Job Description
Job Description
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 two Data and Project Analysts to assist the Northeast Fisheries’ Science Center’s (NEFSC) Cooperative Research Branch (CRB). The CRB conducts a bottom longline survey (BLLS) in the western and central Gulf of Maine to assess the abundance, distribution, and diversity of fish and invertebrates in complex rocky habitat that is inaccessible to other surveys. The coincident bottom longline and bottom trawl survey approach is intended to enable use in stock assessments and comparison of species diversity and abundance estimates between the two different survey methodologies. The bottom longline survey has provided the data necessary to assess the abundance and diversity of fish and invertebrates in rocky habitats in the Gulf of Maine, compare differences in catchability between rocky and smooth bottom types, and enhance the sampling of several data poor species, including Atlantic wolffish and cusk. The data are also used in numerous fisheries stock assessments. The survey team collaborates with internal and external researchers to integrate additional research components into the survey for species of interest. Such supplementary research may include but is not limited to shark tagging, barotrauma severity assessment, the effects of bait type on catch rates and composition, ocean currents and tide velocity, life history studies, and habitat type.
These will be full-time positions. Work will be performed on-site at a Northeast Fisheries Science Center, as well as aboard research vessels in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, or remotely in coordination with the COR and Project Lead. The contract has a one-year base period and will have up to three (3) 12-month option periods.
Duties:
- Assist in management of research data in Oracle databases, including but not limited to data auditing and data processing.
- Interact with Oracle databases to fulfill data requests for agency staff, collaborators, and the public in a timely manner.
- Conduct statistical analyses of survey and research data, support analyses by other project staff, and review collaborators’ analyses. Analyses may include, but are not limited to:
- Develop modeling approaches with appropriate uncertainty for relative indices of abundance for use in stock assessment models.
- Explore model types and covariates that could improve the models.
- Test the resulting model indices against other abundance measures (e.g. the NEFSC Bottom Trawl Survey or other data sets) to validate that the survey index is tracking changes in abundance for different species.
- Produce tables and figures and supporting documentation of analytical work conducted with survey and research data.
- Produce documentation of protocols for data collection, data auditing, and data analyses.
- Produce documentation and conduct data review and analysis from optical and oceanographic sampling methods that supplement catch and biological sampling. This includes on-shore data processing and extraction.
- Produce publications of scientific methods and findings in peer-reviewed manuscripts and technical documents to support stock assessments and fisheries management.
- Coordinate and collaborate with researchers and data users in multiple groups at the NEFSC and regional office, including data sharing, analysis, and documentation.
- Develop materials and present research at scientific conferences and stock assessment and other technical meetings, to fisheries managers, and at outreach events.
- Assist with the development of project reports for NAFO, NCRWG, NOAA HQ, and others.
- Assist in developing technical reports and proposals for competitive funding.
- Assist CRB leadership with developing timely responses to incoming Action Items (i.e. Taskers)
- Assist with dockside work, including staging of fishing vessels as research platforms, to support survey operations.
- Participate in research trips, as needed, aboard commercial fishing vessels, including implementation of scientific sampling protocols, deployment and retrieval of fishing gear, collection, sorting, and processing of fish catch, and other sampling in support of fisheries research.
- May provide logistical and at-sea support for industry participants in cooperative research programs; including recruitment with community leaders, program introductions, port visits to identify set-up requirements and constraints, equipment deployment and training, troubleshooting support and data collection, and participate in research cruises as necessary.
- May provide logistical and operational support at sea or dockside to support other cooperative research projects.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree with six (6) years’ experience, or Master's degree with four (4) years’ experience, or PhD with two (2) years’ experience; degree and experience must be directly related to the individual requirement.
- Extensive experience analyzing complex (i.e. fisheries) data sets.
- Extensive experience with identifying, interpreting, analyzing, and applying a range of established approaches and solutions to tests, problems, or issues.
- Experience with survey and other fisheries data.
- Significant experience writing scientific papers for publication.
- Current MS Office skills
- PHP, PL/SQL, R, ArcGIS, python, SAS, and/or other programming languages or software
- Experience working with Oracle database systems
- Hold a valid state driver’s license with the ability to operate a Federal motor vehicle.
Salary range is $25 - $35 per hour, 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.