Ocean Associates, Inc.

Support Engineer

• Provide operational oversight of all tasks and projects assigned.
• Distribute tasks and projects assigned to others, assist in developing specific tasks and timelines for each project.
• Act as the primary liaison between employees and WCR staff, review contract deliverables prior to submitting, and ensure adherence to WCR protocols in all tasks and deliverables.
• Regularly meet with or provide updates to WCR staff, as determined by WCR staff.
• Review, gather, analyze, interpret, and synthesize scientific data and technical information for the purpose of determining environmental impacts on biological resources and aquatic habitats; evaluate the proposed project effects of human activities on fishery resources, protected species, and habitat.
• Write combined ESA Biological Opinions, ESA Letters of Concurrence, and MSA responses to action agencies related to their Biological Assessments for listed salmon and steelhead, designated critical habitat, and essential fish habitat under NMFS jurisdiction.
• Review biological assessments, permit applications, and/or consultation initiation packages from action agencies for listed salmon and steelhead, designated critical habitat, and essential fish habitat under NMFS jurisdiction and provide feedback and technical support to action agencies.
• Provide pre‐consultation technical assistance to action agencies, applicants, or their representatives in response to inquiries. Examples of feedback are sufficiency, accuracy, or completeness; requests for further information for consultation purposes; recommendation of conservation measures, compliance with technical design standards. Feedback shall occur through written or oral communications and in group meetings.
• Review applications from action agencies to enroll in existing programmatic consultations and draft letters or emails to enroll applications into existing programmatic consultations.
• Prepare environmental documentation pursuant to NEPA.
• Prepare draft incidental take permits and other necessary documentation for ESA section 10 activities.
• Revise the documents based on review comments received from WCR NMFS and General Counsel staff, technical comments received from the tribes and states, and based on substantive public review comments to complete final versions of the ESA, NEPA and other associated documents.
• Coordinate with NMFS fish passage engineers for reviews of proposed designs.
• Coordinate with NMFS’ Science Center and other federal, state, or academic researchers in evaluating the status of species and impacts from actions.
• Prepare appropriate documentation for each consultation and follow WCR protocols for quality assurance, electronic filing, and consultation tracking.
• Coordinate with Project Officer or Geographic Branch Manager on assignments, work products, and project schedule. Coordination calls and meetings as necessary with WCR Team Lead(s).
• Participate in WCR teams as necessary to complete the tasks in this contract.
• Follow recommendations from agency staff on legal, regulatory, or technical sufficiency and compliance.
• Assist in the development and implementation of mitigation banks
• Prepare appropriate documentation for each consultation, status review, or permit, including assembling and managing administrative records as necessary to provide adequate and proper evidence of agency business, timely response to requests for information, and compliance with NMFS internal directives.
• Assist with compiling responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.
• Participate in meetings with action agencies, applicants or permittees, special interest groups, state officials, and tribal representatives, as necessary.

Scientific and Technical Support Lead

• Review, gather, analyze, interpret, and synthesize scientific data and technical information for the purpose of determining environmental impacts on biological resources and aquatic habitats; evaluate the proposed project effects of human activities on fishery resources, protected species, and habitat.
• Write combined ESA Biological Opinions, ESA Letters of Concurrence, and MSA responses to action agencies related to their Biological Assessments for listed salmon and steelhead, designated critical habitat, and essential fish habitat under NMFS jurisdiction.
• Review biological assessments, permit applications, and/or consultation initiation packages from action agencies for listed salmon and steelhead, designated critical habitat, and essential fish habitat under NMFS jurisdiction and provide feedback and technical support to action agencies.
• Provide pre‐consultation technical assistance to action agencies, applicants, or their representatives in response to inquiries. Examples of feedback are sufficiency, accuracy, or completeness; requests for further information for consultation purposes; recommendation of conservation measures, compliance with technical design standards. Feedback shall occur through written or oral communications and in group meetings.
• Review applications from action agencies to enroll in existing programmatic consultations and draft letters or emails to enroll applications into existing programmatic consultations. Prepare environmental documentation pursuant to NEPA.
• Prepare draft incidental take permits and other necessary documentation for ESA section 10 activities.
• Revise the documents based on review comments received from WCR NMFS and General Counsel staff, technical comments received from the tribes and states, and based on substantive public review comments to complete final versions of the ESA, NEPA and other associated documents.
• Coordinate with NMFS fish passage engineers for reviews of proposed designs.
• Coordinate with NMFS’ Science Center and other federal, state, or academic researchers in evaluating the status of species and impacts from actions.
• Prepare appropriate documentation for each consultation and follow WCR protocols for quality assurance, electronic filing, and consultation tracking.
• Coordinate with Project Officer or Geographic Branch Manager on assignments, work products, and project schedule. Coordination calls and meetings as necessary with WCR Team Lead(s).
• Participate in WCR teams as necessary to complete the tasks in this contract.
• Follow recommendations from agency staff on legal, regulatory, or technical sufficiency and compliance.
• Assist in the development and implementation of mitigation banks
• Prepare appropriate documentation for each consultation, status review, or permit, including assembling and managing administrative records as necessary to provide adequate and proper evidence of agency business, timely response to requests for information, and compliance with NMFS internal directives.
• Assist with compiling responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.
• Participate in meetings with action agencies, applicants or permittees, special interest groups, state officials, and tribal representatives, as necessary.