Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) is seeking a candidate to submit in response to a request for proposal to support the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) Environmental Fisheries Science (EFS) Division’s Environmental Chemistry Program (ECP). OAI conducts research, offers policy advice, and provides personnel support services to government and industry clients for marine fisheries and protected species.
Description
The ECP at the NWFSC has conducted research on NOAA trust resources, focusing on developing state‐of‐the‐art analytical methods to generate high quality data neededto understand the effects of human and environmental factors on the health and ecology of aquatic organisms. These research efforts support assessments on the impacts of toxic contaminants in aquatic ecosystems and examination of predator‐prey relationships and their marine distribution. This knowledge is vital to the development of strategic management plans for NOAA’s marine and freshwater resources and includes developing advanced sampling and analytical methods for toxic contaminants and other chemical and biochemical markers; modifying existing analytical methods to measure chemical markers in a wide range of matrices and species; and establishing quality assurance protocols and criteria for analytical measurements.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) established the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) (Title IV) in 1992. The MMHSRP operates in support of the Recovered Protected Species goal of National Marine Fisheries Services’ (NMFS) Strategic Plan. The NWFSC serves as the NMFS lead for the biomonitoring components and quality assurance of chemical analyses of marine mammals and their potential prey for the Program. Information generated by these components addresses deficiencies in data quality and quantity on the levels of toxic chemicals in marine mammals, refines methods and approaches for understanding linkages between exposure and specific biological effects (e.g., disease) or biological processes, and improves the dissemination of the information to constituents and resource managers. The collection and dissemination of these data increases our understanding of the causes of disease and mortality events in marine mammals and provides high quality data to assess the status and trends in contaminant accumulation by U.S. marine mammal populations. Furthermore, these data will provide a measure of the quality of their habitat. The work associated with this taskorder will enable the NWFSC to complete chemical tracer analyses of marine mammals and their prey in a timely manner and ensure that the data are of high quality for inclusion in peer‐reviewed reports and publications.
The employee shall provide assistance in conducting studies on environmental factors affecting fishery resources, including exposure to pollutants, as it relates to the protection of NOAA trust resources including fish and marine mammals. The employee shall be responsible for assisting with marine mammal tissue collection as needed, tissue/fluid processing and preparation of marine mammals and their prey, as well asextraction and cleanup of marine organisms for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios, chemical contaminants, including petroleum‐related polycyclic aromatic compounds and their metabolites, persistent organic pollutants, and other chemical tracers (e.g., lipids). Duties shall include sample preparation, sample extraction using an accelerated solvent extractor or solid phase extraction and cleanup of sample extracts using gravity flow cleanup columns and automated cleanup using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with size exclusion chromatography. Additional responsibilities of the employee shall include operation and assistance in maintenance of accelerated solvent extractors, HPLC system, gaschromatography/mass spectrometry (GCMS) systems, organization and maintenance of sample extract and sample freezer inventories, and assistance in writing sample preparation and analyses protocols for peer‐reviewed publications and reports.
Tasks
Key tasks include the following:
Start Date: Estimated to start in Summer 2023
Location: Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA
Salary and Benefits: This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary commensurate with experience.
Travel: Travel is not anticipated for this task order.
Requirements
Additional preferred qualifications include:
Only qualified applicants that meet minimum experience or background requirements stated above need apply. When applying for this position you will be asked to upload your resume at the end of this online application.
Applicants should submit a resume that includes the following:
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: $25.00 - $37.00 per hour
https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=9a93435d-91d4-4a65-8a21-2de9187df1dd&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=486655&source=CC2&lang=en_US
OAI Consulting (OAI) provides consulting and technical services to the U.S. Government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations and the private sector, specializing in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional support services, information technologies, and stakeholder engagement.
• Leadership • Integrity • Efficiency •
OAI’s organization is designed to provide the highest level of expertise to its clients at the fairest cost. OAI is licensed with employees in 15 states plus contractors in additional states and several countries. OAI is known as Ocean Associates, Inc. in the oceans community where we started. OAI is a Virginia corporation established in 2003, with headquarters located in Arlington, VA. We are a Women Owned Small Business (WOSB).