Fisheries Program Analyst at Think Tank Inc. in Silver Spring, MD, USA

Job description

• Think Tank Inc. is seeking a Program Analyst to support the NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) Office of Policy. This position is embedded within the Policy and Administration (P&A) Team at NMFS Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. The P&A Team manages the NOAA Fisheries Policy Directive System and facilitates corporate-level discussion and decision-making through the NOAA Fisheries Leadership Council. Work is often cutting-edge, cross-program, and cross-line-office, requiring nimble support of emerging agency priorities.

Responsibilities

• Agency Priority & Executive Order Implementation (~30–40% of effort)
• Support implementation of Administration and Agency priorities, including Executive Orders, legislation, strategic plans, NOAA Fisheries initiatives, and related policy direction
• Support implementation of E.O. 14276 (Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness), including pilot initiatives focused on U.S. seafood sustainability, industry resiliency, and seafood sector innovations
• Conduct literature reviews, industry surveys, and related analytical support to develop market analysis recommendations supporting economic resilience and seafood sector development
• Document Executive Order and NOAA Fisheries Seafood Strategy accomplishments, including support for a draft annual report and related reporting products
• Policy Directive System & Procedure Development (~10% of effort)
• Support revisions, updates, or creation of NOAA Fisheries policies and procedures, including products associated with the NOAA Fisheries Policy Directive System
• Draft, review, revise, and coordinate agency policy documents with subject matter experts, NOAA Fisheries leadership, and external partners
• Develop and maintain tracking tools: action item trackers, comment matrices, decision-support summaries, policy review schedules, and status reports
• Leadership Council & Governance Support (~10–25% of effort)
• Support NOAA Fisheries Leadership Council activities facilitating corporate-level discussion and decision-making
• Plan and execute large multi-day meetings, monthly team meetings, and internal governance meetings, including agendas, pre-reads, logistics materials, meeting notes, and action item tracking (minutes due within 2 business days of meeting)
• Coordinate with Headquarters, regional offices, science centers, and program offices to support timely information sharing and follow-through on assigned actions
• Policy & Regulatory Analysis
• Analyze statutes, regulations, policies, draft legislation, Executive Orders, and NOAA Fisheries program materials; provide written analysis, options, and recommendations
• Draft policy memoranda, issue papers, briefing materials, reports, presentation materials, and decision-support summaries on policy, regulatory, or program matters
• Synthesize technical, policy, legal, and programmatic input into clear written products (average 2–4 documents or document sections per week)
• NEPA Policy & Procedure Support (up to 5% of effort)
• Support implementation of new or revised NEPA policies and procedures
• Develop summaries, analyses, trackers, and collaboration/training materials for NEPA compliance
• Energy & Infrastructure Permitting Support (up to 10% of effort)
• Support Office of Policy coordination on infrastructure and energy project permitting, including permitting streamlining efforts across NOAA and other Government agencies
• Assist with analyses, coordination materials, tracking tools, and written products for timely document review
• Review & Comment Support
• Review draft documents and provide timely, well-supported written comments (average 2–4 document reviews per week)
• Coordinate comment consolidation across Office of Policy staff; use Government-directed formats including tracked changes, comment matrices, and annotated drafts
• Communications & Outreach Support
• Assist with communications projects: newsletters, print products, weekly headlines, rollout plans, priority documents, and ongoing outreach efforts
• Support preparation of audience-appropriate materials consistent with NOAA Fisheries messaging and Government direction
• Support planning and implementation of outreach activities, including authorized travel when required
• Administrative, Records Management & Task Order Reporting (~15–20% of effort)
• Perform records management, file organization, tracker maintenance, scheduling support, and administrative documents as assigned
• Participate in recurring status meetings and attend a task order kick-off meeting within 10 business days of award
• Provide a monthly progress report due by the 5th business day of the following month, summarizing accomplishments, upcoming work, issues/risks, and recommendations
• Store all Government information exclusively on Government-approved systems; no storage on personal drives or devices

Requirements

• The following qualifications are required by the Performance Work Statement. Candidates must demonstrate all of the following:
• Interest in and/or knowledge of coastal or marine resource management and policy work/issues
• Initiative; good written and oral communication skills; ability to synthesize information; strong interpersonal skills; a growth mindset/desire to learn; flexibility; and comfort with uncertainty
• Experience working with federal agency policies and regulations applicable to marine resources management in state or federal waters
• Knowledge of one or more of the following statutes: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), and/or Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
• Ability to obtain a Public Trust designation; background investigation required prior to performance
• Ability to work onsite at NMFS HQ, Silver Spring, MD during normal business hours on a full-time basis
• The Government will assess higher confidence in candidates who demonstrate any of the following:
• NOAA Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship alumnus/alumna – Knauss alumni with experience producing leadership-ready policy products on short timelines, supporting NOAA/NMFS or similar federal marine resource policy work, or supporting Executive Order/regulatory/Agency priority implementation may be assessed as a strength
• Demonstrated experience in a NOAA, NMFS, or similar federal natural resources or fisheries agency environment
• Prior work on Executive Order or Agency-priority implementation, policy directive/procedure development, or Leadership Council/governance support
• High-volume drafting and editing experience in a fast-paced federal policy environment
• Familiarity with interagency coordination, stakeholder engagement, and Section 508 accessibility requirements for federal deliverables

Skills

Required

• Initiative
• Ability to synthesize information
• Strong interpersonal skills
• A growth mindset/desire to learn
• Flexibility
• Comfort with uncertainty