Overview

Environmental Assessment Services, LLC (EAS) is a nationally known, scientific environmental characterization company based in Eastern Washington. EAS is currently accepting applications for ESA/MMPA Specialist positions to provide support to the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO).

NMFS/PIRO’s Protected Resources Division (PRD) is dedicated to protecting and recovering endangered and threatened species of sea turtles, monk seals, cetaceans, corals, and other species in the Pacific Islands Region as mandated by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

PRD’s Conservation Planning and Rulemaking Branch (CPRB) is responsible for rulemakings under the ESA and MMPA, as well as recovery planning and implementation under the ESA and other aspects of the MMPA. These include responding to petitions, developing rules to list species and designate critical habitat, and developing recovery plans under the ESA; and developing rules to protect marine mammals, tracking marine mammal take in fisheries, revising the annual List of Fisheries, and related tasks under the MMPA. The successful candidates will provide support services to the PRD to assist with carrying out ESA, MMPA, and related tasks, as needed.

Essential Functions: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Conduct ESA Section 7 consultations, which may include leading or contributing to informal or formal consultations on a variety of proposed federal actions in the Pacific Islands Region, including fisheries management, harbor improvements, navigation channel maintenance, highway and bridge repairs, military base construction and maintenance, military exercises, and other federal actions in Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and the Pacific Remote Islands Areas (PRIAs).
• Responsibilities will include internal coordination, working with action agencies, researching impacts to protected species, drafting informal Letters of Concurrence and formal Biological Opinions, and other activities as needed for the completion of consultations.
• Carry out other ESA-related tasks, including responding to listing petitions, developing or contributing to proposed and final listings and critical habitat designations or other duties related to implementations of the ESA; advise research staff on technical writing requirements, guidelines and best practices.
• Carry out MMPA tasks, such as finalizing the spinner dolphin rulemaking, contributing to the tracking of marine mammal take in fisheries as required by the MMPA, and the revising the MMPA’s annual List of Fisheries.
• Compile, organize, and maintain documents for administrative records of ESA and MMPA actions.
• Assist with division management tasks and other activities related to the above.

Minimum Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university with a major directly related to environmental or natural resource management, plus at least one (1) year of experience in Indo-Pacific marine natural resource planning.
• A high level of familiarity with the ESA and the MMPA.
• One (1) year of experience working on marine natural resource management in Hawaii, Guam, CNMI, American Samoa, and/or PRIAs

Only qualified applicants that meet minimum experience or background requirements stated above need apply. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States, complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire, and successfully complete a federal government background check.

Environmental Assessment Services, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories.