NOAA Fisheries Job Descriptions

The following positions are currently open. We will also use these announcements to fill future vacancies with similar duties that arise within the next 4 months. If you are not selected for one of the immediate roles, your application will remain under consideration for upcoming opportunities.

Supervisory Management and Program Analysis Officer

Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Location

Seattle, Washington

Summary

The Director of the Operations, Management, and Information Division serves as the chief operational officer for the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, providing strategic leadership over the critical business and infrastructure functions that enable the Center’s scientific mission. This position is a key member of the Center’s leadership team, supporting and advising the Science Directorate on resource allocation, operations, and operational risks. This leadership role directs a multidisciplinary team responsible for financial management, administrative services, facilities and vessel operations, and information technology. The role ensures compliance with federal regulations while optimizing resources to support the center’s mission. This position will also lead first-line supervisors and employees in vital change initiatives to transform, streamline, and innovate the Center’s operations, ensuring the center has the necessary funding, equipment, and safe, functional facilities to conduct world-class science. As Director, this position leads by example and supports employee performance, professional development, and morale. 

West Coast Regional Office

Locations

Seattle or Lacey, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Long Beach, Sacramento, or Santa Rosa, California

Summary

This position will serve as Assistant Regional Administrator and lead the Operations, Management and Information Division for the West Coast Region. Duties include:

• Actively participate in the Regional Leadership Team, supporting the Regional Administrator and Deputy Regional Administrator to achieve mission success and organizational excellence
• Strategically lead the operations of the West Coast Region, including budget planning and implementation, human resources, information technology, safety, and facilities
• Lead and supervise first-line supervisors; support success, professional growth and learning, and morale of employees

Supervisory Research Fish Biologist

Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Location

Seattle, Washington

Summary

This position will serve as the manager program or Age and Growth research at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center by:

• Supporting the Age and Growth program in daily operations
• Supporting the collection of samples and generation of data for projects characterizing marine fish species
• Supporting the creation of scientific manuscripts investigating phenomena associated with age, growth, and maturity of marine fish species
• Using laboratory tools including traditional ageing and FT-NIRs spectroscopy methods for both ageing and maturity.

The program manager is expected to work closely with program personnel to ensure smooth and efficient laboratory operations to achieve ageing targets, and to oversee and conduct research and development for improving scientific advice by expanding and investigating ageing technologies. 

Scientific Work: Apply state-of-the-art ageing methods and statistical methodologies to analyze data, inform management decisions, and prepare reports/presentations. Work with project leads to summarize and synthesize progress, outcomes, and applications of ageing and maturity work from a diverse portfolio of projects. Develop and refine laboratory techniques and participate in publishing research. 

Operational Management: Manage daily laboratory and field operations, including sample collection, equipment maintenance, and data generation. Responsibilities include project and budget management, determining timelines, assisting with purchasing and inventory, reviewing internal manuscripts, and supervising and evaluating federal employees.

Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Locations

Miami, Florida; Pascagoula, Mississippi; Beaufort, North Carolina

Summary

This position will serve as the Sea Turtle Branch Chief at the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center, a strategic leader within the Marine Mammal and Turtle Division. This role is responsible for building a premier research program in close collaboration with organizational leadership to develop essential conservation strategies for sea turtle populations throughout the Gulf of America, Western Atlantic, and beyond. The position requires a balance of administrative oversight—including the management of federal staff and research funding—with direct engagement in diverse scientific research initiatives. 

The candidate should be a decisive, empathetic, outcome-oriented leader dedicated to fostering a supportive and cooperative team environment. Primary objectives include:

• Advancing sea turtle research and monitoring through various disciplines, such as population studies, demography, foraging ecology, and marine spatial planning
• Leveraging effective data management practices, innovative research approaches, and advanced technologies like cloud computing and AI
• Cultivating new alliances with internal and external partners, ensuring scientific findings are seamlessly integrated into policy and management decisions

Professional requirements and preferences include: (1) demonstrated research expertise in sea turtle conservation, particularly regarding national or international in-water studies; (2) specialized knowledge in fields such as behavior, omics, wildlife studies, habitat or ecological modeling, risk management, population dynamics, ecology, or demography; and (3) preferred experience in research program management, effective leadership of diverse teams, and the oversight of complex, interdisciplinary projects. A solid understanding of U.S. environmental statutes, specifically the Endangered Species Act, is essential.

