Field Party Chief & Component Lead II — Gulf Video Survey

*Position is Subject to Contract Award

*Onsite Position at SEFSC Laboratory or at Sea in Pascagoula, MS or Panama City, FL

Position Overview

Perform as Field Party Chief and Survey Watch Stander for reef fish surveys on NOAA Ships and Small Research Vessels, participating in other PEMD resource surveys as requested. Requires coordinating a field crew in fisheries and water quality sampling with the ability to troubleshoot issues with limited resources while at sea.

Key Responsibilities

Task #1 - Survey Duties

• Pre- and post-survey inventory of equipment and gear; submitting cruise instructions and reports.
• Ensuring all participant clearance forms are completed and submitted.
• Planning, coordinating, and providing logistical support for surveys, including shipboard data collection and post-survey support.
• Serving as liaison between ship and lab/participants/TAS program.
• Preparing and loading survey gear, supplies, and equipment.
• Coordinating daily vessel activities, personnel, vessel position/movements, ports of call, and weather/sea conditions.
• Conducting data collection and sampling per prescribed SOP.
• Reporting weekly progress (or issues requiring plan changes) to the Branch Chief and Survey Coordinator.
• Completing incident reporting procedures per NOAA Small Boat Program requirements.
• Unloading, cleaning, and storing equipment; logging/storing data upon survey completion; QA/QC of data for lab database entry.

Task #2 - Laboratory Duties

Requires advanced knowledge or leadership on a specific survey topic (e.g., habitat mapping, automated processing) and vigilance keeping GitHub projects on time, including but not limited to:

• Video annotation, review, and data entry per prescribed SOPs.
• Subject-matter expert identifying marine fishes in all life stages from Gulf of America and Caribbean Sea habitats.
• Point of contact for survey components (habitat mapping, video QA/QC and processing, database management, automated processing).
• Management of review/tracking sheets; updating the GitHub project.

Task #3 - Data Management Support

• Identifying marine fishes in all life stages from diverse habitats.
• QA/QC of video data from GFISHER and PRDW surveys in Oracle databases.
• Managing data backups/security with OMI personnel.
• Assisting FATES personnel with automated data output integration and AI/ML interoperability standards.
• Updating annotation tracking sheets and GitHub project management tools.

Task #4 - Analytical Support

• Assisting data analysts with QA/QC of relevant datasets and data prep.
• Assisting in analysis, drafting reports, creating graphs/figures, literature review, and manuscript review.
• Tracking assigned duties in the GitHub project management tool.

Task #5 - Outreach & Education

• Participate in public outreach and education efforts, e.g., school programs, science fair judging, facility/ship tours, and outreach booths.

Task #6 - Scientific Meetings

• Prepare for and present, facilitate, or participate in position-related workshops, scientific meetings, symposiums, and public forums, presenting scientific results as required.

Qualifications (Required)

• MS degree in Marine Science or a related field, or BS degree plus 3 years of relevant experience.
• Computer literate with common word processing, database, statistical, and graphics programs; capable of college-level reports and oral presentations.
• Knowledge of SEAMAP field sampling protocols for reef fish to lead or participate in GCRF surveys.
• Experience as lead data collector on at-sea surveys; skilled with shipboard software handling hydrological (SCS) and biological (SEAL) data streams.
• Proficient in fish, invertebrate, and protected species identification; knowledge of Gulf of America reef taxa.
• Knowledge of procedures for encountering endangered or threatened species.
• Sea-going contractors on OMAO NOAA ships must submit a NOAA Health Services Questionnaire (Form 57-10-01) and Tuberculosis Screening Form (NF 57-10-02) annually/biennially, and must have a current tetanus vaccine (within 10 years).