Open Requests for Qualifications

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean is seeking to fill a number of positions with qualified individuals or organizations to advance its Bipartisan Infrastructure funding work plan. Open positions and application instructions are included herein. 

The application deadline for all positions is 11:59 PM on May 19, 2023. 

Background

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) is the Regional Ocean Partnership in the Mid-Atlantic and includes the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Established in 2009 by the Governors of these states, MARCO works on shared issues that benefit from interstate collaboration and coordinated problem-solving. MARCO works to protect and improve the health of the Mid-Atlantic ocean and coastal ecosystems and economies through regional ocean planning, data sharing, and collaborative efforts around four shared priorities identified in the 2009 Governors’ Agreement:

  1. Coordinate the protection of important and unique marine habitats.
  2. Promote a regional approach to support the sustainable development of offshore renewable energy.
  3. Increase understanding of, and help coastal communities prepare for, climate change impacts.
  4. Support efforts that improve the region’s ocean and coastal water quality.  

Additionally, MARCO’s most recent Work Plan, 2022-2024, includes a refined approach to these priorities by placing efforts in the context of: 

  1. Supporting actions that create a more sustainable and inclusive blue economy in the Mid-Atlantic.
  2. Being inclusive of a broader diversity of people and partners – including Tribal nations and underrepresented or under-resourced communities or interests.

MARCO is led by a Management Board composed of one senior coastal manager or policy advisor from each of the five coastal Mid-Atlantic states with the position of Management Board Chair rotating among the states biennially.  The Management Board is supported by a core team of contractors, “MARCO Core Team” that provide strategic direction, project management, and coordination support for Work Groups and other efforts. Members of the Core Team also develop and maintain relationships with partners and contractors and serve as subject matter liaison between Work Groups and the Board. 

The Board advances work on the shared priorities through convening topical committees, working groups, and collaborative project teams.  Each committee or Working Group consists of state, federal, tribal, and non governmental partners who develop the priorities and work plans to guide activities and regularly report progress to the Management Board with support from the Core Team. 

In addition to the work groups and committees, MARCO hosts the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal, a tool that consolidates the best available ocean and coastal data in the region and enables users to visualize and analyze ocean resources and human use information. Finally, MARCO also co-hosts the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind (RWSC) in partnership with the Northeast Regional Ocean Council. While RWSC has its own Steering Committee, MARCO provides staffing and strategic advice to RWSC given the complementarity of each organization’s work plan.

Open Positions

Racial Equity Training & Consultation

MARCO and its ocean planning committee, the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean (MACO), are seeking an individual, team, or organization to host virtual and in-person workshops to explore equity and justice within coastal and ocean management. Specifically, we are seeking to build a shared understanding among Committee members on factors –  including but not limited to structural and institutional racism – that influence:

  • Equitable distribution of ocean and coastal resources, economic opportunities, and access. 
  • Human impacts of ocean and coastal changes, which are often disproportionately severe in underserved and/or underrepresented communities. 

Responsibilities:

  • Provide a work plan to MARCO that details the number, format (virtual or in-person), and outcomes for workshops that address the requirements in this request. MARCO envisions at least three workshops, but there is some flexibility if needed. It is anticipated that each workshop will have 20-40 participants from various ocean- and coastal-related government offices and agencies. Workshops should:
    • Be planned for August 2023, September 2023, and October 2023
    • Include fundamental concepts on institutional and structural racism, which will provide a framework for understanding how communities are structured, and who benefits and who is burdened by ocean and coastal management and/or environmental changes. 
    • Ensure participant engagement and small group discussions. 
  • For each workshop, the contractor will:
    • Provide an agenda including learning outcomes, and meeting materials to all participants at least two weeks in advance.
    • Facilitate the entire workshop. 
    • Provide a summary report to MARCO within 2 weeks of completion.

Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated experience planning and delivering trainings on institutional and structural forms of racism in America. Please provide examples in your application package.
  • Availability to deliver workshops during late summer/early fall 2023.
  • Direct experience and/or knowledge in equity and justice issues related to ocean and coastal management and/or communities is a plus. 
  • Ability to translate any public materials produced into Spanish is a plus. 

Other information:

  • This position may require traveling to different locations in the Mid-Atlantic region for any in-person training sessions. Please account for at least 3, 2-day trips in the proposed budget: New York City, NY; Baltimore, MD; and Virginia Beach, VA. 

