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 diverse 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 primarily provide support to the CBP’s Communications Office. The Communications Office supports efforts to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay by providing information to the public, working with the media, and branding and promoting the Chesapeake Bay Program. As part of the Communications Office, the Staffer is also an important member of the planning team for the annual meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council (EC). The EC consists of the governors of the six watershed states, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Together, the EC establishes the policy direction for the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. The Staffer also supports the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Strategic Engagement Team (SET) which assists Chesapeake Bay Program goal teams and workgroups when developing and/or implementing actions that utilize elements of communications, local engagement and social science.
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 nongovernment 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 water quality, watershed restoration and natural resources management.
Environmental Management Staffers work a hybrid work schedule, dividing time each week between in-office work and telework. The selected candidate for this position will work as a CRC employee at the U.S. EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office located in Annapolis, Maryland.
- Write, edit and develop content for the Chesapeake Bay Program website.
- Manage the Chesapeake Bay Program’s X (formerly Twitter) account, which includes developing content and tracking platform analytics.
- Develop and disseminate the daily Bay News, weekly Bay Brief and monthly Chesapeake Currents e-newsletters.
- Assist with the CBP Communications Office’s webinar series by pitching ideas, engaging speakers, marketing and supporting technology.
- Manage planning and implementation of the annual Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week.
- Support planning activities leading up to, and the day of, the annual Chesapeake Executive Council meeting. This includes taking minutes, determining logistics and other duties as they arise.
- Provide meeting support to the Strategic Engagement Team 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 the Executive Council and Strategic Engagement Team’s webpages on the Chesapeake Bay Program website (content management system training provided). Maintain internal committee and workgroup email distribution lists.
- Other duties as assigned may include writing and editing fact sheets, backgrounders and other communications products, as well as updating, tracking and consolidating feedback on documents or resources as necessary from workgroup members, leadership and other experts.
- A bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing, public relations, environmental communications or other relevant area of study. Individuals possessing a degree in natural or environmental sciences and/or management with an interest in environmental communications are also encouraged to apply.
- Solid writing skills and a strong interest in writing for a variety of formats, including press releases, newsletters, blogs and the web.
- Ability to use online social networking tools such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn to distribute information, engage audiences and spur action.
- Ability to perform background interviews, research, and analysis, ensuring that communication products are complete and technically accurate.
- Comfortable engaging with all types of people from across the watershed.
- 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 (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, etc.).
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint is required and experience with graphic design software (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign) is beneficial.
- 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.
- Experience with or an interest in building event planning and implementation skills.
- 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, to multi-task and remain flexible with shifting demands.
- Self-motivated and a team-player.
- 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 is committed to a diverse workforce and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. CRC 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.