Environmental Management Staffer – Fisheries, Habitat, and Wildlife

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 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 the CBP’s Thriving Habitat, Fisheries, and Wildlife Goal Team which works to protect, restore, and sustain fisheries and wildlife, as well as the network of land and water habitats they depend on, to promote a balanced and resilient ecosystem and support local economies and recreational opportunities. Maintaining sustainable fisheries and restoring habitat for native and migratory species, while adapting to the challenges of changing environmental conditions, will support a strong economy, recreation and a resilient ecosystem. The goal team’s work focuses on the following outcomes described in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement: blue crabs, brook trout, fish habitat, fish passage, oysters, stream health, submerged aquatic vegetation, and wetlands. The goal team convenes natural resource managers from federal, state, and local jurisdictions; scientists; practitioners from non-governmental organizations, and engaged stakeholders to identify and implement activities, leverage resources to facilitate projects, develop recommendations to advance goal attainment, and track progress. There are three Staffers that support the work of the Thriving Habitat, Fisheries and Wildlife Goal Team and its outcome related workgroups. This Staffer position will support a subset of the outcomes listed previously which may include brook trout, fish passage, stream health, submerged aquatic vegetation, and wetlands.

Environmental Management Staffer Role and Opportunities

As the Environmental Management Staffer in this position, you will work closely with the goal team’s co-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, and professional development. As a Staffer for the Thriving Habitat, Fisheries, and Wildlife Goal Team and designated workgroups, you will work with the team to plan meetings and other important interactions, prepare briefing materials, track deliverables, and support goal team and workgroup member needs. While these vital coordination and administrative support functions can comprise a large portion of each Staffer’s experience (40-60%), they are balanced with consistent access to more substantive work such as supporting 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 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 scientific field with a focus on fisheries, habitat, and/or natural resources management.

Environmental Management Staffers work a hybrid work schedule, dividing time each week between in-office work and teleworking. The selected candidate 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.

• Participate as an engaged contributor to the Thriving Habitat, Fisheries, and Wildlife Goal Team as well as the goal team’s workgroups and action teams. Support team leadership by providing meeting pre-briefs and organizing team planning meetings.
• 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 Thriving Habitat, Fisheries, and Wildlife Management Strategy, once developed.
• Update, track, and consolidate feedback on documents or resources as necessary from workgroup and panel members, leadership, and other experts.
• Participate as needed to write reports and communication pieces, perform analysis, consolidate data, produce maps and Storymaps, 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 in 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.

• Bachelor’s degree with a focus on natural or environmental science and/or policy, fisheries, wildlife, or conservation biology degrees are encouraged to apply if those applicants have an interest in living resources management and/or policy. Candidates from related fields of study are welcome to apply if interested and/or experience aligns with the listed subject areas.
• Additional knowledge and/or interest in ecosystem management concepts including its physical, biological, social, and economic components related to a large watershed restoration program and habitat areas of focus such as brook trout, stream health, fish passage, submerged aquatic vegetation, and wetlands.
• Ability to perform background research, analysis, and synthesis on policy and science related topics.
• Proficiency in managing, analyzing, and visualizing large, complex environmental data sets, with demonstrated experience using GIS and/or programming languages such as R or Python to support data synthesis, statistical modeling, or automated reporting not required but would allow the Staffer to engage in a wider variety of projects and professional development activities on behalf of the Goal Team.
• 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, Google Meets, Zoom, etc.).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required.
• Familiarity with collaboration tools e.g., Mentimeter, etc.
• 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 and remain flexible with shifting demands.
• Ability to take initiative and work collaboratively with 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 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 $51,153. 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 July 2026 timeframe. An exact start date will be determined collaboratively with the selected candidate.