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Marine Debris Cleanup Coordinator
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Ventura County, CA, USA
USD 27.5-27.5 / hour
Posted on Feb 12, 2026
Location: Santa Barbara, CA or Ventura County, CA
Supervisor: Marine Debris Manager
Status: Part-time (16 hours/week), Non-exempt, Term position (mid April 2026 - mid October 2026).
About the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Founded in 2000, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, is the national nonprofit partner to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). Together, we work to protect America’s most treasured ocean and Great Lakes areas — places of extraordinary biodiversity, maritime heritage, and community value.
Guided by our commitment to Waters for All, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation connects people to the ocean and Great Lakes through education, conservation, and community engagement.
As the official nonprofit partner of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, we support 18 marine environments from Massachusetts to American Samoa and the Great Lakes to the Florida Keys. We protect these iconic places, care for marine wildlife and habitats, honor our nation’s maritime heritage, and promote the enjoyment of public waters by all Americans.
Through public fundraising and partnerships, we invest in community stewardship and engagement, on-the-water conservation and restoration, education and outreach in visitor centers and gateway communities, and cutting-edge scientific exploration.
For more than 25 years, we’ve strengthened people’s connections to our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes—our shared history, culture, and maritime heritage—and built partnerships with coastal communities and businesses tied to over 629,000 square miles of public waters that belong to all Americans.
About the National Marine Sanctuaries
America’s national marine sanctuaries are living classrooms, laboratories, and community assets that protect the waters shaping our shared future. Managed by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), this network of 18 marine protected areas is multi-use by nature and spans more than 629,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes — from coral reefs and kelp forests to historic shipwrecks and whale migration routes.
In partnership with marine research institutions, universities, and private-public partnerships, activities in each sanctuary are sources of solutions to today’s most pressing challenges. Sanctuaries safeguard marine biodiversity, sustain fisheries, power coastal economies, and inspire stewardship through science, education and outreach, and outdoor recreation from boating to fishing. Many sanctuary gateway communities include visitor centers and community partnerships with zoos, aquariums, and museums that extend this impact — serving as hubs for conservation, innovation, commerce, and tourism where people engage directly with the ocean and Great Lakes.
Together, these sites demonstrate how healthy waters and thriving communities are inseparable — and why protecting them is essential.
What We Need
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, (“the Foundation”), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is a leading voice for U.S. protected waters, is seeking a part-time seasonal Channel Islands Marine Debris Cleanup Coordinator, a position responsible for engaging local partners and commercial fishermen to (1) remove marine debris, including traps, fishing gear, and trash from the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) and Channel Islands National Park (CINP); (2) develop opportunities and partnerships to address shoreline marine debris across the Northern Channel Islands; and (3) implement education and outreach efforts to promote stewardship.
The general purpose of the Channel Islands Marine Debris Cleanup Coordinator position is to coordinate and manage the logistics of several cleanup events a year and assist in outreach and communication efforts surrounding the cleanup events and marine debris prevention and stewardship. Scope of duties would include marine debris cleanup event planning and execution, leading data collection at cleanup events, supporting outreach and communication on the cleanup events and the overall Channel Islands Marine Debris program, assisting in grant writing to sustain future funding, compiling data from cleanup events, analyzing data from partners on commercial spiny lobster trap tag loss.
The Channel Islands Marine Debris Cleanup Coordinator position term is mid April 2026 through mid October 2026 to allow for planning and implementation of up to four marine debris cleanup events.
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is committed to a culture of inclusion, equity, and belonging. We are dedicated to attracting and retaining a diverse staff. We honor experiences, perspectives, and unique identities, and welcome the contributions that you can bring to the dedicated team. With a diverse team of employees, we can grow and learn better together and achieve our mission to protect the health of the ocean, coasts and Great Lakes for current and future generations.
What You’ll Do
Responsibilities:
- Host re-cleanup briefing for volunteers and coordinate all safety materials and waivers.
- Coordinate the purchase of all supplies and equipment with the Foundation.
- Coordinate the dumpster rental payment and pick-up logistics.
- Coordinate the rental of kayaks with the Foundation.
- Work with the Foundation headquarters employees on contract paperwork, reimbursements, and other necessary administrative needs.
- Support fishermen engagement and outreach in coordination with Channel Islands NMS staff.
- Work with Cardinal Point Captains and Channel Islands NMS staff to ensure the sanctuary vessel is reserved for cleanup days (if non-sanctuary vessel is needed, work with additional partners to coordinate).
- Compile and manage all data recorded through the cleanups to measure project success.
- Report all data for progress and metrics tracking.
- Participate and co-facilitate meetings with all partners working on Channel Islands Marine Debris Removal efforts.
- Compile monthly situation and social media reports for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Channel Islands NMS, Channel Islands National Park, the Foundation, and other local partners working on the Channel Islands Marine Debris removal program with information on project goals, results, and updates.
- Share results of this project with Channel Islands NMS community members at the Channel Islands NMS Advisory Council (SAC) meetings, California Ocean Litter Strategy meetings, NOAA Marine Debris Program quarterly meetings, Ocean Protection Council meetings, and the Santa Barbara/Ventura commercial fishermen meetings if appropriate and invited to attend.
- Assist in grant writing with the Foundation to support future cleanup opportunities.
Deliverables:
- All completed data forms from each event.
- Situation reports or social media/blogs written for each cleanup event.
- Photos and video taken at each event.
- Annual report for each year on the results of cleanups, including an analysis of project success.
- Presentation of results at key community or partner meetings.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Technical understanding of marine debris and cleanup activities.
- Passion for conservation, stewardship, and the Channel Islands.
- Experience in compiling and organizing data.
- Ability to spend the day out on the ocean and lift up to 50 lbs.
- Proficiency in the use of the Microsoft Office software suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google web-based office suite.
- Demonstrated initiative, ability to work both independently and with others. Demonstrated ability to coordinate among and between various organizations, programs, and partners.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in marine or environmental science.
- An overall understanding of island logistics, feeling comfortable working on boats, and ocean kayaking experience is a plus.
Why You Will Love Us
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (“Foundation”) is a leading voice for U.S. protected waters, working with communities to conserve and expand those special places for a healthy ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes. The Foundation works in close partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to increase stewardship of our ocean and Great Lakes through on-the- water conservation projects, and education and public outreach activities, and by support for research. Together, we safeguard species and the places they call home, and support coastal communities and economies.
Compensation: $27.50/hour
Apply through the Foundation's online portal. A cover letter, resume, and three professional references are required with your application. Applications received by February 25th, 2026 will be preferred.
Location: Santa Barbara, CA or Ventura County, CA.
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The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This commitment applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, and training. The Foundation makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.