Aquidneck Island Climate Resilience Action Plan Engagement 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: Growing Regional Resilience Coordination on Aquidneck Island.

Host Organization: Aquidneck Land Trust
Location of Position: Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island (Newport, Middletown, or Portsmouth)
Duration of Position: Two years
Annual Salary: $48,363
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 able to work a hybrid schedule but should be based locally. They will have access to local co-working spaces where they can collaborate with project staff and the other fellow. The fellow might also be able to work out of municipal or partner office spaces as needed since they will be working closely on project implementation with our collaborators. When not needed in these co-working spaces, the fellow will be allowed to work from home.

Fellowship Position Description:

The fellow will focus on the island-wide Climate Resilience Action Plan component of the project, largely as it relates to community engagement. They will be tasked with:

• Assisting with the organization of working group meetings, which includes scheduling to find appropriate times with working group members; securing locations for virtual and in-person meetings; sending meeting invitations; drafting agendas; helping with meeting set up and breakdown as needed for in-person meetings; note-taking during meetings; and sending meeting follow-up emails with notes and action items
• Assisting with content creation, including blogs, updates for the website and e-newsletter, social media posts, and making maps (if skilled in GIS) to be used as an educational communication tool that complements written materials
• Researching and continuing to learn from other example regional resilience efforts, developing case studies on best practices for communication, public education, and community engagement 
• Ensuring materials are easily accessible to and reaching environmental justice communities, including doing specific outreach and engagement, attending local events, etc.
• Translating materials (if multilingual)
• Attending relevant local municipal commission meetings

In line with the proposed timeline and milestones in our grant application narrative, the proposed activities are:

June  to August 2025: The fellow and hired Climate Resilience Action Plan consultant will work with the community engagement manager (CEM) to create a community engagement strategy specific to the action planning efforts. The fellow will assist in engagement efforts for working groups as they contribute to the action plan.

September to November 2025: The fellow assists the consultant in conducting review of existing documents and plans across all island municipalities and the U.S. Navy. Review could include documents such as hazard mitigation plans, comprehensive plans, capital improvement plans, or the 2022 Military Installation Resilience Review. 

December 2025 to November 2026: With working groups established, the fellow assists the action plan consultant and community engagement manager with hosting community meetings on proposed action plan goals and priority projects. 

December 2026 to June 2027: The fellow works with the action plan consultant, website consultant, and community engagement manager to organize and communicate efforts from the 2026 working group meetings via summary reports that can be used to inform the development of the action plan.

Anticipated Travel:

We anticipate the fellow traveling mainly around Aquidneck Island and the surrounding area to places such as Providence or the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resource Center to visit statewide collaborators. Additionally, the dialogue with other local regional resilience initiatives is growing; should these conversations continue as we expect, occasional travel to places like Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Kittery, Maine, might be possible. 

Desired Qualifications:

• Minimum education: college degree
• Subject matter expertise in climate or environmental science, communications, community development, policy, sustainability, resilience, social or environmental justice, GIS, urban planning, or landscape architecture
• Skills should include strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; ability to build and strengthen relationships with diverse partners including community members and groups, organizations, businesses, and municipal staff; robust organizational skills; attention to detail; familiarity with issues related to climate resilience; experience with Microsoft 365 products, apps, and services; and familiarity with graphic design programs or software
• Local or regional knowledge or connection to Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island, or the New England region
• Ability to speak Spanish (preferred)

Fellow Mentoring:

The fellow will be mentored by the to-be-hired community engagement manager.

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)