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Professional, Technical, & Management Services - NOAA OAR HQ
IT
Silver Spring, MD, USA
USD 35-55 / hour
Posted on Jul 31, 2026
NOTE: We are seeking applicants for these positions prospectively, which are dependent on award of contract.
If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact Ocean Associates at 703-388-9548 to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.
Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is seeking applicants to provide Professional, Technical, & Management Services to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. OAI is a Virginia corporation established in 2003 that provides consulting and technical services to the U.S. government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the private sector. We specialize in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional and technical services, and stakeholder engagement, supporting government contracts.
Background
The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is also known as “NOAA Research” which provides the research foundation for understanding the complex systems that support our planet. Working in partnership with other organizational units of NOAA, OAR provides better forecasts, earlier warnings for natural disasters, and a greater understanding of the Earth. OAR provides unbiased science to better manage the environment, nationally and globally. OAR advances climate, weather and water, ecosystem, and mission service program goals.
OAR Headquarters has a recurring need for professional, technical, and management services for its office. The agency has experienced and will continue to experience changes which result in increased demands for these services. These changes are a result of changing government priorities, re-organizations, special programs, and emergencies. There are four separate positions listed below:
Tasks
Position 1: Science Advisory Board (SAB) #1
- Provide comprehensive operational, analytical, and administrative services for the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and its standing Work Groups (WG), and special subcommittees independently managed by the SAB Standing WG, to maintain NOAA science programs of the highest quality and provide recommendations on optimal resource management.
- Develop and submit Program Plans defining the specific operational timelines, task schedules, and working group assignments for the active subcommittees and work groups.
- Provide continuous coordination of meetings and the provision of resources for the SAB, its Work Groups, and specialized subcommittees.
- For each scheduled event, the contractor shall provide note-taking and facilitation services, tracking actions, and reporting on implementation.
- Drafting and editing of reports and meeting minutes, and finalizing deliverables without requiring external supervision or subsequent revisions.
Position 2: Science Advisory Board (SAB) #2
- Provide daily general administrative and business oversight of various business items and processes to the R&D Enterprise Committee (RDEC) and associated NOAA research coordination activities under the guidance of OAR leadership.
- Performance includes reviewing, monitoring, and tracking correspondence, proposals, and deadlines, and conducting research that informs OAR and NOAA leadership as well as SAB Committee members.
- Prepare executive briefing packages (which includes background materials) for the RDEC meetings and OAR leadership engagements.
- Execute NOAA research portfolio management activities through customer service, technical writing, documentation development, conducting user training including for new and returning users on data entry and data extraction from portfolio management systems, and coordinating OAR activities internally with other NOAA line offices and with NOAA executive leadership.
- Liaise between the project management and development teams by administering a task tracking system using smartsheets or similar software tool.
- Lead and coordinate communication with users, including the management of the working group(s) by making announcements, drafting meeting agendas, taking meeting minutes, and responding to user questions.
- Coordinate communications with NOAA systems and stakeholders, including drafting announcements, facilitating working group activities, preparing agendas, documenting discussions, and executing stakeholder engagement activities.
- Conduct research, planning, and monitoring efforts throughout OAR and NOAA by conducting detailed queries of the data.
- Develop and write portfolio specific reports, presentations, and web content, including research reports, white papers, presentations, fact sheets, information bulletins, educational materials, field guides, briefing papers, and other programmatic guidance on a wide variety of coordination and administrative issues associated with portfolio management.
- Provide logistics and coordination services for national and/or regional meetings related to committee meetings and NOAA R&D activities; meeting logistics and coordination packages shall include the development of meeting materials, invitation and tracking of participants, agendas, coordination of meeting space and requirements, official meeting minutes, and the drafting of after-action reports summarizing key outcomes and action items.
Position 3: OAR’s Chief of Staff Office (COS)
- Analyze OAR's Research and Development (R&D) portfolio by assessing NOAA’s utilization of R&D for its weather, ocean, and climate missions and evaluating the successful transition of R&D into applications.
