United States onlyOcean Associates, Inc. (OAI) is seeking a candidate to support to the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources (OPR) in Silver Spring MD. OAI supplies personnel support services on contract to government and industry clients for marine fisheries and protected species. The employee will support the OPR in providing acoustic expertise for the review of Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Incidental Authorization (ITA) projects. This is a full-time position based on 40 hrs. /week with generous employee benefits. Hourly rate is commensurate with experience. If you have previously applied for this position, you do not have to resubmit an application.
NOTE: A cover letter that describes how your skills, experience and education meet the required qualifications of the position must be included with your resume when submitting the application and is mandatory.
Duties:
- Provide support to facilitate the more timely, efficient, and effective review of acoustic modeling and monitoring products submitted in support of MMPA ITAs for FAST-41 projects (e.g., offshore wind and infrastructure), as well as ensure scientifically robust and legally defensible environmental compliance, the position requires detailed understanding of the properties of human-made underwater sound sources, how their signals propagate in the environment (e.g., based on water depth, substrate, temperature), and the mathematical principles underlying how these source and environmental properties inform transmission loss and sound propagation from specific activities (e.g., pile driving, geophysical sources, explosives).
- Review, evaluate, and compare acoustic source, sound propagation, and exposure models as necessary to support MMPA ITAs, including consideration of the appropriateness and sensitivity of inputs, descriptions of uncertainty, and accuracy of the results. Make recommendations for improvements to better integrate with, and serve the goals of, marine mammal and other protected species impact assessment frameworks, including optimizing output metrics and results presentation (e.g., graphics and figures).
- Review, evaluate and develop plans for acoustic monitoring and measurement of sound sources, ambient noise, and marine mammals. Make recommendations to improve plans and field measurement, including consideration of spatial, temporal, and spectral aspects, such as the placement and timing of recorders, platforms, and recording equipment specifications (e.g., sampling frequency, hydrophone sensitivity). Explicitly describe differences between varied monitoring and measurement approaches in terms of anticipated accuracy, precision, and uncertainty.
- Review and evaluates submitted acoustic monitoring reports for the same factors noted in the second and third bullets above.
- Support the development and implementation of technical guidance, methods, and analytical tools, for both internal and/or external use, to better assess and minimize the impacts of noise on protected species and their habitat (e.g., helping to establish sound field verification (SFV) guidelines).
Qualifications :
- Bachelor of Science degree or higher in a physical science (e.g. acoustics, physics, engineering from an accredited college or university.
- Experience using Python or MatLab for modeling or other scientific computations.
- (5) years of experience in related field to the stated duties or combination of education and relevant experience totaling seven ( 7) years.
- Education beyond Bachelor’s Degree can be substituted for experience; Master’s Degree and 3 years of relevant experience or PHD and one year of relevant experience
- Knowledge of or background in implementation of MMPA.
- Strong technical writing and communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively both individually and collaboratively in a team/group setting.
- Ability to receive constructive feedback and implement appropriate action.
Start Date: To be Determined
Location: Work may be performed offsite
Salary and Benefits: These are full-time positions with benefits. Salary: $34.00 to $38.00 per hour.
Only qualified applicants that meet experience or background requirements stated above need apply. When applying for this position you will be asked to upload your resume at the end of this online application.
Applicants must submit a resume that includes the following:
- Cover letter that describes how your skills, experience and education meet the required qualifications of the position.
- Work history for past 10 years or since last full-time education.
- Education.
- Previous experience or training with similar requirements.
- Three professional references.
Include your name in the document file name.
Upload your resume in readable, not scanned, PDF or Word format (PDF is preferred).
If you are interested in being considered for this position, please APPLY THROUGH OUR ADP WEB PORTAL, link located at top right of this page.
- Include your name in the document file name.
- Sending your resume in readable (not scanned) PDF or Word format is preferred.
When applying for this position you will be asked to upload your resume at the end of this online application.
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States, complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire, and successfully complete a federal government background check. Ocean Associates Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal or state law.
OAI is a government contractor and is required by law to invite applicants to self-identify their race, gender, national origin, disability status and veteran status. OAI is required to use the information it collects as part of its future affirmative action efforts in hiring. The information is collected anonymously by computer and is not connected to your application. You will see a place to check certain boxes in OAI's online application. Even though the information is anonymous, self-identification is voluntary. You can always check the box that says you decline to self-identify.
Note: If you are not selected, your materials may be retained for present or future opportunities. We may use your resume in bidding on a project and if we are awarded the work we will contact you before seeking further applicants. If you do not wish us to retain or use your resume to seek work for you, please let us know in the "Notes" section on the second page of the online application.