Natural Resources Specialist (02 and 03)

Office of Protected Resources

Locations 

Silver Spring, Maryland; Seattle, Washington; other locations

Summary

• Process incidental take authorization requests pursuant to Section 101(a)(5) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and in conformance with NOAA Fisheries policies, including: reviewing applications submitted by the public; coordinating with applicants; conducting analyses; responding to public comments; and drafting necessary documents to articulate and support agency findings/decisions
• Critically analyze scientific literature, agency documents, and other applicable information to assess impacts of activities on protected species and develop/evaluate mitigation and monitoring to support agency findings under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and/or Endangered Species Act
• Conduct necessary evaluation and documentation to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Marine Sanctuaries Act, Administrative Procedures Act, and other applicable statutes
• Support program planning, monitoring, improvement, and policy development, and assist with other actions as needed, including projects intended to broadly increase process effectiveness and efficiency 
• Conduct Section 7 consultations under the Endangered Species Act to evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions on protected marine species and their designated critical habitats
• Manage the regulatory process from intake to completion; author and review legally defensible documents, including Letters of Concurrence and Biological Opinions; provide proactive pre-consultation technical assistance with federal action agencies and stakeholders; maintain the official administrative records to ensure full compliance with federal environmental laws 

Alaska Regional Office

Locations

Juneau or Anchorage, Alaska

Summary

• Draft, organize, and manage the internal agency review of documents required to publish proposed or final regulations to implement fishery management plan amendments and regulatory amendments that comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Halibut Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable federal laws
• Prepare written analyses of the environmental or economic impacts of proposed fishery management measures to inform agency reviewers and fishery management bodies including the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and International Pacific Halibut Commission
• Draft and present discussion papers, issues papers, briefing documents, agency correspondence, or agency recommendations as requested on assigned special projects; communicate technical and programmatic information orally and in writing with diverse stakeholders
• Research and provide prompt, courteous, and accurate responses to industry, public and intergovernmental inquiries for regulatory information and fishery data, to the extent allowed under confidentiality rules; build and maintain good working relationships with co-workers, other federal agency staff, the Council, and other stakeholders

Summary

The applicant selected will conduct Section 7 consultations under the Endangered Species Act to evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions on protected marine species and their designated critical habitats. Responsible for managing the regulatory process from intake to completion, the biologist will:

• Author and review legally defensible documents, including Letters of Concurrence and Biological Opinions
• Provide proactive pre-consultation technical assistance with federal action agencies and stakeholders
• Maintain the official administrative records to ensure full compliance with federal environmental law
• Conduct Essential Fish Habitat consultations under the Magnuson-Stevens Act as needed

A background in quantitative analysis, fisheries, marine mammals and Endangered Species Act/Essential Fish Habitat is ideal. The selected candidate will be hired into the Protected Resources Branch of the Alaska Region.

Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

Location

Gloucester, Massachusetts

Summary

The Natural Resource Specialist position is in the Sustainable Fisheries Division at NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. It will support the implementation and development of fishery management plans for fisheries from North Carolina through Maine. The Natural Resource Specialist is responsible for: 

• Implementing fishery management plans, including quota monitoring, completing actions to implement necessary possession and trip limit changes for fish species or stocks, and fishery closures and openings
• Providing customer support for the fishing industry, fishery stakeholders, and fishery science community by understanding and explaining fishery regulations and policy that affect these constituencies
• Supporting cooperative research and experimental fishing projects through the administration of fishery research and educational permit applications consistent with our fishery management plans and experimental fishing regulations and policies 
• Participating in the development, review, and implementation of fishery management plan actions developed by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils.

