Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute Environmental Justice 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: Building a Climate Ready New Jersey.

Host Organization: Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) 
Location of Position: West Long Branch, New Jersey
Duration of Position: Two years
Annual Salary: $50,576 (June 2025-June 2027)
Benefits: Medical insurance, 11 paid federal holidays per year, 15 paid personal days per year, professional development training, travel funding, relocation allowance

Work Environment:

Office space will be provided at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, a historic college campus just one mile from the beach. The fellow’s office will be in or nearby the Urban Coastal Institute (UCI) suite, where the project mentor and other UCI colleagues sit. The fellow will have access to the library, gym, and all common campus facilities. The work will be hybrid on a schedule coordinated with the project mentor. It is anticipated that the fellow will be in the office 2–3 days per week and out in the field regularly to meet with communities and with project colleagues at the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium whose offices are located 12 miles from campus in Sandy Hook. 

 Fellowship Position Description:

The fellow will support Dr. Tom Herrington, associate director of the Urban Coastal Institute, in coordinating the project’s Resilience Project Design Pipeline work. The fellow will work under the supervision of the project mentor to ensure that multiple education, engagement, and training activities are planned and implemented in conjunction with the other core activities of the Climate Ready New Jersey project. The fellow’s primary responsibility will be to work closely with the project mentor and  Rachel Forbes, the UCI’s Disadvantaged and Overburdened Communities (DOBC) community engagement specialist (DOBC specialist), to engage DOBC in the development of resilience projects for inclusion in the design pipeline. A brief description of the DOBC–related major tasks, deliverables, milestones, and timelines that will be supported over the two-year fellowship are listed below.

Major Tasks: 

• Translate science, guidance, decision support tools, and plans to be understandable, usable, and useful to community members in the context of their needs 
• Ensure that projects are informed by the best available climate science and tools and integrate local knowledge and needs to maximize economic and societal co-benefits 
• Leverage technical expertise of project partners and practitioners in the coproduction of resilience projects in disadvantaged and overburdened communities to ensure the projects include local context and culture and address historic injustices 
• Ensure meaningful community participation in the assessment of climate risk and mitigation actions through direct DOBC engagement, working with trusted community-based organization (CBO) partners and meeting the community where they are in the community resilience spectrum

Major Deliverables and Time Frames:

• Engage disadvantaged and overburdened communities with the DOBC engagement specialist and project partners and identify local knowledge, culture, and community needs to be integrated into resilience project designs — June 2025 to May 2027
• Facilitate disadvantaged and overburdened community engagement with technical experts, New Jersey Sea Grant, selected Resilient New Jersey consulting teams, certified resilience practitioners, and community-based organizations to aid in the coproduction of resilience projects that integrate DOBC knowledge, culture, and societal needs — March 2026 to May 2027
• Work with theDOBC engagement specialist and project partners to integrate DOBC resilience projects into the design pipeline — October 2026 to May 2027

Anticipated Travel:

Regular local travel is anticipated to meet with local communities and attend coordination meetings with other partners on the Resilient NJ project, including the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and Rutgers University EduCATE project collaborators. The fellow will work with the project mentor to identify other opportunities to travel for professional networking and development, including to New Jersey–based, regional, and national conferences and workshops. Relevant conferences could include opportunities hosted by the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (comanaged by the project mentor) and the New Jersey and National Association of Floodplain Management. The fellow is required to attend the peer-to-peer sharing event in 2027. NOAA will provide the fellow with professional development funds to use for activities identified by the fellow, funds to travel to the peer-to-peer sharing event in 2027, and a set amount of travel funds for the project. 

Desired Qualifications:

• At least two years of college study or an associate’s degree in environmental science, social science, political science, social work, communications, or a closely related field, or four years of experience engaging with community members or community-based organizations in public planning or community projects
• Volunteer or work/project experience working with disadvantaged and overburdened communities, especially on projects that focus on addressing environmental justice, disparities in health outcomes, inequities in living conditions, and/or lack of political power for communities of color, including Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color, in addition to low-income communities, immigrant communities, persons with disabilities, and other historically disadvantaged people
• Familiarity with New Jersey coastal municipalities and communities, including urban centers
• Knowledge or experience in modern principles and practices of environmental planning, climate vulnerability, or adaptation planning.
• Experience planning and facilitating virtual and in-person meetings and workshops
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to work locations throughout the state of New Jersey, including occasional evening and weekend meetings  
• Ability to work on collaborative teams 
• Strong oral and written communications, public speaking, and outreach experience

Fellow Mentoring:

Tom Herrington, Ph.D., is associate director of the Urban Coast Institute. Dr. Herrington is a coastal engineer with more than 30 years of experience in coastal resilience, shoreline processes and resilience research, and community engagement. He also serves as the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s resilient communities and economies specialist and co-managing director of the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative. As part of this project, Dr. Herrington will work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as overall coordinator of the resilience project design pipeline work. The project will provide these services by coordinating the resilience project design pipeline work, directly engaging with disadvantaged and overburdened communities, and providing community coastal restoration technical assistance and training. The fellow will primarily support DOBC community engagement while coordinating with other workflows under the supervision of the project mentor. The mentor will ensure the fellow receives the resources and support needed to accomplish Climate Resilience Regional Challenge project goals as well as the fellow’s individual and professional goals. The mentor will also establish a mentoring plan and set of guidelines and expectations with the fellow upon the start of the fellowship.

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)