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The Coral Project Specialist (CPS) manages coordination between the field team and aquaculture team at The Nature Conservancy's Coral Innovation Hub located on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, including inventory management with a focus on timelines for meeting multiple project deliverables and due dates, serving on both teams as needed to meet grant deliverables, and liaising with permitters, partners and funders. They may also be responsible for specific components of other projects or Hub activities.

They provide technical leadership and support for the USVI Coral Program's restoration and conservation projects. The CPS will manage coordination between the field and aquaculture teams by managing farm and field nursery inventories in relation to project deliverables; serving as a member of each team, supporting aquaculture team maintenance and propagation needs as well as field team nursery maintenance and outplanting needs; working with project managers to understand grant deliverables and supporting the aquaculture team in developing schedules to meet those goals; and maintaining records. The CPS will manage (collect, assemble and analyze) various types of data, and maintains a database of nursery stock to support timeliness with grant deliverables. The CPS also liaises with permitters, partners and funders, typically alongside the Coral Program Manager or grant PI. This position works collaboratively with a large team consisting of field staff, coral husbandry staff, and education and outreach staff, and coordinates closely with other project and data managers, as well as field operations staff.

Work will be conducted in a hybrid environment including office, virtual and field settings (scientific scuba diving). The CPS may supervise one or more support staff. The position reports to the Coral Program Manager.

Responsibilities of the position include:

• Leads coordination between field and aquaculture teams.

• Maintains inventory database for field nurseries and land-based lab, and tracks progress towards multiple project deliverables, as identified by project managers.

• Oversees field and boating operations.

• Tracks progress and makes regular status reports to supervisors.

• May lead a project or portions of a project, depending on timing of new funding opportunities.

• Leads or assists in preparing outplants for transportation from the lab to the field.

• Creates innovative ways to safely transport corals from the lab to the field.

• Performs tasks with minimal supervision and makes independent decisions based on analysis, experience and context.

• Supervises professional staff, with responsibility for performance management, training and development.

• Supports team in applying for and tracking permits from various agencies.

• Performs field work on SCUBA or snorkel as part of the TNC dive team in support of all coral-related projects.

• Serves as a member of the aquaculture team, supporting maintenance and fragmentation tasks, and helps coordinate support from field team as necessary.

• Sets and leads any team meetings between field team and aquaculture team for project planning.

• Conducts data analysis and leads the preparation of technical reports.

• Manages inventory-related data in collaboration with data manager(s) and shares data with partners and global/regional databases as appropriate.

• Shares project results with a variety of audiences via presentations, manuscripts, or other formats.

• May assist outreach team as needed.

• May participate in complex negotiations including difficult conversations and conflict resolution.

• Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements.

• Follows team norms established and updated as a team.

• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.

This description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for this job.

Are you looking for work you can believe in? At TNC we strive to embody a philosophy of Work that You Can Believe in where you can feel like you are making a difference every day.

By joining our Caribbean Division's USVI team, you will become part of a group that is a force to be reckoned with, a force for nature, a force for people, and a force for our planet. Our team consists of a dedicated group of people who are leading the conservation effort on multiple fronts and who expertly bring strategy and action together.

The ideal candidate should have project management skills, knowledge of coral reef ecology and conservation, and be a certified in SCUBA with scientific diving experience. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by supporting and shaping the work of our Coral Innovation Hub!

• Bachelor's degree in biology, ecology, marine science or related field, and 3 years' experience in natural resource management or similar field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Organizational skills and inventory management experience.

• Experience managing multiple priorities, with assignments sometimes coming from a number of sources, and working independently.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Experience managing and analyzing complex datasets.

• Experience supervising and training staff, volunteers and/or teams to achieve stated goals/outcomes.

• Experience completing tasks independently with respect to timeline(s).

• Knowledge of Caribbean coral reef ecology and management principles, including ability to identify Caribbean coral species.

• Knowledge/understanding of current trends and practices in coral reef conservation and/or restoration, and experience working in either field or land-based coral nurseries and preferably both.

• Relationship-building experience to work closely with a variety of partners, i.e., media, government officials, funders, internal scientists.

• Experience managing tasks with accuracy and detail, including numerical tasks.

• Experience planning, administering and recording results of work-team meetings and activities.

• Experience using desktop and web-based applications such as Microsoft Suite, project management software, virtual meeting and cloud storage platforms, etc.

• Must be SCUBA certified with scientific diving experience.

• Must have valid driver's license.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.

• Advanced degree in marine science.

• 3-5 years' experience in project management related to the natural sciences, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience leading interactive public presentations and preparing various types of reports for public and/or privately funded projects.

• Familiarity with softwares used for coral reef monitoring (e.g., Metashape, Taglab, CPCe, ArcGIS) and inventory management (Tracks, etc.).

• AAUS Scientific Diver or reciprocity

• This is a term-limited position, with an anticipated end-date June 30, 2027. Depending on funding, there may be the possibility of an extension.
• The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of USD $52,000- $65,000 for annual base salary. Where a successful candidate's actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including qualifications, specific skills, and experience.
• Only applicants who are currently eligible to work in the United States will be considered. Unfortunately, The Nature Conservancy is unable to provide support for a work permit for this position.
• Position requires a valid driver's license and maintaining a good driving record.