NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellowship

2003-2005 Coral Ree Management Fellow for the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas islands conducts a children's marine education program.

Qamar Schuyler (CNMI 03-05) conducts a children's marine education program as part of the CNMI Local Action Strategies public awareness initiative.
Photo credit: John Moreno, CNMI Coastal Resources Management Office

This page provides background information and application guidance for the NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellowship. Supplemental documents are available for download as pdfs.

Fellowship Overview

Fellowship Locations

Available Fellowships

Eligibility

Apply for 2010-2012 Fellowship
Applications Now Being Accepted

Fellows' Projects

Contact Information

Fellowship Overview

The NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program was established to respond to the need for additional coral reef management capacity in the U.S. Flag Pacific and Caribbean islands. The program has been expanded to include Florida in the 2010-2012 cycle. The program provides the state and territorial coral reef management agencies with highly qualified candidates whose education and work experience meet each island's specific needs, while providing the individual fellows with professional experience in coastal and coral reef resources management.

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Fellowship Locations

Hosts for the fellowship include:

American Samoa Coastal Management Program
American Samoa Coral Reef Advisory Group

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Environmental Quality

Florida Coral Reef Conservation Program, Department of Environmental Protection

Guam Coastal Management Program

Hawai`i Division of Aquatic Resources

Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (Site in Spanish)

U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program

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Available Fellowships

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains seven (7), two-year fellowships under the Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program. Fellows are located in Pago Pago, American Samoa; Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); Miami, Florida; Adelup, Guam; Hawai`i (exact location to be determined by September 2009); Puerto Rico (exact location to be determined during the interview process); and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Click here to meet the 2008-2010 fellows.

Fellows spend two years working on specific projects determined by each jurisdiction's coral reef management agencies. Each host jurisdiction provides a staff member who will serve as a supervisor to the fellow. The supervisor guides the fellow on project-specific issues and helps to integrate the fellow into the daily life of the agency. This opportunity offers a competitive salary and professional development training as well as conference travel and relocation expense reimbursement.

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Eligibility

Educational Requirements

Applicants typically have a master's degree and two years of experience or a bachelor's degree and four years of experience. Jurisdictions may require additional or alternate skills, such as outreach and education experience. See each jurisdiction's Statement of Work for more specific eligibility requirements.

Although most applicants hold either Bachelor's or Master's degrees, applicants holding a PhD or JD are welcome to submit an application for consideration.

Citizenship Requirements

Must be U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.

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2006-2009 Coral Ree Management Fellow for the U.S. Virgin Islands conducts an interpretive tour in East End Marine Park.

Karlyn Langjahr (USVI 06-09) gives an interpretive tour of the coastal and marine resources of the St. Croix East End Marine Park at Jack Bay.
Photo credit: Lisa Fisk, The Nature Conservancy

Apply for 2010-2012 Fellowship

Timeline

There are seven fellowships available, one for each of the participating jurisdictions: American Samoa, the CNMI, Florida, Guam, Hawai`i, Puerto Rico, and USVI. Applications will be accepted from June 1 until July 31, 2009. The review process will be completed by early October 2009, at which point phone-interviews with top candidates will begin. Site visits will take place between October and November, 2009. Fellowship positions will be offered to seven applicants by late November, 2009. The fellowship orientation will take place in January 2010 and new fellows will begin work in their respective jurisdictions that same month.

Statements of Work

Each fellowship position has a unique Statement of Work that has been jointly developed by the fellowship coordinator, the jurisdiction, and the contracting agency. The Statement of Work includes the following information specific to each jurisdiction and its fellowship position: location of the fellowship, background information on the Fellowship Program and the host agency in the jurisdiction, project goals and objectives, project description, listing of the supervisor and partners, in-kind support, minimum eligibility requirements specific to the jurisdiction (in addition to the eligibility requirements listed above), desired background and skills, salary, and application instructions. Application instructions are also listed below in 'How to Apply'.

American Samoa (pdf, 203 kb)

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (pdf, 114 kb)

Florida (pdf, 173 kb)

Guam (pdf, 103 kb)

Hawai`i (pdf, 112 kb)

Puerto Rico (pdf, 110 kb)

U.S. Virgin Islands (pdf, 894 kb)

Pay and Benefits

Fellows will be government contractors and receive a non-negotiable yearly salary. The salary will vary, depending upon location, and will remain the same for the duration of the fellowship. The salary for each position is set by the individual jurisdictions and is listed in each Statement of Work. Relocation assistance of up to $2,000 is available for fellows relocating from outside of the jurisdiction for which they are hired. These funds are for shipment of personal belongings before, and upon completion of, the fellowship term. There is a standard leave package available including paid local and government holidays, sick leave, and vacation. Additional funding is provided to obtain medical benefits in the jurisdiction.

All fellows will attend an orientation workshop with their peers and fellowship coordinator prior to starting work in their jurisdiction. Funding is also provided to travel and attend conferences or professional development trainings relevant to the fellowship.

Full benefit details will be provided by the contracting company further along in the hiring process.

How to Apply

There are seven fellowships available, one for each of the participating jurisdictions: American Samoa, CNMI, Florida, Guam, Hawai`i, Puerto Rico, and USVI. Applicants must specify the jurisdiction to which they are applying in their Letter of Application.

Only three documents are needed to complete an application for the fellowship: a curriculum vitae; a list of three references, including contact information; and a Letter of Application. The Letter of Application should be a one-page document expressing an applicant's interest in the position and why they believe that they would be a good candidate for the fellowship. Letters of Application should also address the desired skills, projects, and other topics covered in a particular jurisdiction's Statement of Work.

Applicants must send electronic copies of these documents to the email address listed in the Statement of Work of the jurisdiction to which they are applying.

If an applicant would like to be considered for more than one fellowship position, they must submit separate applications for each position.

Selection Criteria

Each jurisdiction has developed a separate Statement of Work, which contains project descriptions, goals and objectives, minimum and desired qualifications, and salary, among other information. The Statements of Work uniquely reflect each jurisdiction's particular needs, complementing other ongoing local projects and management activities. A jurisdiction's Statement of Work should therefore inform and guide a candidate's Letter of Application.

Previous experience in participating jurisdictions is desired, but not required. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements listed above.

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Fellows' Projects

Contact Information

If you have questions about the Coral Reef Management Fellowship, please contact:

Coral Fellowship Coordinator
Email: coral.fellowship@noaa.gov
Fax: (301) 713-4012
Mail:
Coral Fellowship Coordinator
1305 East-West Hwy. #10236
Silver Spring, MD 20910

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more info...

Meet the Fellows

Fellows in the News

"There is truly no other job out there like the Coral Management Fellowship....I have the luxury of working directly with both people and the natural resources themselves. To me the Coral Fellowship is a proverbial a 'dream job.'"
--Karlyn Langhjahr (USVI 06-09)