Support Scientist - Ecological Conservation

As part of its NASA Research and Education Support Services II (NRESS II) contract, Agile Decision Sciences, LLC is seeking a Support Scientist to support program activities in the NASA Ecological Conservation Application Area (https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/what-we-do/ecological-conservation). The Support Scientist will support the Ecological Conservation program element within the NASA Earth Science Division’s Earth Action program. The program element aligns closely with the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Sustainability GEO SBA. The program element promotes the synergistic use of Earth observations, in-situ observations, and models to analyze and forecast changes that affect ecosystems and to develop effective management strategies, with a particular emphasis on biodiversity conservation. Primary end-user communities are natural resource managers (both land and marine) and, in particular, those involved in conservation and ecosystem management. The program element operates through the development, improvement, and application of predictive tools—with associated uncertainties—for assessing alternative approaches and designing effective decision support strategies. It applies current scientific understanding and modeling capabilities to determine how ecosystems and their components (e.g., species and genes) are changing and likely to change over time. More information on this program element, as well as the related but separate Biological Diversity Program (a stand-alone research activity in the NASA Earth Science Division (ESD)), is at https://cce.nasa.gov/biodiversity/index.html. The Support Scientist will assume all program management duties that are not restricted to civil servants. They will aid the solicitation and peer review process, the documentation and communication of program accomplishments within and outside the agency, and the coordination of ESD activities with that of NASA’s interagency and international partners. The Fellow will also assist management in coordinating activities that cross ESD programmatic boundaries and will likely interface with the NASA ESD Research and Analysis Program to help foster connectivity between research and applications and, in general, implement the ESD Earth Science to Action Strategy (https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/earth-science-to-action/) . The NASA Earth Action Program is keenly focused on engaging end users with decision making needs that could be informed by NASA Earth Observations. The fellow will explore ways in which to build relationships with new partners. The fellow will assist increasing the impact of project applications and the infrastructure to track impacts. They will additionally support knowledge transfer and building skilled communities able to use NASA Earth Observations for decision making. Role/Responsibilities: Included, but are not limited to the following: Solicitation Management Communicate with proposers and prior award recipients Perform technical evaluation of progress reports Set peer review, recommend panelists, and communicate assignments Participate in peer reviews Review panel evaluations, prepare selection materials, and communicate decisions to officials Receive and evaluate appeals from proposers Suggest improvements to NASA peer review processes Interagency Management and Public-Private Partnership Represent NASA in interagency and partnership activities Build new relationships and collaborations Manage existing partnership activities Build new partnerships Conduct market research analysis of potential partners Assess needs of existing and potential partners Project Management Build collaborations amongst researchers Build collaborations amongst applications project leads and between these project leads and the end users of NASA products Measure progress of funded projects in meeting their proposed goals and suggest necessary fixes for projects' not meeting goals Communications Promote the program through the development of publications and outreach materials Give presentations about program at appropriate conferences and meetings Maintain a database for these program elements Develop slides and other communications materials for NASA management Infrastructure Improve NASA processes Reduce staff burden through improved practices and effective tools. Research alternative management systems Test new management approaches Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Advance NASA’s core value of inclusion through improved processes, internal practices, and external engagement Conduct outreach to expand diversity of Earth Science Division community Assess concrete impacts of past DEIA efforts Serve in SMD, ESD, and/or Earth Action DEIA working groups Speak truth to NASA civil servants Requirements: Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Earth science, biological sciences, or a related field. Specialization is welcome in (including but not limited to) natural resource management, biogeography, ecology, remote sensing, GIS, and bioinformatics, and other areas of NASA interest (https://www.nasa.gov/hrp); At least 5 years of experience (including graduate-level work) in a scientific or technical field relevant to the biological sciences or Earth sciences. Past experience working in or with federal, state, or international governments is welcome but not required. Also welcome is past experience in conservation program management, community outreach, and international development. Demonstrated ability to communicate, engage, and build consensus with leadership. Demonstrated ability to work independently and operate with minimal oversight. Demonstrated effective management of multiple and competing responsibilities. Effective time management and organizational skills. Active promotion of diversity and inclusiveness within scientific communities. Excellent communications and interpersonal skills, written and oral. Must be able to function well in a team environment. Excellent organizational, and prioritization skills. Advanced skill in Microsoft Office word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software. Additional Requirements: Must be able to pass a Government background investigation for admission to a Federal facility. Employee must be willing to travel as required by program activities, including travel to relevant science conferences, recruiting opportunities, science team meetings, and support of field campaigns related to the program area.

Salary : $100,000 - $180,000