Central Coast Wetlands Group Regional Monitoring Fellow

This position is part of the NOAA Coastal Resilience Fellowship Program, supporting the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge (CRRC) projects. The fellow will support the project: Regional Adaptation for Climate Resilience of Monterey Bay Coastal Communities.

Host Organization: Central Coast Wetlands Group at Moss Landing Marine Labs
Location of Position: Moss Landing, California
Duration of Position: Two years (June 2025-June 2027)
Annual Salary: $54,008 
Benefits: Medical insurance, 11 paid federal holidays per year, 15 paid personal days per year, professional development training, travel funding, relocation allowance

Work Environment:

The fellow will be expected to work a hybrid schedule including remote, in-office, and field work.

Fellowship Position Description:

The fellow will assist with the “Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Regional Monitoring” project, which will be implemented by the Central Coast Wetlands Group (CCWG). The regional monitoring fellow will be housed and mentored at the Central Coast Wetlands Group office in Moss Landing. 

The fellow will participate in many aspects of coastal and riparian wetland and living shoreline project monitoring, planning, and implementation. Activities will include:

• Monitoring
  • Working with NOAA and U.S. Geological Survey staff on remote sensing of habitat extent and condition, as well as climate-driven events such as wildfires, river floods, sea level rise, and storm surge
  • Conducting field surveys of topography, landscape context, hydrology, physical structure, biotic structure, and human- and climate-induced stressors
  • Coordinating with local agencies to acquire socioeconomic data to make sure that appropriate data are readily available to evaluate the effectiveness of Climate Resilience Regional Challenge–funded adaptation projects when climate-driven flooding hazards arise
  • Organize data for quality assurance verification and sharing with statewide and national datasets
  • Assist with geographic information system analyses of habitat condition and flood risk reduction
  • Assist with overall data analysis and the creation of integrated regional reports
• Planning
  • Work with staff at the Central Coast Wetlands Group on planning efforts for living shoreline projects on state park lands in the project area
• Implementation
  • Work with staff at the Central Coast Wetlands Group on implementing living shoreline projects on state park lands in the project area

Specific tasks will include: 

1. Compile project-level monitoring data collected by partner organizations
2. Coordinate the identification, compilation, sharing, and analysis of social and economic information collected by local and regional agencies and municipalities to assess adaptation project performance in terms of future social and economic benefits to underserved communities
3. Collect standardized project-level data to document measurable risk reduction outcomes 
4. Analyze and report on the project-specific and regional scale implications of these projects to support ongoing climate resiliency action

The resulting integrated regional assessment reports will support the design of future projects and policies, while building enduring capacity for adaptation efforts.

Anticipated Travel:

Fieldwork will be performed in the Monterey Bay region, primarily within a radius of approximately 25 miles from the Central Coast Wetlands Group office located at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Analytical work and writing will be performed at the Central Coast Wetlands Group office in Moss Landing or at the fellow’s remote office. Fellows are required to attend the peer-to-peer sharing event in 2027, possibly on the East Coast. NOAA provides the fellows with professional development funds to use for activities they identify, funds to travel to the peer-to-peer sharing event in 2027, and a set amount of travel funds for the project. 

Desired Qualifications:

• A master’s degree in environmental science, ecology, natural resource management, marine science, hydrology, geography, or a related field
• Experience with:
  • Habitat monitoring and mapping 
  • Coastal resilience modeling, such as development of orthophotos or digital elevation models to track coastal changes
  • Compiling and analyzing spatial ecological and socioeconomic data in ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online
  • Compiling and analyzing ecological and socioeconomic data in R and/or Python
  • Coordinating and communicating with multiple partners, such as government agencies, municipalities, and nonprofits
  • Developing and maintaining data management systems, including developing and implementing quality assurance and quality control procedures
• Local or regional knowledge of, or a connection with, the Monterey Bay region
• Knowledge of coastal adaptation resiliency project planning and implementation 

Fellow Mentoring:

The primary mentor will be Kevin O’Connor, program director for the Central Coast Wetlands Group, who will work directly with the fellow on designing and implementing the regional monitoring program. 

Sarah Stoner-Duncan, project coordinator for the Central Coast Wetlands Group, will work directly with the fellow on designing and implementing  living shoreline projects on state park lands in the project area. 

Brooke Fulkerson, data analyst for the Central Coast Work Group, will work directly with the fellow on technical and data aspects of the project.

To apply, please upload the following materials in one PDF file:

• Resume (two-page limit)
• Statement of interest, where the candidate describes what they hope to gain from the fellowship experience and what they can contribute. Candidates should also highlight any connections to or special interests in the region, including Indigenous or local knowledge and relevant life experiences (500-word limit)
• Unofficial academic transcripts to show coursework (or joint services transcript for veterans)
• Two professional or academic references (names and contact information)