Scientists on the Utkholok river

• Board of Directors
• Contact Us
• Directions
• FAQ
• Financial Statements
• Goals/Accomplishments
• Job Openings
• Partner Organizations
• Russian Partners
• US Staff

Work with Us

Sustainable Fisheries and Markets Program Associate

Position Summary

Reporting to the both the Sustainable Fisheries and Markets Program Coordinator and the Russian Programs Manager, the Program Associate is responsible for providing general and Russian-language program support and project management for Wild Salmon Center's Sustainable Fisheries and Markets Initiative. This program is using innovative financial incentives and market based approaches to support salmon conservation and sustainable fisheries in the Russian Far East and across the Pacific Rim.

The ideal candidate will be independent and entrepreneurial and will have experience working with or studying in Russia or the former Soviet Union. Understanding the opportunities and challenges of working in the Russian Federation is key to success in this position. The candidate should also have the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and have strong project management and Russian language skills.

A background in international fisheries issues (for example, experience working as a fisheries observer, involvement with a multi-national fisheries commission or treaty, experience related to drafting and enforcement of fisheries-related legislation, employment with a sustainable fisheries-focused foundation, etc) and market incentives such as third party certification will be considered a valuable plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide project management and administrative support.
• Lead communications and correspondence with US and Russian colleagues, partners and grant recipients.
• Provide logistical planning and coordination of WSC events such as international exchanges, inter-organizational strategy sessions, regional workshops and local events.
• Design and implement innovative market based tools for sustainable fisheries.
• Other tasks as required.

Key Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• Strong Russian language skills, both written and verbal.
• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Russian language, international relations, environmental science/policy or the applied sciences, is required.
• Familiarity with innovative market based approaches to sustainable fisheries and conservation such as third party certification and payments for ecosystem services.
• Creativity and problem solving ability.
• Computer skills (Internet, e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets and database).
• Personal commitment to environmental and social justice.
• Experience working cross-culturally.
• Ability to work independently.
• Sense of humor is essential!

Travel

The position is based in Portland Oregon, and will likely require travel in the US and to the Russian Federation.

Compensation

Wild Salmon Center offers a highly competitive salary package commensurate to the candidate's experience, including an excellent benefits package (vacation, 401(k)/403(b) match, medical and dental plan, life insurance, flexible spending account and disability coverage).

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

To Apply

Send cover letter and resume as well as a completed application form to: info@wildsalmoncenter.org with Sustainable Fisheries and Markets Program Associate in the email subject line.

Population Biologist – State of the Salmon

The State of the Salmon Program (SoS) is a consortium jointly sponsored by the Wild Salmon Center and Ecotrust. Located in Portland, SoS is dedicated to building the world's most credible, comprehensive source of data and information on Pacific salmon around the entire Pacific Rim to inform salmon conservation and management decisions in the future. SoS synthesizes and analyzes the most current information on critical management problems facing salmonids throughout their range and collaborates with resource managers, conservation partners and fishery stakeholders to identify and implement durable solutions.

Reports to: Director, State of the Salmon

Position Summary

Population Biologist's primary focus over the next two years will be to:

• lead synthesis and analysis of key salmon management issues
• develop associated issue briefs regarding risks and opportunities, including potential strategies resolution
• organize and convene meetings and workshops of academics, managers and stakeholders to help build shared views of issues, as well as possible recommendations
• conduct quantitative analysis of management strategies, evaluating uncertainties, risks and benefits
• assist collaborative work with resource managers to implement practical solutions
• develop and collaborate on evaluation and adaptive management concepts for management strategies to assess their effectiveness and to enable course corrections

Examples of current issues in which the position holder will likely engage include:

• Biocomplexity and escapement goal setting in the context of ensuring resilience and capacity of salmonid populations to adapt to widely fluctuating and rapidly changing climatic and environmental conditions;
• Marine carrying capacity at different ecosystem scales and the implications of hatchery release levels around the Pacific Rim on wild stock survival/productivity devise and hatchery program cost/benefit; and
• Evaluation and adaptive management strategies for hatchery programs to ensure long-term fitness and productive capacity of wild populations.

The position also may be involved in devising and implementing analyses of population status and trends for salmon at multiple geographic and biological scales, in the context of natural and anthropogenic variability. Finally the position may assist completing the State of the Salmon Program's first phase of a North Pacific metadata inventory regarding long-term salmon monitoring data sets.

While the position is highly technical in nature, the ideal candidate also will have a strong foundation in salmonid ecology and a firm understanding of salmon conservation policy and its practical albeit complex relationship to fisheries management.

Candidate Background

The ideal candidate would possess the following:

• Advanced degree in fisheries science or allied field, with a strong quantitative background in fish population dynamics, preferably salmonids
• Experience using a variety of statistical techniques applied to understanding variability of biological populations in space and time
• Strong synthesis and systematic analysis abilities
• Highly organized and solid project management skills
• Excellent verbal and presentation skills, with strong interpersonal relationship and communication capacity to positively engage a wide variety of people (e.g., academics, scientists, fishery managers, fishers, conservation interests and other stakeholders)
• Excellent written communications skills including scientific reports and briefs, with ability to reach a variety of audiences
• Experience in managing and analyzing large data sets
• Strong resource ethic and dedication
• Familiarity with adult and juvenile salmonid monitoring methods, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and how they are commonly used by fisheries managers and scientists
• Familiarity with salmon policy issues, and their practical connection to fisheries management approaches Russian or Japanese language skills would be a plus but not a requirement
• GIS knowledge and skills would be desirable but not required

Compensation

The compensation package includes a competitive salary and excellent fringe benefits package, including 401(k) match, medical and dental plan, flexible spending account, life insurance and disability coverage is provided.

Employment options

Ideally the successful candidate will work full-time. The position can be filled either on a permanent employment basis, or as a one- or two-year project commitment, whichever best matches individual circumstances, interests and skills. Secondments of individuals from other organizations would certainly be considered subject to personal qualifications and ability to dedicate focus to SoS work priorities.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

To Apply

Send cover letter describing your specific qualifications for the position, CV, and list of references to rlincoln@wildsalmoncenter.org with Population Biologist in the subject line. Recruitment will be open until filled, but initial screening is scheduled for June 30, 2008.

Internships/Volunteer Opportunities

The Wild Salmon Center welcomes proposals for internships or volunteers. In the past, we have benefited from interns with a variety of backgrounds: GIS, Russian language skills, legal training, conservation biology, and archiving (text and image) experience. Most interns have been based at our Portland headquarters office, although there may be options for supporting our Seattle and Moscow offices as well. Please contact us to inform us of your interest, background, and specific projects or topic areas to which you could contribute.

Benefits

The Wild Salmon Center is willing to work with students and faculty to arrange college credit opportunities. We offer public transit passes, an exciting and varied working environment, periodic lectures and events, and a superb introduction to work in an international conservation organization. We regret that we cannot offer paying internships, but encourage potential interns to seek support from their universities or foundations.

To apply

Send an application form (below), resume and cover letter to the Wild Salmon Center, 721 NW Ninth Avenue, Suite 300 Portland, OR 97209, or fax to (503) 222-1805. E-mail submissions can be sent to info@wildsalmoncenter.org. No phone calls, please. Students wishing to intern for college credit should make preliminary arrangements with faculty members in advance.

Please download/print out this form to fill out. This form should be included with all applications whether they are email applications or sent via post.

Internship Application Form