- Facilitate the integration of data science tools and techniques for robust portfolio evaluation.
- Develop comprehensive written products, including research reports, white papers, presentations, fact sheets, information bulletins, briefing papers, and educational materials.
- Provide programmatic guidance on coordination and administration issues related to evaluating NOAA’s R&D and activities.
- Provide input to ad hoc stakeholder requests for information and analysis regarding R&D policy development, status, and assessment.
- Develop and maintain internal and external web content.
- Design, implement, and manage mechanisms for collecting, tracking, and assessing a broad range of R&D developments, activities, and publications to monitor R&D transition to application.
- Create, edit, and conduct quality assessment of information resources for OAR leadership, such as on-line tools, educational products, templates, and handbooks.
- Provide logistics and coordination services for national and/or regional meetings related to NOAA’s R&D portfolio.
Position 4: Communication’s Office (COMMS)
- Strategy and Leadership: Perform internal and external communications efforts, including working with the Communications Director on communications planning, strategy, and execution.
- Serve as an analyst and coordinator for communication actions, working closely with office leadership and subject matter experts.
- Execute project coordination for a variety of communications projects, including print and multimedia products, meetings and events, and ongoing outreach campaigns.
- Serve as a coordinator for the nationwide OAR comms team.
- Content Development and Editing: Provide exceptional written and oral communications for NOAA OAR products and materials so that OAR mission, work, and activities are presented in clear, concise, understandable language for a variety of audiences.
- Scientific Translation: Explain and organize complex scientific information into communication products used by OAR leadership and the workforce, written and edited to translate technical information clearly for non-scientific audiences.
- Multimedia Content Development: Provide expert level creation of multimedia products to communicate scientific data and information through visual storytelling. Such work includes the design, production, and display of edited photographs, graphics, data visualizations, videos, slides, infographics, graphic recordings, and other communication products.
- Lead the planning and development for OAR visual communications products; manage these products through multiple review cycles with OAR, NOAA, and other partners until it is scientifically accurate and understandable by the targeted audience; and verify that products are searchable and available to public audiences, as appropriate.
- Maintain and refresh visual communications products for accuracy.
- Develop a visual information strategy plan for OAR Communications emphasizing cross-platform visual and graphical consistency and update annually.
- Events and Meeting Coordination: Provide planning, coordination, and communication to OAR Senior Management for periodic meetings and events (e.g., all-hands meetings, awards ceremony, conference town halls).
- Develop talking points and other materials used by leadership in communicating to internal and external audiences.
- Provide event planning and technical execution for teleconferences and webinars.
- Facilitate communication across the OAR HQ Front Office, including process development as well as planning and materials development for external events and meetings.
- Content Development, Editing, and Strategy: Provide expert technical and scientific writing and editing in public communication products for OAR digital (i.e., website and social media) and print products.
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive master website content calendar.
- Copyedit and proofread all online content for plain language and consistent tone, style, and branding.
- Create and produce original content for the site.
- Research, write, and edit audience-appropriate online, social media, and print content, for a variety of internal and external audiences, and shepherd through review cycles, within OAR and NOAA so that materials are scientifically accurate and understandable by the target audience and in the correct format or style.
- Develop and edit internal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents and resources for communications staff.
- Develop audience-appropriate talking points and materials for OAR senior management for events and meetings.
- Provide expert advice and leadership for OAR Headquarters’ social media strategy via a social media strategy plan and update annually.
- Produce and post a variety of news stories, videos, graphics, and photos to OAR social media sites on a regular basis; monitor social media activity and audience interactions; respond to comments; coordinate social media strategy for special NOAA or OAR initiatives with social media leads across OAR and NOAA; and track public engagement through monthly metrics.
- Provide expert advice and recommendations to the OAR Communications Director on sensitive social media issues, and recommend and execute new social media strategies and innovations to increase public engagement.
- Work cooperatively with team members, communications professionals, and subject matter experts across the agency to plan, develop, and manage content. Maintain a current working knowledge of emerging web and social media technologies.
