, and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), in a collaborative setting remotely and in-person
• Knowledge of whale biology and ecology along the U.S. West Coast.
• Interdisciplinary expertise related to project and database management
• Knowledge and expertise of NOAA Fisheries policies and programs.

Required Skills:

• Current MS Office skills.
• Current Geographic Information Systems (GIS) skills.
• Meet the requirements laid out in NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 209-124 and NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) Aircraft Operations Manual (Policy 220.1), including completion of an AOC-approved water survival training course within 5 years prior to any flight in an AOC aircraft where mission operations overwater are anticipated to occur.

Salary range is dependent upon experience.

Saltwater Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, parental status, veteran status, or disability status. We strive to create an inclusive workplace culture to attract the best talent and allow each member of our team to achieve their full potential and maximum productivity. Furthermore, Saltwater Inc. highly encourages qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to apply for positions for which they are qualified and to notify us if there are any needs for accommodation throughout the application process and/or upon hire.

Only qualified applicants with the requisite experience need to apply.

We will honor all requests for application confidentiality.