Sea Grant Community Outreach Consultant

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Department:

Serves as Sea Grant Community Outreach Consultant for Ohio Sea Grant College Program providing specialized expertise on Lake Erie ecology and critical issues, particularly emerging contaminants including marine debris/plastics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, PFAS, and others to promote sound analyses for policy and programmatic decision making across the entire Ohio shoreline on Lake Erie.

In this role, (1) ensures that research, training, education, technical assistance, and decision support work undertaken will support and inform our Lake Erie interested parties affected by emerging contaminants and related issues, and result in significant and long-term impact;

(2) serves as lead within the program and in the community in the emerging contaminant topic area, and works with the Ohio Sea Grant extension/community outreach team to bolster current programming and develop new practices, processes, metrics, or models;

(3) takes on leadership roles in the Great Lakes community promoting and developing data driven research and results to inform behavior, policy, and management decisions related to emerging contaminants and within NOAA/Sea Grant Focus Areas (Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Resilient Communities and Economies, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development) across Ohio’s Lake Erie watershed

(4) applies advanced understanding of concepts, principles, and technical capabilities to manage a wide variety of projects, programs, materials and curriculum that serve a broad audience including communities, state and federal agencies, elected officials, businesses, educators, students, NGOs, etc.;

(5) creatively cultivates existing partnerships and forges new partnerships for Ohio Sea Grant throughout the region;

(6) leads through influence, identifies leadership opportunities within the program, and seeks outside leadership roles within partner programs, while also serving as a valuable team player;

(7) develops proposals for additional funds and serves as key personnel on grants that address local needs and the needs of the target audiences, potentially serving as
Principal Investigator;

(8) discovers knowledge gaps and community needs, and leads research based on findings;

(9) writes scientific papers and popular articles explaining complex issues to non-scientists, scientists, and professionals in other fields;

(10) collaborates with Sea Grant funded researchers to enhance the outreach and education portions of their projects;

(11) directs frequent education and outreach projects including presentations at conferences, outreach/community engagement events, workshops, luncheons, webinars, dinners, etc.;

(12) creatively develops new opportunities to expand Sea Grant extension/outreach programming in the state, region, nation, and internationally;

(13) independently evaluates their products and programs to assess their value, measure impact, determine how to improve them, and fulfill requirements for annual reporting;

(14) increases public recognition of Ohio Sea Grant as an accurate, science-based, and understandable source of information on Great Lakes policies and issues;

(15) influences public understanding/knowledge regarding Lake Erie and Great Lakes issues, particularly emerging contaminants;

(16) participates in professional development activities to stay current in the emerging contaminant topic area as well as general Lake Erie science, and facilitates productive dialogue among colleagues and clientele;

(17)
joins, actively serves as a member of, and seeks leadership roles in relevant professional societies; (18) professionally represents Ohio Sea Grant and The Ohio State University on regional advisory boards and planning committees; and (19) works largely independently, position located in northern Ohio, preferably in a Lake Erie-adjacent county.

Required Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education and experience with a Major in natural or social sciences. Minimum of 6 years of relevant experience required in the fields of Lake Erie ecology and/or emerging contaminants.

Desired Education and Experience: Master’s or Ph.D. in relevant field or equivalent combination of education and experience; 8-12 years of relevant experience preferred in the fields of Lake Erie ecology and/or emerging contaminants; experience with curriculum development and pedagogy in either formal or informal education settings.

Qualifications: Experience and knowledge of Lake Erie and Great Lakes ecology and emerging contaminants issues; demonstrated experience in Extension/outreach program development, administration and research particularly within a Sea Grant program desired; experience in organization of participants and program materials desired; experience presenting materials and teaching desired; ability to apply developed industry knowledge and advanced understanding of concepts, principles and technical capabilities to manage a wide variety of projects; ability to work on or lead highly complex projects of large scope and provide solutions which may set precedent; independently determines method for completion of new projects; may provide guidance to less experienced colleagues; ability to convey difficult, complex, or sensitive information and facilitate productive dialogue; strong experience with Microsoft Office Suite; ability to work flexible hours with minimal supervision; strong quantitative and qualitative skills; excellent verbal and written communication skills; experience and ability to interact and collaborate with a variety of interested parties and communities; ability to write successful research proposals and manage multiple projects, including meeting budget, objective, and deliverable goals. Successful completion of background check is required.

Additional Information:

This job profile is a Continuing Education Specialist 4 (S4 level) position on the career roadmap.

The salary paid to an individual will vary based on multiple factors, including but not limit to, education, years of experience, internal equity, etc.

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