Habitat Analyst - IBSS Corporation : Job Details

Job Title: Habitat AnalystLocation: Remote/Northeast RegionClearance Required: Public Trust EligibleDescriptionIBSS is seeking a Full Time Habitat Suitability Analyst to assist NEFSC scientists with using the Modular Ocean Model (MOM6)forecasts and projections to assess biological distribution of commercially important fish species.NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) has an ongoing research program supporting development and maintenance of data tools and software necessary to inform ecosystem evaluations and fisheries management decisions. These tools provide the analytical platform to assess changes to the marine environment and associated effects on individual fish stocks, which in turn influences fishing behavior and sustainability of regional fisheries and fishing communities. Tools such as NOAA's MOM6 are critical to enhancing our understanding of the dynamic marine ecosystem.The MOM6 model is a numerical representation of ocean circulation dynamics that covers a large coastwide domain stretching from the North Atlantic Basin to the Gulf of Mexico. This ocean model can be used to support living marine resource applications such as ecosystem conservation, sustainable fishery management, and offshore wind development by providing short-term (seasonal to annual) forecasts and long-term (decadal) predictions to assess ecosystem function and changes to species distribution and abundance.Key Responsibilities:

• Identify species-specific pelagic and benthic habitat suitability indicators (e.g., depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, benthic substrate type (e.g., sand, mud, cobble, etc.), plankton distribution, etc.) and preferential ranges.
• Identify the location and spatial extent of known or anticipated changes to benthic and pelagic habitat as a result of the development of offshore wind projects, including habitat conversion as a result of turbine installation and operation, scour protection, and cable armoring.
• Develop or apply existing habitat suitability and species abundance models that evaluate changes to species-specific habitat suitability over time and force it with MOM6 forecasts and projections.
• Develop and apply tests to evaluate model performance based on historical data by comparing changes in habitat suitability over time to changes in species distribution.
• Assess changes to habitat suitability, including biogeochemical effects resulting from climate change and alterations of physical conditions (e.g., substrate type, wind wake effects) resulting from anticipated habitat alteration and conversion due to offshore wind development.
• Assess changes to species abundance and distribution resulting from changes to suitable habitat and offshore wind development.
  • Species of focus include the following:
    • Atlantic cod
    • Atlantic herring
    • Atlantic sea scallop
    • Atlantic surf clam
    • Black sea bass
    • Longfin and Illex squid
    • River herring (Alewife and American shad)
    • Sand lance
    • Winter flounder
    • Yellowtail flounder

Required Skills /Education/ Certifications & Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in statistics, marine science, fisheries, quantitative ecology, oceanography, or similar, or a Bachelor's degree and 4+ years of demonstrated experience (directly related to the individual requirement.
• Knowledge and/or experience with statistical software, such as R, python, SAS, MATLAB, and others.
• Experience and understanding of code versioning software (e.g., Git)
• Experience in using oceanographic, ecological, economic, or climate models, including linking such models together is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in the development of graphical user interfaces for scientific purposes with data analysis and familiarity with the design, development, and management of relational databases for scientific information.
• Demonstrated proficiency for the following skill sets:
  • Project management for complex and technical scientific programs
  • Coordinating and leading diverse project teams to develop, improve, and achieve project goals
  • Communication both verbally and using written materials (including visual presentations) with a variety of audiences including technical, scientific, and the general public
  • Independent worker with strong time management skills
  • Adaptability to quickly changing priorities and strict timelines
  • Attention to detail

About IBSS Corp.

Since 1992, IBSS, a woman-owned small business, has provided transformational consulting services to the Federal defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Our services include cybersecurity and enterprise information technology, environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, climate, and weather), and professional management services.

Our approach is to serve our employees by investing in their growth and development. As a result, our employees bring greater capabilities and provide exceptional service to our clients. In addition to creating career development opportunities for our employees, IBSS is passionate about giving back to the community and serving the environment. We strive to leave something better behind for the next generation.

We measure our success by the positive impact we have on our employees, clients, partners, and the communities we serve. Our tagline, Powered by Excellence, is a recognition of the employees that make up IBSS and ensures we deliver results with quality, applying industry best practices and certifications.

IBSS offers a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage with a company-paid deductible, paid time off, federal holidays, a matching 401K plan, tuition/professional development reimbursement, and Flex-Spending (FSA)/Dependent Care Account (DCA) options.

IBSS is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Click to see that the EEO is the law. Please direct any inquiries to the HR Department email at [email protected].

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to the Talent Acquisition department at [email protected]