Specialist - Water Quality

Job Description

Job Description

Salary : Job Summary

Directly supports the Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) Conservation Departments Manager and Vice President in collaborating with community-based organizations to maintain, develop, and implement comprehensive conservation solutions to address anthropogenic threats facing sea turtles and ocean ecosystems. Primarily, will lead programming focused on water quality related research, pollution prevention and day-to- day related tasks of the Conservation Department. Specialist is a core member of the Conservation Team and will be responsible for working directly with the Manager and Vice President to set and implement high-level messaging, priorities and goals and to ensure that the Conservation Teams efforts are aligned with LMC goals and priorities. This position is full-time (40 hours a week) and includes full health, paid time off, and 401k benefits.

Core Responsibilities

Track and participate in activities related to the reduction of land-based sources of pollution, water management, water quality, and the identification of policies and procedures needed to reduce impacts to local sea turtles and marine and estuarine ecosystems. In addition, lead the maintenance, improvement, and expansion of the following initiatives, including collecting, analyzing and publishing data related to :

Water Quality Monitoring :

• Synthesize literature on the known water quality related threats to Floridas sea turtles, with special emphasis on Fibropapillomatosis, and local marine and estuarine ecosystems.
• Evaluate and provide recommendations to Conservation leadership on the best opportunities (e.g., research, policy, etc.) for the Conservation team to support local and regional water quality monitoring programs and initiatives.
• Implement agreed upon recommendations resulting in quantifiable increase in water quality data that is used by local and state managers.
• Purchase, use, and maintain all Conservation-related water quality equipment and supplies.
• Attend meetings and participate in working groups as needed to support regional water quality issues across Floridas Coral Reef and within Lake Worth, Loxahatchee, and Indian River lagoons including the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.
• Coordinate with Conservation staff to plan, execute, and facilitate water-quality related meetings and workshops, as needed.
• Coordinate with Threat Reduction Coordinator to collect weekly Red Tide Offshore Monitoring Program and send to FWC.

Pollution Prevention :

Quality Control (QA / QC) : Lead development and implementation of a quality assurance / quality control plan for all Conservation Department data and products.

Assist Administration of Funding : Work with Conservation Manager and VP to develop scopes of work / grant applications (including budgets) and administer allocated funds in compliance with local, state and federal laws, policies and procedures. Track progress and develop / review deliverables and ensure timely completion of projects. Ensure annual and multi-year budgets are encumbered and spent in a timely manner.

Information Management and Sharing : Maintain regular contact with program partners and produce and provide information and / or updates to response partners, agency representatives, and LMC leadership. Information and updates may be in the form of presentations, one-pagers, written or verbal updates, or other products as requested. Work collaboratively and exchange information with LMC staff, volunteers, and all interested stakeholders. Where appropriate, represent the Conservation Department or LMC in public meetings.

Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time, including tasks or projects across departments to support the overall success of LMC.

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

About Us

Founded in 1983, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a leading cultural attraction in South Florida that provides open access to all guests. Today the Center is a global leader in the research, rehabilitation, and protection of sea turtles, serving our broader mission to promote ocean ecosystem conservation. Annually we reach 900,000 guests with our transformational education programs and partner with nearly 100 organizations across six continents and 16 countries in ocean conservation. In 2022, we opened our new 27,500 square-foot campus expanding our exhibition, education, convening space, and medical facilities and increasing our regional economic impact.

Physical Demands + Work Environment

The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Successful applicants must be comfortable in a highly dynamic environment in an active and busy office or outdoor setting. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand and walk. The employee is frequently required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and / or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. This position may involve working outdoors in Florida, often in hot and humid conditions, and at events that extend into evening and weekend hours. Must be willing and able to travel for offsite programming and possess a valid drivers license.

Notes

This is a non-essential, exempt full-time position with full leave, medical and retirement benefits. The successful incumbent may be required to perform tasks beyond the scope of this job description as requested by the supervisor. This recruitment may be used to select candidates for additional open positions. It is our policy that all team members, including newly hired, transferred, and promoted team members, will be carefully monitored and evaluated for an initial introductory 3-month period on the job. After satisfactory completion of the introductory evaluation, such team members will be evaluated on an annual basis.