- Website and Resource Management: Lead the development and maintenance for organizational information relevant to OAR employees about OAR administration and other workforce policies that is provided on the OAR internal employee website (Google Site).
- Create, develop, and manage content for the public-facing OAR website and the OAR internal employee website (Google Site).
- Develop and maintain an internal repository of communications resources for OAR staff on the internal OAR employee website (Google Site).
- Execute content development for the public-facing OAR website and the OAR internal employee website (Google Site).
- Develop and maintain organizational information relevant to the public about OAR administration and other workforce policies that is provided on the public-facing OAR website.
- Execute development of pages on the public-facing OAR website that shows visual communications products and integrate the visual strategy.
- Build site templates, optimize navigation, and incorporate unique features for visitors to engage and interact with OAR content.
- Track, report, and interpret website analytics via a monthly report.
- Work collaboratively with the OAR IT team on site functionality and user experience.
- Develop and implement creative solutions to present OAR and NOAA scientific information.
- Provide expert recommendations periodically to the OAR Communications Director and OAR leadership to build the overall digital presence, to include memorializing via memo.
- Coordinate with other NOAA teams to showcase OAR mission, work, and activities in platforms such as other NOAA websites.
- Training and Teamwork: Provide training and resources to nationwide OAR communications staff on a variety of communication topics, including best practices to collect images or videos and create multimedia content.
- Establish and maintain communications between other NOAA staff involved in NOAA leadership communication to effectively communicate about NOAA-relevant information to the OAR workforce.
- Provide expert style and content editing to significantly enhance the quality, readability, organization, relevance, and impact of written documents.
- Professional Conduct: Deliver all written, edited, and visual products in plain language that translates complex scientific information accurately for non-scientific audiences. Execute tasks independently and collaboratively.
- Maintain a current working knowledge of NOAA’s and OAR’s activities and services in order to execute all work.
Start Date: Contingent upon award of contract.
Location: The primary Government work site is Silver Spring, Maryland: NOAA Silver Spring Metro Center (SSMC) Campus, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. All positions are eligible for telework or remote performance.
Travel: Travel will be required for these positions.
Salary and Benefits: This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary, commensurate with experience, between $35.00 - $55.00 per hour.
Requirements
Applicants must have the following minimum requirements:
- A Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a major in a field of study directly related to the requirements.
- Three (3) or more years of experience related to the outlined tasks. This experience must include demonstrated familiarity with the marine and anadromous species and habitats managed by NOAA Fisheries within the West Coast region.
- An Advanced Degree in a related field may be substituted for two (MS) or four (PhD) years of experience.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to efficiently manage dynamic workloads, maintain high organizational standards, and produce high-quality deliverables within established timelines.
If you are interested in being considered for any of these positions, please APPLY THROUGH OUR ADP WEB PORTAL, AT THE LINK AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PAGE.
Only qualified applicants that meet minimum experience or background requirements stated above need apply. When applying for this position you will be asked to upload your resume at the end of this online application.
Applicants should submit a resume that includes the following:
- Cover letter that briefly describes how you meet the required and preferred qualifications listed.
- Work history for past 10 years or since last full-time education.
- Education.
- Previous experience or training with similar requirements.
- Three professional references.
- Include your name in the document file name.
- Upload your resume in readable, not scanned, PDF or Word format (PDF is preferred).
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States, complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire, and successfully complete a federal government background check. OAI does not discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal or state law.
OAI is a government contractor and is required by law to invite applicants to voluntarily self-identify their disability status and veteran status. OAI's online application includes check boxes to either voluntarily self identify or decline to self identify. While the information is collected through your application, it is collected anonymously and is not connected to your application. OAI uses the information it collects to track its disability and veteran hiring progress, and to meet its obligations under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and under VEVRAA.
Note: If you are not selected, your materials may be retained for present or future opportunities. We may use your resume in bidding on a project and if we are awarded the work, we will contact you before seeking further applicants. If you do not wish us to retain or use your resume to seek work for you, please let us know in the "Notes" section on the second page of the online application.