C-StREAM Internship Program Coordinator

The Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) is seeking a passionate individual to coordinate and further the development of the Chesapeake Student Recruitment, Early Advisement, and Mentoring (C-StREAM) internship program. CRC aims to play a critical and central role in defining, coordinating, and disseminating the research and education needed to best contribute to the decision-making process for effective and sustainable management of the Chesapeake Bay, its watershed, and its living resources. We recognize that we can only achieve this mission if all voices and perspectives are represented within the Bay’s science and management community.

The CRC, its member institutions, and the federal agencies with whom the CRC routinely cooperates through its C-StREAM program (e.g., NOAA, US EPA) aim to evolve and strengthen a leadership pathway that attracts and retains a diverse community of both undergraduate mentees and mentors so that the necessary diversity of perspective and experience is applied to the protection and restoration of complex human-impacted ecosystems.

C-StREAM Coordinator Responsibilities

The successful candidate would be responsible for all aspects of C-StREAM program implementation while working to further develop the program according to the program’s guiding principles and practices.  The Program Coordinator will also assist in the development of sustained sources of funding for the Program Coordinator position. The C-StREAM program recently completed a three-year program expansion with funding from the National Science Foundation that supported the Program Coordinator position. We have received a one-year grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to continue this effort, and funding is expected through October 2025. There is an opportunity for the position to be extended beyond October 2025 if additional funding is obtained with demonstrated success in program management and at the discretion of the CRC Executive Director.  C-StREAM develops and trains a diverse population of future leaders in environmental research, restoration, and protection by supporting mentored engagement experiences. The Program Coordinator will be expected to maintain the following specific responsibilities.

• Oversee current C-StREAM program operations which provide students access to a summer internship program that allows facilitates the exploration of both sides of actionable science (i.e., science and its application in management and policy) by offering opportunities from multiple on-going, impactful internship programs. This responsibility includes identifying specific mentors and internship opportunities within our network of partners, developing the program application and overseeing its distribution, evaluating program candidates and working with mentors to place students, and coordinating the on-boarding and orientation process.
• Manage program administration functions such as reporting, budget tracking, and expense planning and approval.
• Build a strong sense of belonging by providing the C-StREAM Fellows (of roughly ten students) multiple and substantive opportunities to create community, enhance communication skills, implement a common language of leadership competencies, and have shared professional development experiences. We expect the Program Coordinator to provide weekly programming events throughout the twelve-week internship period, composed of both cohort-building and professional development themes.
• Create a community of practice composed of well-respected and professionally well- connected summer mentors who are not only highly skilled in areas of direct intellectual interest to the student, but also trained to be culturally aware, articulate in leadership competencies that the program seeks to develop, and responsive to the student’s needs so that the program experience can be leveraged to its fullest potential. We expect the Program Coordinator to provide at least one programming event exclusively for mentor support.
• Promote the C-StREAM program and its Fellows through communication avenues such as the CRC website and social media; and represent C-StREAM at career fairs and other networking events, especially those focused on increasing diversity within the environmental sector.

While the Program Coordinator will have primary responsibility for these tasks, the coordinator will be supported by CRC’s Executive Director and additional CRC Staff and partners currently engaged with program implementation. The Program Coordinator position will be based out of CRC’s main office which is located on the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s campus in Edgewater, MD.

Desired Skills and Experience

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.

• Bachelor’s Degree with a focus on sociology, community engagement, education, environmental justice, environmental management or policy, communication and outreach or related area of study.
• Experience working in student engagement and/or diversity and inclusion in higher education, including peer-to-peer, field school, or traditional mentoring
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills to build relationships with populations from diverse backgrounds.
• Program development and management experience to include grant writing, budget management, reporting, and/or
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to
• Proficiency in text and presentation software (e.g., Microsoft Word, PowerPoint)
• Proficiency in using Excel spreadsheets for budget tracking required.
• Familiarity with remote meeting technologies (Zoom, Google Meets, etc.) beneficial.

Salary and Benefits

The minimum annual salary for this position is $60,000 with opportunity to increase based on previous experience. A competitive vacation and benefits package is provided which includes paid vacation, sick, and personal leave; paid holiday leave; health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision options); 401(k) retirement savings program; short term disability coverage; and a flexible and family-friendly work environment. This is not a fully remote position, and the successful candidate is expected to spend at least two days per week at the CRC office.  Funding is provided to support work related travel.

Additional information about the Chesapeake Research Consortium and the C-StREAM program is available at www.chesapeake.org.

Chesapeake Research Consortium is committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. CRC provides equal employment opportunities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status or national origin. CRC maintains a drug-free workplace. All CRC Staff are required to successfully complete a federal background check upon hire.