JOB TITLE: Community Science Coordinator

SUPERVISOR: Program Manager, Community Science in Education

Pay Grade:   4  Pay Grade Range: $39,400 - $63,100

Overview 

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) develops and delivers collaborative solutions to global ocean challenges. We are dedicated to the resilience of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. To learn more, visit gmri.org.

The Ecosystem Investigation Network (the Network) is GMRI’s longstanding program designed to support public participation in scientific research, or community science (sometimes also called citizen science). Since its inception in 2009 under the name Vital Signs, the Network has had a strong presence in classrooms across Maine, demonstrating the potential of youth as contributors to, and co-designers of, the production of scientific knowledge. Currently, community science has expanded across GMRI as one method for engaging communities to identify and investigate potential impacts of climate change that are prioritized locally. 

The Community Science Coordinator will be based in GMRI’s Education department which is a small, collaborative, creative team working to innovate, build, and iterate robust learning experiences and communities of practice. We work in collaboration with other GMRI departments (Research, Community, Development, and the Climate Center) to share best practices and cutting-edge climate science, and to promote our work with a national audience as relevant models for authentic science learning. 

The Coordinator has a primary focus supporting the Program Manager for Community Science in Education to execute all aspects of involving educators and youth in community science investigations, including and not limited to planning and facilitating trainings and professional development workshops for other educators, planning and facilitating convenings and virtual meetings for project communities, communicating regularly with project participants through email and project forums, maintaining communication with project leaders, and providing individualized support to educators. 

The ideal candidate will have a strong orientation to meeting the diverse needs of a broad array of constituents, and exceptional sensitivity to communicating respectfully and effectively with a wide range of GMRI constituents.

This position is full-time and located at GMRI in Portland, Maine, however GMRI enables hybrid work arrangements. This position will involve travel to support educators’ implementation of investigations as well as events happening in locations across Maine.

Responsibilities/Tasks

• Serve as first point of contact for participants in community science investigations, helping remove barriers and solve problems; communicate effectively with project communities through multiple avenues, both in person and online
• Create and conduct outreach activities in order to grow project communities and connect with new audiences, serving as primary communicator and recruiter
• Maintain up-to-date records of project communities and activities
• Help monitor and maintain the integrity of project datasets
• Collaborate with team members to provide educators with high quality professional development and curriculum resources that support learning through community science
• Collaborate with team members on the design and delivery of community science events
• Support program staff in curriculum content development and iteration related to community science. 
• Support program staff in documenting and reflecting on programmatic operations, evaluation, and evolution 
• Support program staff and collaborating learning researchers in executing program research and evaluation activities
• Collaborate with staff across GMRI programs, sharing and incorporating best practices and lessons learned
• Provide staffing for at least one LabVenture program visit per week
• Contribute to outreach and recruiting activities through multiple mediums and platforms (email, social media, etc.
• Contribute to maintenance and  upkeep for Education program web sites

Qualifications

Required skills and experience include:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a scientific discipline, environmental science, or education
• At least two years of full-time work post-graduation
• Exceptional communication skills in all forms and contexts, verbal and written
• Demonstrated self-starter with strong interpersonal and organizational skills
• Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively and to take initiative to solve problems and tackle challenges
• Knowledge of, and curiosity about, collaboration tools that could be applied to integrating a wide range of internal and external stakeholders into the work
• Demonstrated ability to attend to detail in the service of achieving larger program goals

Other Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in event logistics/coordination
• Experience working with/in rural, Indigenous, and/or immigrant/refugee communities
• Strong computer skills such as word processing, spreadsheets, data analysis tools, database software, email management, and website maintenance
• Experience with STEM or environmental education (formal or informal)
• Experience with or exposure to community science (citizen science, public participation in science)

Diversity and Inclusion

Gulf of Maine Research Institute has a long-standing policy and commitment to providing equal access and equal employment opportunities in all terms, conditions, processes, and benefits of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. GMRI's employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

Applicants and employees are encouraged to voluntarily self-identify their race/ethnicity, gender, disability status and veteran status to assist GMRI in fulfilling various data reporting requirements of the federal government. This self-identification is completely voluntary, will be kept confidential and separate from your application data, and used only to meet federal reporting requirements. Providing or declining to provide this information will not result in adverse action of any kind.

Salary and Benefits

Gulf of Maine Research Institute offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

Salary: $40,000-$50,000

 Application Instructions

All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the successful candidate has been selected.

Per GMRI’s Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, all GMRI personnel are required to maintain full vaccination status against COVID-19, as defined by CDC, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved.