Outreach Lab Jobs in Texas (NOW HIRING)

*US Citizenship Required

*Position is Subject to Contract Award

Position Overview

This task works in the NOAA Galveston Deep Sea Coral Laboratory to facilitate operations of the coral culture facility and the marine organisms under the guidance of the Program manager and other assigned aquaculture staff. Leads or is heavily involved in laboratory studies of diseases and other deleterious agents affecting corals, advancements in restoration and/or husbandry best practices. General duties are to ensure continuity of laboratory operations. Activities include: staffing coordination, supply inventories and management, coral husbandry, maintenance of related systems, development and prototyping of new tools and equipment for advancing coral husbandry.

Position Title

Coral Propagation and Culture – Lab Coordinator (Level III)

Labor Category

Technical Support Services – Level III

Location

NOAA Galveston Laboratory, Galveston, TX

Start Date

TBD – Upon Award

Schedule

Full-Time, 40 hrs/week; facility access 6:00 AM–6:00 PM; animal care required 365 days/year including holidays and weekends

Security

Low Risk – Public Trust Background Investigation Required

Travel

Domestic and international travel may be required for at-sea surveys, project-related workshops, and working group meetings; authorized by COR

Key Responsibilities

a) Laboratory and Fieldwork-Support Duties

Tasks shall include but is not limited to:

• Ensure coordination of staffing and maintaining inventories of supplies and equipment.
• Maintain recirculating culture systems within the coral culture facility, conduct safety inspections, monitor water quality, and report malfunctions in facility operations to the Program/Task Order Manager.
• Conduct routine care of live coral specimens under optimum conditions for health/growth including tank setup and cleaning for ESA coral species. Confer with other staff and Veterinarians regarding animal care.
• Participation in at-sea surveys to conduct collection of broodstock and for out planting of laboratories reared specimens.
• Database management of corals and water quality.
• Lead or participate in experiments with Program leads as directed.
• Prototyping novel equipment and tools to facilitate and optimize coral husbandry (i.e. 3D printer, working with acrylic glass, etc)
• Respond to unusual coral disease and bleaching outbreaks as necessary including field operations and transport to Galveston culture facility of specimens for treatment and recovery.
• Participate in required training on workplace safety, defensive driving, and basic tool handling and maintenance.
• Conduct work aboard Federal government and contract vessels when conducting coral collection or re-stocking activities. Meet vessels to transfer live coral fragments or colonies, in participating laboratories.
• Training: general laboratory safety training, chemical safety hygiene, defensive driving, materials safety data sheets (MSDS), personal protection equipment (PPE), fire extinguisher, electric handtools, acid handling and storage, slips trips and falls prevention, battery handling and charging, NOAA IT security, and automatic electronic defibrillator (AED).

b) Data Management Support

Tasks shall include but is not limited to:

• Write standard operating procedures and manuals for the husbandry of cold-water corals.
• Computer data entry of water quality and coral health.
• QA/QC data input and respond to data requests.
• Managing tracking sheets and project management tools as needed.

c) Analytical Support

Basic duties include data preparation and validation prior to analysis, drafting reports and manuscripts, and review. Advanced duties involve working with Program Leads on analyses to advance coral husbandry and restoration. Tasks shall include but is not limited to:

• Parentage, regional, and health analysis for ensuring biosecurity protocols are adhered.
• Collect and archive journal articles, research papers, etc., on coral biology, culture and husbandry.
• Imagery (photo, video, or acoustic) analysis to determine coral growth, size, and physiological structures.
• Prepare and/or lead manuscripts including data analysis, produce graphs and graphics, and presentations for communicating the results of research and data collection.

d) Outreach and Education

The Contractor shall participate in Outreach and education as follows by answering telephones, provide information to the public, help develop and maintain educational materials, and perform as a participant at outreach and educational events such as open-houses, career fairs, teacher education workshops, etc. Additionally, the contractor shall lead tours if schedule and workload allows.

Minimum Qualifications (Required)

• Master's degree in marine sciences or related biology fields with at least 3 years of experience related to maintaining coral culture systems or 5 years experience maintaining coral culture systems. Previous experience with saltwater aquaria or similar aquatic systems is desired.
• Knowledge of applying basic water quality, aquaculture/mariculture and animal husbandry concepts, principles and methodologies and be capable of independently performing scientific tasks using established methods and techniques.
• Knowledge of basic plumbing, carpentry and facility maintenance
• Capable of following oral and written instructions for care of mesophotic and deep corals as well as recognizing animal behaviors while on the job.
• Capable of writing reports at the college level and making oral and written presentations.
• Must possess a valid driver's license, issued in the USA.
• Must be able to lift 50 lb sacks of salt and load into a pick-up truck and work in environments where temperatures are maintained at or near 40°F.

Preferred Qualifications (Desirable)

• Knowledge of marine life, preferably corals.
• Knowledge of cold water and/or mesophotic corals.
• Fabrication/prototyping skills using a 3D printer, laser cutter, or other similar device
• CAD software proficiency
• Knowledge of water quality and animal husbandry

Required Training

Training Requirement

Due Date

NOAA IT security (required for all contractors)

Certificates due within 3 business days of contract/task order start

NOAA Safety training (required for all contractors working at a Government facility)

Certificates due within 3 business days of contract/task order start

Records Management 101 (required for all contractors)

Certificates due within 3 business days of contract/task order start

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Active Threats to the Workplace Awareness Seminar

Certificates due within 3 business days of contract/task order start

Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Training IAW NAM 1330-52.222-70(b)(6)

Certificates due no later than 5 business days after contract/task order start