Office of Sustainable Fisheries

Locations

Silver Spring, Maryland; Gloucester, Massachusetts; St. Petersburg, Florida

Summary

• Support NOAA Fisheries regulatory operations by editing, reviewing, processing, and tracking regulatory actions for publication in the Federal Register
• Follow established guidelines and procedures to clear regulatory actions through agency leadership, NOAA, and the Department of Commerce; ensure that each action is consistent with current policy and guidance
• Update recurring reports on regulatory actions
• Serve as Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer for purposes of editing regulatory documents for consistency with Office of the Federal Register’s requirements and liaising with the office to publish NOAA Fisheries documents

Pacific Islands Regional Office

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii

Summary

• Serves as a Section 7 Consultation Biologist supporting federal consultations in the Pacific Islands region under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
• Reviews, analyzes, and synthesizes fisheries, biological, and ecological information to evaluate the effects of federal actions on listed species and critical habitat
• Prepares technical analyses and consultation documents in accordance with the Endangered Species Act and other applicable federal statutes and policies

Natural Resources Specialist (03/04)

Pacific Islands Regional Office

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii                

Summary

The Pacific Islands Regional Office is seeking a Natural Resource Specialist to conduct critical development work alongside the Pacific Islands Science Center, the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council, and jurisdictional partners. Serving as key operations staff to the Directorate Division Chief, the incumbent will integrate and manage cross-divisional initiatives. The incumbent will provide support across four key areas: strategic planning coordination, internal communications and engagement, Directorate administration, and the Pacific Islands Monuments Program. This position will support the Monuments Program by reviewing and tracking of the permits program, meeting coordination, and analysis, natural resource management coordination with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Coral Reef Conservation Program, and other federal and local partners, delivery of pre-access briefings, coordination with the Protected Resources Division on consultations required for permits and other activities within the monument. 

West Coast Regional Office

Locations

Long Beach, Sacramento, CA, or Santa Rosa, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle or Lacey, Washington

Summary

Analyzes the impacts of fishery management activities on fish species and other affected biological and economic resources. Prepares Federal Register notices for fishery management actions. Prepares analysis and documentation to support Magnuson-Stevens Act essential fish habitat and Endangered Species Act consultations, and coordinates with internal and external partners. 

Office of the Assistant Administrator

Location

Silver Spring, Maryland

Summary

The Office of Aquaculture is seeking a Natural Resource Specialist to support the development of sustainable marine aquaculture in the United States. This portfolio covers two broad areas: regulatory efficiency and policy formulation. Regulatory efficiency is the practical and sometimes technical work of establishing efficiencies in aquaculture permitting and environmental compliance processes, including identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas and ensuring science is informing decision-making. Policy formulation is the strategic approach we support for informing policy development, articulating our strategic priorities, and engaging partners to create a favorable environment for sustainable aquaculture development. We anticipate the primary task for the incumbent will be to serve as Aquaculture Opportunity Areas Coordinator. The Coordinator will work closely with NOAA regional offices and science centers to inform and co-lead (along with regional counterparts) the AOA process, which involves robust stakeholder engagement and environmental analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Coordinator will advance national consistency and support ongoing work to identify AOAs in Alaska state waters, and help to launch a new effort to identify additional AOAs in other regions.  

Location 

Princeton, New Jersey

Summary

Serves as a Natural Resources Specialist within the NOAA Fisheries Service Office of Policy. In this role duties include: 

• Leading development of impact assessments with corresponding conservation measures
• Advising agency leadership on the application of National Environmental Policy Act to agency program actions to ensure compliance with the Act, its implementing regulations, and agency policy, procedures, and analytical requirements
• Informing the development of resource management policies and objectives for fisheries, habitat conservation, and endangered species conservation and recovery, with particular emphasis on environmental/regulatory compliance for energy, coastal resiliency, and major infrastructure projects
• Coordinating the work of multidisciplinary teams responsible for ensuring quality and timely products and services produced in support of agency programs and activities

Southeast Regional Office

Locations

St. Petersburg or West Palm Beach, Florida

Summary

The Southeast Regional Office’s Protected Resources Division is seeking a Natural Resource Management Specialist to conduct Section 7 consultations under the Endangered Species Act to evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions on protected marine species and their designated critical habitats. Responsible for managing the regulatory process from intake to completion, the biologist will author and review legally defensible documents, including Letters of Concurrence, complex Biological Opinions, and Incidental Take Statements that establish mandatory mitigation measures and monitoring protocols. The position will provide proactive pre-consultation technical assistance, negotiate resource protection measures with federal action agencies and stakeholders, and maintain the official administrative records to ensure full compliance with federal environmental laws. The incumbent will serve as an independent senior regional expert, providing an authoritative source of technical guidance to action agencies and NOAA Fisheries staff. They will also act as a point of contact for management needs, communicating information to leadership, training staff in areas of expertise, identifying annual priorities, and providing high-level technical and management guidance.