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This page provides background information and application guidance for the NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellowship. Supplemental documents are available for download as pdfs.
Apply for 2010-2012 Fellowship
Fellowship Overview
The NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program was established to respond to the need for additional coral reef management capacity in the U.S. Flag Pacific and Caribbean islands. The program will be expanded to include Florida in the 2010-2012 cycle. The program provides the state and territorial coral reef management agencies with highly qualified candidates whose education and work experience meet each island's specific needs, while providing the individual fellows with professional experience in coastal and coral reef resources management.
Hosts for the fellowship include:
- American Samoa Coastal Management Program
American Samoa Coral Reef Advisory Group - Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Division of Environmental Quality
- Florida Coral Reef Conservation Program, Department of Environmental Protection
- Guam Coastal Management Program
- Hawai`i Division of Aquatic Resources
- Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (Site in Spanish)
- U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Coastal Zone Management Program
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains seven (7), two-year fellowships under the Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program. Fellows are located in Pago Pago, American Samoa; Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); Miami, Florida; Adelup, Guam; Honolulu, Hawai`i; San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Click here to meet the 2008-2010 fellows.
Fellows spend two years working on specific projects determined by each jurisdiction's coral reef management agencies. Each host jurisdiction provides a staff member who will serve as a supervisor to the fellow. The supervisor guides the fellow on project-specific issues and helps to integrate the fellow into the daily life of the agency. This opportunity offers a competitive salary and professional development training as well as conference travel and relocation expense reimbursement.
Educational Requirements
Applicants typically have a master's degree and two years of experience or a bachelor's degree and four years of experience. Jurisdictions may require additional or alternate skills, such as outreach and education experience. See each jurisdiction's project descriptions (Statement of Work) for more specific eligibility requirements.
Although most applicants hold either Bachelor's or Master's degrees, applicants holding a PhD or JD are welcome to submit an application for consideration.
Citizenship Requirements
Must be U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.
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Karlyn Langjahr (USVI 06-09) gives an interpretive tour of the coastal and marine resources of the St. Croix East End Marine Park at Jack Bay. Photo credit: Lisa Fisk, The Nature Conservancy |
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Apply for 2010-2012 Fellowship
Timeline
A job announcement (Statement of Work) for each jurisdiction will be posted on this Web page on June 1, 2009. Applications will be accepted from June 1st until July 31, 2009. The review process will be completed by early October 2009, at which point phone-interviews with top candidates will begin. Site visits will take place between October and November, 2009. Fellowship positions will be offered to seven applicants by late November, 2009. The fellowship orientation will take place in January 2010 and new fellows will begin work in their respective jurisdictions that same month.
Pay and Benefits
Fellows will be government contractors and receive a non-negotiable yearly salary. The salary will vary, depending upon location, and will remain the same for the duration of the fellowship. The salary for each position is set by the individual jurisdictions and will be mentioned in each Statement of Work. Relocation assistance of up to $2,000 is available for fellows relocating from outside a jurisdiction. These funds are for shipment of personal belongings before, and upon completion of, the fellowship term. There is a standard leave package available including paid local and government holidays, sick leave, and vacation. Additional funding is provided to obtain medical benefits in the jurisdiction.
All fellows will attend an orientation workshop with their peers and fellowship coordinator prior to starting work in their jurisdiction. Funding is also provided to travel and attend conferences or professional development trainings relevant to the fellowship.
Full benefit details will be provided by the contracting company further along in the hiring process.
How to Apply
There are seven fellowships available, one for each of the participating jurisdictions: American Samoa, CNMI, Florida, Guam, Hawai`i, Puerto Rico, and USVI. Applicants must specify the jurisdiction to which they are applying in their Letter of Application.
Only two documents are needed to complete an application for the felloship, a curriculum vitae and a Letter of Application. The Letter of Application should be a one-page document expressing an applicant's interest in the position and why they believe that they would be a good candidate for the fellowship. Letters of Application should address issues covered in a particular jurisdiction's Statement of Work.
Applicants must send electronic copies of their curriculum vitae and a jurisdiction-specific Letter of Application to the email address listed in the Statement of Work of the jurisdiction to which they are applying.
If an applicant would like to be considered for more than one fellowship position, they must include that information in their Letter of Application.
Selection Criteria
Each jurisdiction will develop a separate Statement of Work, which will contain project descriptions, goals and objectives, minimum and desired qualifications, and salary. The Statements of Work will uniquely reflect each jurisdiction's particular needs, complementing other ongoing local projects and management. A jurisdiction's Statement of Work should therefore inform and guide a candidate's Letter of Application.
Previous experience in participating jurisdictions is desired, but not required. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements listed above.
The Statements of Work will be available on this Web page beginning June 1, 2009.
Current Projects
- American Samoa's 2008-2010 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 136 kb)
- CNMI's 2008-2010 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 70 kb)
- Guam's 2008-2010 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 44 kb)
- Hawai`i's 2006-2009 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 95 kb)
- Puerto Rico's 2008-2010 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 70 kb)
- U.S. Virgin Islands' 2006-2009 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 68 kb)
Previous Projects
American Samoa
- 2005-2007 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 54 kb)
- 2003-2005 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 142 kb)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- 2005-2007 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 94 kb)
- 2003-2005 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 175 kb)
Florida
- The 2010-2012 Fellowship Cycle will be the first one for Florida.
Guam
- 2005-2007 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 25 kb)
- 2003-2005 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 36.2 kb)
Hawai`i
- 2003-2005 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 154 kb)
Puerto Rico
- 2005-2007 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 137 kb)
- 2003-2005 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 221 kb)
U.S. Virgin Islands
- 2003-2005 Fellowship Project Description (pdf, 159 kb)
If you have questions about the Coral Reef Management Fellowship, please contact:
Coral Fellowship Coordinator
Email: coral.fellowship@noaa.gov
Fax: (301) 713-4012
Mail:
Coral Fellowship Coordinator
1305 East-West Hwy. #10236
Silver Spring, MD 20910
more info...
| "There is truly no other job out there like the Coral Management Fellowship....I have the luxury of working directly with both people and the natural resources themselves. To me the Coral Fellowship is a proverbial a 'dream job.'" --Karlyn Langhjahr (USVI 06-09) |
