Coastal Resilience Fellows

Hampton, VA
Full Time
Entry Level

Virginia Coastal Resilience Fellows 

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: Leveraging Cooperative Extension to Build an Enduring Capacity for Equitable and Inclusive Resilience in Rural Agricultural Communities across Coastal Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.

Host Organization: Virginia Tech
Location of Position: Virginia Tech Coastal Collaborator Center in Hampton, Virginia
Duration of Position: Two years (June 2025 to June 2027)
Annual Salary: $42,689
Benefits: Medical insurance, 11 paid federal holidays per year, 15 paid personal days per year, professional development training, travel funding, relocation allowance
Note: Two positions are available. 

Work Environment:

Office space provided at the Virginia Tech Coastal Collaborator (VTCC) located in Hampton, Virginia, will serve as the primary work location. The office is one block away from the scenic Hampton River and less than five miles from the Chesapeake Bay. The fellow is expected to work full-time in the office. This is not a telework position. The fellow will also support project faculty located on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, as needed. 

 Fellowship Position Description:

The NOAA Coastal Resilience Fellows will support the Leveraging Cooperative Extension to Build an Enduring Capacity for Equitable and Inclusive Resilience in Rural Agricultural Communities across Coastal Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware project which was funded through NOAA’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge. In addition to supporting the development and delivery of the Community Resilience Grants Program, the fellows will support programming to strategically increase local capacity of coastal community resilience. As part of this team, the fellows will work alongside their mentor (W. Stout) and collaborate with partners to support listening sessions, workshops, community engagement, and other core activities of the DELMARVA extension project. The fellows will support supervision of interns, attend resilience meetings, and assist the project manager with the implementation of the project. 

Key Responsibilities:

  1. Collaborative Establishment
    1. Work with each of the grant partners to learn about their initiatives and understand progress, implementation activities, and deliverables 
    2. Attend all ongoing DELMARVA extension meetings (virtually and in person)
    3. Identify and utilize NOAA’s climate and resilience resources, tools, and applications to support the project
    4. Identify and utilize best practices for equitable community engagement
    5. Support the creation of shared communication, including a collaborative Microsoft Teams channel and email listserv 
    6. Assist the project manager in oversight of interns and review of intern work deliverables
  2. Extension Needs Assessment  
    1. Support the extension needs assessment process, including interviews, polls, and focus groups to identify critical gaps and areas for increased engagement 
    2. Support online survey instrument development and administration
    3. With Virginia Tech leadership, develop and maintain strong relationships with nonprofit organizations, community groups, educational institutions,, and government agencies committed to building climate resilience in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware 
  3. Community Listening Sessions
    1. Support a series of community outreach and listening sessions aimed at understanding community concerns and shared values in terms of extreme weather, climate impacts, and desired risk reduction efforts
    2. Collect and analyze data to better understand community perceptions on shared values, climate hazards of concern, current coping strategies, needs for more effective coping, and shared vision 
  4. Capacity Building Efforts
    1. Support the development and administration of capacity building materials on measures and programs that can assist in building resilience in agricultural communities through a variety of modes such as in-person and virtual presentations, in-person demonstrations and field visits, short videos, and written materials
    2. Assist with technical support such as geospatial mapping, climate resilience tools, and identification of other NOAA technical resources to support the project 
    3. Assist with extension publications, social media, graphic design, and website updates to increase awareness of the project among the extension community 
    4. Support related community resilience activities and events planned by Virginia Tech Coastal Collaborator and project partners 

Anticipated Travel:

The fellows will travel to meet with and attend events with the partners of the project. This includes travel to various locations throughout coastal Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. The fellows will also collaborate with faculty and graduate students on campus and will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, for these meetings. Opportunities for professional networking and professional development will also include travel. Relevant local conferences include opportunities such as Environment VA and Resilient VA. National conferences may include events such as NOAA’s Social Coast or Digital Coast conferences. Additionally, the fellows will be required to attend the peer-to-peer sharing event in 2027. 

Desired Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in a field related to project objectives such as natural sciences, agriculture or natural resources management, community or business management, geography, policy, or a related field
  • Experience with education and outreach, including development of training materials or related work
  • Excellent  facilitation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders 
  • Demonstrated project management skills, including event or workshop planning
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with strong organizational and problem-solving skills 
  • Excellent communication skills, including public speaking, written communications, web-based communications, and comfort working in collaborative teams
  • Experience with or coursework associated with coastal systems and agricultural practices is a plus. 

Fellow Mentoring:

The primary mentor for the fellow will be the director of the Virginia Tech Coastal Collaborator, Dr. Wendy Stout. Dr. Stout will serve as the day-to-day supervisor and mentor and will conduct regular check-ins and will facilitate connections to other partners. Dr. Stout will ensure the fellows receive the resources and support needed to accomplish project goals as well as their individual and professional goals.  Additionally, the fellows will work closely with Dr. Julie Shortridge of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Dr. Shortridge will lead the on-campus engagement for the fellow. Dr. Stout and Dr. Shortridge are the PI’s for the project, and they will jointly establish a mentoring plan and a set of guidelines and expectations with the fellows upon the start of the fellowship. The project manager will also serve as an additional mentor for the fellows.  

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)
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