Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Outreach Specialist

The Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Outreach Specialist will work with a team of outreach and engagement specialists at the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute (https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/) to promote resilient communities and economies along the Great Lakes. This will include development and analysis of adaptation and resilience policies, plans, regulations, strategies and decision tools; providing support for existing and emerging coastal resilience networks in Wisconsin in partnership with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and other relevant organizations; and enhancing the coastal adaptation and resilience of communities most at-risk for natural disasters and chronic events, with a priority given to challenges faced by tribal, indigenous, remote, and/or economically disadvantaged communities. The specialist will help advance adaptation and resilience actions in the 2024-27 Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program Strategic Plan (https://go.wisc.edu/8kh25x).

The University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center (ASC) is a statewide program of multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources – our lakes, rivers, and groundwater – as well as Wisconsin waters of lakes Michigan and Superior. Together with other funding activities compatible with the ASC mission, the Center administers two major multidisciplinary, system-wide research programs that serve the people of the state and Great Lakes – the Sea Grant Institute (SGI), focusing on the protection and sustainable use of the nation’s Great Lakes, and the Water Resources Institute (WRI), focusing on solutions to Wisconsin’s present and emerging water resources issues. Annually, the Center administers approximately $6 million in federal, state, and private funding. Both SGI and WRI function as grant agencies and are the only source of NOAA-Sea Grant and USGS-Water Resources funding in the state, awarding over $1.6M in funding annually to Wisconsin public and private universities and colleges. In addition, the Center is home to approximately thirty research, outreach, education, communication, and administrative staff stationed in Madison and additional locations around the state. Visit https://aqua.wisc.edu/ for more information.

Responsibilities:

Delivers and assists with planning outreach program activities, strengthens partnerships, ensures adherence to policy, and assists with program administration to promote stable and productive relationships between the university and local community. Strives to expand and ensure access to programs, facilities, and educational services to diverse audiences. May assist with tracking and managing the outreach program budget.

• 20% Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships to support the outreach program
• 5% Schedules and secures resources and communicates logistics in support of an outreach program
• 20% Delivers outreach program content and materials to community members
• 20% Researches, develops, and facilitates outreach program content and materials
• 5% Develops and evaluates curriculum and programs and provides recommendations for improvement
• 5% May assist with the monitoring of outreach program budget spending
• 5% Leads the implementation of programs, policies, and procedures through oversight of day-to-day activities for program staff and student and community volunteers
• 10% Work with coastal communities to advance collaborative planning, including incorporation of natural hazards resilience and climate adaptation principles into community plans.
• 10% Co-develop, improve and share knowledge, decision-support tools, technologies and approaches to enhance coastal adaptation and resilience.

Qualifications:

Required:
– Minimum of three years of professional experience relevant to coastal adaptation and resilience.
– Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and to interpret technical information and translate it accurately into nontechnical language.
– Demonstrated capacity to manage demanding workflow and competing deadlines; initiate, manage and complete complex projects with minimal supervision; and attention to detail and process.
– Ability to work effectively in a team setting with staff, constituents and partners with varying backgrounds, interests, and abilities in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
– Project management skills to oversee planning, implementation and evaluation of adaptation and resilience initiatives.

Preferred:
– Analytical skills to address impacts, vulnerabilities and risks of coastal hazards.
– Problem-solving skills to develop effective adaptation and resilience strategies.
– Research skills to stay current on coastal adaptation and resilience science, policy and the practice of adaptation methods.
– Grant writing skills to develop proposals and projects.
– Ability to listen, be empathetic, curious and grow through interactions with people in coastal communities.

This position is located in Milwaukee, WI and will require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location (minimum of 3 days per week). Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.