Island Institute Fellow - Sept 2025

The Island Institute seeks qualified candidates for an Island Fellowship, a two-year placement in one of Maine’s coastal or 15 year-round island communities. We have had 153 fellows in the 25 years of the Island Fellows program.  

The Island Institute Fellows Program places college (associates or higher) and master’s degree graduates in Maine’s coastal and year-round island areas to live and work for two years. Fellowship positions provide a unique opportunity for recent graduates to apply their skills and gain real-life, place-based experience in climate and/or marine economy using community development practices. Island Institute Fellows work directly with a host organization on a priority project identified by the community, while also contributing their own interests and passions to the area they live in. The fellowship experience is designed to support the development of essential career skills. The cohort of fellows take part in a variety of professional experiences designed to build communication, project management, facilitation, and leadership skills.   

Island Institute’s Fellows Program supports Maine’s coastal and island communities by: 

• Strengthening capacity for local planning and management in the areas of climate and/or marine economy.  
• Providing technical assistance in implementing local research, planning, education, and communication projects. 

 Successful candidates will be community-focused, self-motivated, self-aware, and committed to the Institute’s mission and values. Applicants must be able to allocate their time and resources while working across multiple projects. 

Requirements

• Have achieved an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree within five years.
• Ability and willingness to travel to off-site locations, including by boat.
• Eligibility to work in the USA.
• Ability to reside full time in the community where the fellowship is located.

Desired Qualifications 

• Demonstrated interests or abilities in community development, community-based work, or related fields in the areas of climate and/or marine economy.  
• Strong interpersonal communication skills; able to speak about the work in an articulate and compelling manner (one-on-one and with groups). 
• The ability to understand rural communities and how change happens locally. 
• The interest in and ability to listen to communities and partners to inform, develop, and implement responsive programming.   
• Interest in shaping experiences for community members that inspire them to act and solve problems. 
• Comfort with technology, including information technology systems such as Office 365 applications. 
• Ability to manage time and work with minimal direct supervision AND/OR
• Ability to work collaboratively in multi-generational settings. 
• Enthusiasm for living and working in small, rural areas.  

Essential Functions 

• Work within a community, municipal, or educational organization for 24 months.
• Connect and integrate into a community and apply this understanding to an identified project.
• Apply project management skills to move projects forward in a way that promotes community engagement and creates sustainability at the end of the fellowship.

Other Requirements

• The Island Institute Fellowship is a full-time job; Fellows cannot hold additional employment without prior approval.
• Due to the program’s nature, some fellowships will require Fellows to have a car and/or driver’s license.  

Benefits

• Housing, utilities, and internet provided & paid for by Island Institute.
• $14.65/hour; 35-hour work week.
• 14 paid holidays.
• Four weeks of paid time off (vacation, sick, & personal time).
• Professional development retreats & workshops.
• Professional development stipend.
• Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Disability & 403b retirement benefits available.

Physical Demands & Work Environment: 

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Due to the variability in site placement and duties, all essential functions and specific work environments will be provided as part of site placement. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.  
 

• Physical demands: the employee is required to sit, enter data using computer keyboard and mouse, stand, walk, bend over occasionally, and move about the office space as well as between building floors. Typically, there is no requirement to lift and/or move weights of more than 15 pounds. The employee will be expected to travel on occasion by boat and ferry to various island and remote coastal locations. There will be times when working long hours, evenings and weekends will be required.  

• Travel: Must be comfortable traveling for extended periods of time by any mode of transportation in cross-cultural contexts.  

• Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.  

Information sessions on Zoom  

Learn more about the Island Fellow position and the application process during our Zoom information sessions on Thursday, Feb 27 from 7-8 pm (EST) and Thursday, March 6 from 12-1 pm (EST). These sessions are open to anyone interested in applying and will provide an overview of the fellowship and application process, plus time to ask questions to staff and current fellows. Please register in advance for one of the events below. All registrants will be emailed a recording of the event. 

February 27, 2025, from 7-8 pm (EST) 

https://islandinstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6L8GvV2_Sq6agIqY3YtGHQ 
 

March 6th, 2025, from 12-1 pm (EST)   

https://islandinstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X5LsYeF3Tqyj7pjFfLI3XA 

To apply, please use this link: 

Please find further information about the position here:  https://www.islandinstitute.org/priorities/strong-leadership/fellows/  

If you have any questions about the application or require reasonable accommodation, please email Susan Haversat. 

Applications close March 17. Online applications only. In lieu of a cover letter, respond to the short answer questions in this application.

Based in Rockland, Maine, Island Institute is a nonprofit organization and an equal opportunity "at-will" employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities based upon an individual's ability and qualifications. We do not discriminate against people on the basis of race, citizenship, ancestry, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, age, mental or physical disability.

Salary : $15