Coordination Associate

The Gulf Center for Equitable Climate Resilience (the Center) works with partners, stakeholders, and local communities to enhance and expand climate resilience equitably among individuals and communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Focused on addressing systemic processes, challenges, and barriers, the Center moves beyond assessment and study of risk towards an exploration of climate resilience strategies that can be implemented across individual, neighborhood, municipal, state, and federal levels. Acknowledging that climate resilience is about more than physical safety and that strategies must be as diverse and unique as the communities they serve, the Center collaborates with a network of individuals and organizations to bring together research, lived experiences, and other resources to advance equitable climate resilience. Learn more here: https://thewaterinstitute.org/center

Position Description

The Center is seeking a motivated individual to join a growing team supporting the coordination and implementation of equitable climate resilience research, education, and action. The position will support all aspects of the Center, working with a range of teammates, topics, stakeholders, and external partners. The position is expected to provide management support primarily to the Center Director and members of the Planning and Policy Research Department; however, the Institute is highly collaborative and there will be opportunities to work on a range of research efforts across departments. This position reports to the Center Director and is located in New Orleans or Baton Rouge, Louisiana; or the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Activities will vary day-to-day but may include tracking of projects; supporting project management including interaction with multiple participants and partners to coordinate meetings and workshops; community engagement; workshop facilitation; writing technical reports, planning documents, and policy memos; developing presentation and communication materials for a wide audience; policy research and analysis; and data collection, entry, and analysis. This position will involve working across the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, but the position may include additional travel outside the region.

It is expected that the successful candidate has high comfort level working and interacting with diverse and technical collaborators, decision makers, stakeholders, and coastal residents. The successful candidate will be able to connect across technical fields, translate research into practice, and communicate with a wide range of audiences. Exemplary organizational skills, attention to detail, dependability, and reliability, are essential skills for success at this position. The successful candidate must be able to work independently on tasks that contribute to larger research and analysis projects delivered by a highly collaborative team.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with one-year work experience in marine science, conservation, public policy, anthropology, public health, or a related field.

• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, ability to communicate openly and effectively with a wide range of partners, organizations, and agencies.
• Strong writing skills, ability to synthesize information, and visualize complex concepts.
• Strong organization skills, project management and time management skills, high attention to detail, and reliability to follow up and complete assigned tasks.
• Proactive and positive attitude to problem solving, ability to work independently, and self-motivated.

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in marine science, conservation, public policy, anthropology, public health, or a related field.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary project teams, in or with the public sector, with communities on the Gulf Coast, with community organizing.
• Specific technical skills to complement the Institute’s existing technical services, which could include:
  1. Graphic design and/or urban design skills
  2. Data visualization
  3. Spatial analysis in GIS
  4. Expertise in developing and conducting meaningful community engagement practices
  5. Social science research methods
  6. Expertise in risk, vulnerability, and/or benefit-cost analysis

The successful candidate will be a self-motivated, results-driven professional with sound judgment, excellent interpersonal skills, and the flexibility to adjust to changing priorities in a demanding, fast-paced environment. The Water Institute expects to offer a competitive salary and benefits commensurate with a candidate’s skills and experience for this full-time exempt position.

Benefits of a Water Institute Career

• Growth opportunity: We are always learning and developing new research and resilience methodologies and working with partners to solve problems. You will have the opportunity to engage in growing and leading the equitable climate resilience space with ample opportunities to take ownership and grow.
• Professional development: The Water Institute supports a variety of pathways for professional development including mentorship, tuition reimbursement for pursuit of undergraduate and graduate degrees, and tuition for non-degree courses.
• Flexible hours/location: We understand that our team members have different needs and do our best to work with their schedules/location while getting the job done.  We are headquartered in Baton Rouge, and the ideal candidate will be located in Baton Rouge or New Orleans or on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
• Inclusive environment: We are committed to building an inclusive environment where all teammates feel comfortable and supported.
• Fun! We love to keep things fun, both within our work and at company-wide events.
• Work life balance: We are respectful of people’s boundaries and support that through Institute values so that our team has time to recharge and do their best work within the mission of the organization.
• The Water Institute Values: Scientific Integrity, Excellence, Respect, Transdisciplinary Collaboration, Accountability, Diversity, Work/Life Balance, Impact