Statistician

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About Ocean Associates, Inc.

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.

The role

Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is seeking an applicant to provide statistical analysis services to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), Fish Ecology Division (FE) in Seattle, WA. The NWFSC is a leader in quantitative analyses supporting fisheries management for marine and anadromous species. Researchers examine complex relationships between managed stocks and their environments that involve highly technical statistical approaches that continue to rapidly evolve.

Responsibilities

• Provide statistical analysis to inform management decisions.
• Statistically analyze spatial and temporal variability in processes experienced by migrating salmon in the river systems, especially to understand survival and migration patterns through hydropower systems and through their life cycles.
• Analyze and generate relationships between fish responses (e.g. density, growth, survival, migration rate) and stressors (e.g. environmental or ecological conditions, habitat metrics, management actions, etc.) in particular life stages.
• Develop novel probabilistic mathematical and simulation models that seek to represent unique and complex ecological and behavioral processes with modern statistical methods.
• Provide statistical support for other researchers during study design and analysis.
• Organize and curate ecological datasets relevant to mark-recapture modeling needs.
• Publish reports and scientific papers, and present results at regional and national meetings and scientific conferences, as needed.
• Assist with field collection of fish and environmental data in freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore marine environments of the West Coast region, as needed.

Qualifications and experience

• PhD degree from an accredited college or university with a major in a field of study related to the requirements of the task order with emphasis in statistics, mathematics, fisheries, ecology, or the natural sciences is required. Must have a strong quantitative background with a solid foundation and extensive coursework in statistics and probability. Knowledge and experience in Bayesian statistics and mark-recapture methods is strongly preferred.
• Six (6) or more years of experience related to the task order, including familiarity with the species and habitats managed by NOAA Fisheries in the West Coast region.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, and experience writing reports and publishing peer-reviewed articles.
• Extensive experience conducting analyses and coding in R, experience with programs Stan and JAGS, and experience with open science concepts. Strong computational skills, including the ability to manipulate large environmental datasets within a command-line environment (e.g., Linux/shell scripting). Familiarity interpreting or interfacing with C or C++ code within a scientific modeling context.
• Ability to manage workload, stay organized, and produce high-quality work products efficiently. Ability to work both independently and on interdisciplinary teams.

Salary and benefits

This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary, commensurate with experience, between $45.00 and $50.00+ per hour.

Location and schedule

Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, or at one of its associated field stations in WA or OR. Start date as soon as possible. Travel is anticipated. A valid driver’s license must be maintained.

Deadline and how to apply

The posting does not state a closing date. Apply through OAI’s ADP web portal (linked from the original posting), uploading a resume in PDF or Word format that includes a cover letter briefly describing how you meet the required qualifications, work history for the past 10 years, education, previous experience with similar requirements, and three professional references. Include your name in the document file name.