Chesapeake Bay Program’s Healthy Landscapes Staffer

Malaysianwildlife; Annapolis (MD); Hybrid; USD 47,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Chesapeake Research Consortium seeks an Environmental Management Staffer to support the Healthy Landscapes Goal Team and its workgroups, coordinating meetings, agendas, and action tracking. The role blends administrative responsibilities with developmental assignments to grow leadership and environmental policy expertise.

Work is hybrid with time in-office and telework; you’ll join a broad network across federal, state, and local partners to advance water quality, watershed restoration and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in natural sciences or related field.
• Strong data analysis and synthesis of policy and science topics.
• Proficiency in GIS (ArcGIS Pro / QGIS) and data visualization.
• Experience planning meetings and drafting agendas.
• Familiarity with hybrid meeting technologies.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Experience collaborating with diverse partners on interdisciplinary teams.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Willingness to engage in professional development.
• Ability to adapt in dynamic environment and take initiative.

Responsibilities

• Participate as an engaged contributor to the Healthy Landscapes Goal Team and workgroups.
• Provide meeting support: schedule meetings, agendas, hybrid tech, minutes, track actions.
• Manage and update content, contacts, and calendar items on team webpages.
• Assist with coordination and tracking of actions in the Healthy Landscapes Management Strategy.
• Update and consolidate feedback on documents/resources.
• Draft reports, perform analyses, produce maps/Storymaps, report on indicators.

Skills

Data analysis

GIS

Meeting coordination

Verbal & written comms

Team collaboration

Time management

Education

Bachelors in natural sciences / related field

Environmental management/policy

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

QGIS

Microsoft Teams

Zoom

Google Workspace

MS PowerPoint

Job description

As the Environmental Management Staffer in this position, you will work closely with the Healthy Landscapes Goal Team and workgroup chairs and coordinators to support day-to-day activities, coordinate goal team and workgroup meetings, communicate with group members and Chesapeake Bay Program staff, and track collaborative team actions. While these vital coordination and administrative support functions can comprise a large portion of each Staffer’s experience (40-60%), they are balanced with developmental work, including projects and assignments that provide opportunities to build skills and leadership experience. As part of the Environmental Management Career Development Program, you will also spend time on activities to support your own professional growth and development like participating in workshops and conferences, taking a course to develop or enhance a skill, networking with professionals in informational interviews, and more.

As an Environmental Management Staffer in this program, you would have a unique opportunity to develop up to three 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 non-government 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 science field with a focus on water quality, watershed restoration and conservation, and natural resources management.

Environmental Management Staffers work a hybrid schedule, dividing time each week between in-office work and telework. The candidate selected for this position will work as a CRC employee at the 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.

• Participate as an engaged contributor to the Healthy Landscapes Goal Team as well as the goal team’s workgroups.
• 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 goal team and workgroup webpages on the Chesapeake Bay Program website (content management system training provided). Maintain internal workgroup email distribution lists.
• Assist with coordination, implementation, and tracking of actions specified in the Healthy Landscapes Management Strategy.
• Update, track, and consolidate feedback on documents or resources as necessary from workgroup members, leadership, and other experts.
• Other duties assigned may include drafting reports and communication pieces, performing analyses, consolidating data, producing maps and Storymaps, reporting on performance indicators and other tasks as needs or as desired for professional growth.

Other duties assigned may include drafting reports and communication pieces, performing analyses, consolidating data, producing maps and Storymaps, reporting on performance indicators and other tasks as needs 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 natural sciences, environmental management/policy/planning, geography, or relevant field of study. Familiarity with land use/urban/conservation planning, forestry, landscape ecology, and watershed processes preferred.
• Ability to perform background research, analysis, and synthesis on policy and science related topics.
• Skills in data analysis and visualization using R, Python, and GIS (experience with ESRI ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, and/or college level GIS courses preferred).
• 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 (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meets, etc.).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint is required and experience with Google Suite, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and scheduling apps such as Doodle or When to Meet is beneficial.
• 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.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong time management and organizational skills that support the ability to manage, prioritize, and meet deadlines for multiple tasks with attention to detail.
• Creative and collaborative problem-solving skills.
• Able to adapt in a dynamic working environment. Taking initiative to complete tasks independently and fulfill shared responsibilities as part of a team.
• 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 encourages 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 $52,432. 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 training related to your position, identified future career interests and individual professional development plan.

Anticipated Start Date

We are looking to start a new Staffer in this role in the late November/early December timeframe. An exact start date will be determined collaboratively with the selected candidate.