Regional Community-Based Social Marketing & Marine Debris Policy Research

MARCO is seeking an individual or organization to support regional research related to marine debris perspectives and policies in the Mid-Atlantic. The results of this work will inform future work planning for the Mid-Atlantic Marine Debris Work Group. 

Responsibilities: 

  • Develop, test, distribute, summarize and analyze behavior change barrier-assessments associated with single-use plastic water bottle usage, based on Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) principles. 
  • Conduct an analysis of public perception regarding policies in the Mid-Atlantic meant to reduce or prevent marine debris. 
  • Provide a synthesis report that includes specific recommendations to inform future Marine Debris Work Group projects based on findings. 
  • Attend virtual Mid-Atlantic Marine Debris Work Group meetings as needed and coordinate regularly with MARCO Core Team members.
  • Attend an in-person Mid-Atlantic Marine Debris Summit in fall 2023, which will likely be held in Dewey Beach, DE or Ocean City, MD.

 

Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated experience measuring public policy perception.
  • Demonstrated experience developing and analyzing CBSM-related surveys.
  • Work related to marine debris is a plus.

Other information:

  • This position will  require traveling to the regional Mid-Atlantic Marine Debris Summit in fall 2023, which will likely be held in Dewey Beach, DE or Ocean City, MD. Please account for one, 2-day trip for this Summit within the proposed budget. 

Educational Video Production

MARCO hosts the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN) in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal and Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS). MACAN is a network of scientists, governmental representatives, and industry members that work together to build an understanding of ocean and coastal acidification in the Mid-Atlantic region (VA, MD, DE, NJ, and NY). 

MARCO is seeking an individual or organization experienced in video content creation and  production to produce new video-based outreach content related to ocean and coastal acidification in the Mid-Atlantic. The videos will be geared toward an audience of middle school, high school, and college students and teachers, and may involve (but not limited to)  interviews with scientists, policy-makers, and industry representatives as well as graphic representation of scientific content. 

Responsibilities:

  • Work with MACAN and MARCO to develop a plan for new video content 16 minutes of video content (4-8, 2-4 minute videos).
  • Conduct interviews that will be used in videos and develop any graphical content as informed by MACAN staff and leadership.
  • Develop, edit, and produce final versions of the new video content that will be used across MARCO and MACAN virtual platforms ,including but not limited to websites and social media.

Qualifications: 

  • Demonstrated experience producing educational video content – please provide examples of your work as part of your application package.

Other information:

  • This position may require traveling to different research locations in the Mid-Atlantic region, or to interview individuals that will appear in the videos. Please account for at least 3, 2-day trips in the proposed budget: New York City, NY; Baltimore, MD; and Virginia Beach, VA. 

Website Development

MARCO is seeking an individual or organization experienced in website development and design to update several websites associated with MARCO. 

Responsibilities: 

  • Work with MACAN and MARCO to update the graphics, layout, design, and software for the following MARCO-associated websites: www.midatlanticocean.org, www.midacan.org, portal.midatlanticocean.org (not including the Portal mapping tool)
  • Integrate updates and maintenance operations for websites onto a single platform
  • Perform regular checks for updates, and conduct any bug fixes 

Qualifications:

  • Experience designing and developing organizational websites – please provide examples of your work as part of your application package. 
  • Experience providing ongoing maintenance support for organizational websites. 

Application Instructions

Applicants should electronically submit their package in a single PDF to info@midatlanticocean.org no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, May 19. Submissions should be directed to the MARCO Executive Director, Avalon Bristow, and the subject line should include the name of the position. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and MARCO reserves the right to extend or reopen this call for proposals.

At minimum, the application package should include the following:

  1. A cover letter
  2. A narrative that clearly articulates the work the individual or team is interested in supporting, demonstrates an understanding of the concepts, and describes how the qualifications of the individual or team meet the desired responsibilities and qualifications for that position. 
  3. A description of the team’s qualifications for each category of interest, including resumes for key personnel, summaries and/or portfolios of successfully completed relevant projects, deliverables, and a description of each team member’s role in those projects. 
  4. A proposed budget for completing the work as described in the application, including hourly rates for key personnel, proposed number of hours per individual that will be spent on the project, indirect and fringe rates, travel costs, and any other information or other direct costs deemed necessary to accomplish the desired outcomes. 

Funding Acknowledgement:

These positions are funded by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean via its fiscal sponsor, the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation, using Federal funds under award NA23NOS4730041 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management or the U.S. Department of Commerce.