Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Community Risk Reduction and Disaster Resilience 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: ʻĀina Restoration Through Community Governance to Advance Climate Resilience in the Hawaiian Islands.

Host Organization: University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program
Location of Position: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Duration of Position: Two years (June 2025-June 2027)
Annual Salary: $54,890 
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 full-time in the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant office. The team has in-person meetings with project partners that are best conducted face-to-face at project sites. Working in the office will also help facilitate growth of the fellow’s professional network, opportunities for shadowing Hawaiʻi Sea Grant researchers and extension faculty, and site visits to project sites.

Fellowship Position Description:

The fellow will focus on reducing risk and improving disaster resilience, a cross-cutting theme for all project actions. Working with program leadership and the moku coordinators, the fellow will support outreach, networking, and tracking of environmental restoration and stewardship activity elements in the focus moku that strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience. The fellow will help to build community education, capacity, and networks for disaster preparedness and recovery. The fellowship will also focus on expanding partnerships for pilot resilience hub locations and networks in the focal moku and statewide and community education and outreach utilizing resources such as the “Homeowner's Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards.” The fellow will conduct research on and engage community members and groups in Hawaiʻi who have endured recent natural and climate disasters to understand lessons learned and support sharing of emerging best practices for community-engaged risk reduction and disaster recovery preparedness.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Risk Reduction and Disaster Resilience Through Environmental Restoration and Stewardship:
   1. With Hawaiʻi Sea Grant leadership and moku coordinators, develop and maintain strong relationships with partner organizations and agencies to track and document elements of environmental restoration and stewardship activities that reduce risk and improve community disaster resilience
   2. Participate in and support outreach by Hawaiʻi Sea Grant leadership and moku coordinators related to conservation and stewardship actions that strengthen disaster resilience
   3. Participate in planning meetings with Hawaiʻi Sea Grant leadership to gather input and provide updates on the progress of the cross-cutting program theme of reducing risk and improving disaster resilience.
2. Risk Reduction and Disaster Resilience Through Knowledge Sharing and Strengthening Networks:
   1. Support community-based networks that allow for collective knowledge sharing, visioning, and action, including for the establishment and expansion of pilot community resilience hubs and networks
   2. Organize focus groups or conduct interviews with key partners to understand lessons learned and ongoing needs from communities recovering from recent disasters
   3. Support outreach to and education of prospective applicants to the Community Resilience Grants Program for risk reduction and disaster resilience projects.
   4. Support community education and outreach utilizing resources such as the “Homeowner's Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards.”
3. Tracking and Documenting Risk Reduction and Disaster Resilience:
   1. Support Hawaiʻi Sea Grant leadership and partners in tracking and documenting progress and accomplishments for risk reduction and disaster resilience across all relevant project activities
   2. Contribute to reporting of accomplishments and impacts related to risk reduction and disaster resilience
   3. Develop recommendations for improving disaster resilience through program activities

Proposed Timeline:

Year 1

• Support background research and outreach to partners to understand and address needs for strengthening disaster resilience through program activities
• Conduct focus groups and interviews and support knowledge exchange for disaster recovery preparedness

Year 2

• Provide added capacity and technical support to help establish and grow community resilience hubs and networks
• Monitor and evaluate project progress and compile recommendations for reducing risks and improving disaster resilience through program activities

Anticipated Travel:

The fellow will complete the following travel in support of their fellowship:

• Travel to NOAA’s peer-to-peer sharing event in 2027 
• Travel to focal mokus on the islands of Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi to meet with moku coordinators and project partners, lead and complete focus groups and interviews to strengthen resilience hub networks, and participate in outreach opportunities with communities
• Travel to Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s annual all-staff meeting which rotates to sites on neighbor islands. This will be an opportunity to learn from Hawaiʻi Sea Grant extension faculty and to visit place-based restoration projects.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant area such as environmental science, natural resource management, urban and regional planning, geography, law, environmental policy, or a related field
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders
• Demonstrated project management skills, including event planning
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with strong organizational and problem-solving abilities
• Experience in community-engaged risk reduction and disaster resilience
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and the empowerment of historically-marginalized communities
• Experience in community-engaged research, disaster preparedness, climate change adaptation, community education and outreach, or related work
• Understanding of Native Hawaiian histories, cultures, and stewardship practices
• Experience in partnerships with place-based organizations and community leaders who focus on climate and disaster resilience activities

Fellow Mentoring:

The primary mentor for the fellow will be the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s extension agent and program co-lead, Dr. Brad Romine. Brad will serve as the day-to-day supervisor and mentor and will conduct regular check-ins and facilitate connection to other relevant Hawaiʻi Sea Grant staff and faculty. Brad has 12 years of extension experience at Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, co-mentored fellows at Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, and successfully led projects related to reducing risk and disaster resilience including developing guidance for disaster recovery preparedness with agency and community partners through a NOAA coastal resilience grant. Brad is a coinvestigator and comanager in the overall program.

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)