Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (Temporary)

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Statement                                    

In addition to its commitment to a harassment-free educational and working environment, the College is an equal employment opportunity employer. The College is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable state and federal laws on the matter. The College does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition or medical leave, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law. The College also prohibits the harassment of any employee on any of these bases.

Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Job Details and Requirement:

BASIC FUNCTION:

The Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (Post-Bac) is split between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) research of PI Branwen Williams in the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences and the Roberts Environmental Center's Energy Initiative at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. The fellow will play a key role in supporting two efforts, with time shared between them. This position will work closely with Williams to develop and apply statistical methods to analyze coastal ocean temperature data and ENSO events. Ideally, the research will result in a publication. This position will also contribute to the Roberts Environmental Center's Energy Initiative in a leadership capacity by helping coordinate speaker events and on-campus programming and mentor student research teams. Through this position, the fellow will gain new technical skills and hands-on research experience, lead programming initiatives, and work closely with stakeholders across the Claremont Colleges and with off-campus collaborators.

This is a one-year position, with the possibility of continuation beyond one year. Review of applications will begin August 17, 2026. Anticipated start date is mid-September. Applicants will be required to submit a cover letter (two pages) including relevant course and work experience, interest in the position, and career goals; a resume or CV that includes education (degree, institution, major, and graduation year) and, where applicable, research or relevant coursework, programming languages (and level of competency), mathematics, and/or statistics skills, any leadership, event-coordination, or mentoring experience, prior work experience, honors or scholarships, written work such as reports, theses, or publications, and teaching, tutoring, or community involvement. Candidates in advanced interview stages will be asked to submit two references to be contacted only with the approval of candidates.

Review of applications will begin August 17, 2026. The anticipated start date is mid-September 2026.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Reporting to the George R. Roberts Professor of Integrated Sciences: Environmental Science and Director of the Roberts Environmental Center, the Post-Baccalaureate Fellow performs the following essential duties and responsibilities:

ENSO Research

• Assemble, quality-control, and document publicly available oceanographic and climate datasets, and conduct exploratory data analysis.

• Assist in developing, coding, and testing statistical time-series models linking tropical Pacific ENSO conditions to California coastal sea-surface temperature, and evaluate model performance against historical data and standard baselines.

• Maintain well-organized, reproducible, and documented analysis code and workflows.

• Prepare figures, tables, and written summaries of results; contribute to drafting a written product and/or conference presentation.

• Meet regularly with the supervising PI and research lab group to report progress, discuss methods, and set research priorities.

Roberts Environmental Center Energy Initiative

• Serve as a consistent point of contact across Energy Initiative programming, coordinating activities, maintaining continuity between events and research teams, and contributing substantive input on programming direction, including timely energy topics and potential speakers and partners.

• Mentor and support undergraduate student research teams representing a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds, political opinions, genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, and religions, providing guidance on research methods, project management, timelines, and deliverables.

• Draft and edit communications and outreach materials, including event announcements, web and social media content, and reports disseminating student and REC work.

• Build and maintain relationships with faculty, staff, students, and off-campus collaborators across the Claremont Colleges and beyond, representing the REC professionally.

Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment.

The successful candidate will also be able to perform the following essential functions:

• Take and follow directions.

• Work cooperatively with others.

• Be self-motivated.

• Be well-organized and have an attention to detail.

• Receive and respond appropriately to constructive criticism.

• Display a positive attitude.

• Balance multiple tasks and priorities.

• Perform other essential duties and tasks specific to the position.

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS & SKILLS:

EDUCATION: A bachelor's degree (BA or BS) received within the past five years in earth or environmental sciences (e.g., geology, atmospheric science, ecology, geography, chemistry, environmental science and policy, or environmental engineering) is required. Qualified candidates with a degree in environmental studies may be considered.

EXPERIENCE: Undergraduate-level experience with statistical analysis (e.g., an upper-division statistics course) or advanced mathematics (e.g., undergraduate level linear algebra) is required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Completion of the following courses with an "A" or "B" is highly preferred: statistics, computational, or related classes.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES: Individual must possess knowledge, skills, and ability to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the position, or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge skills and abilities.

OTHER:

REQUIRED HOURS: The regular hours for this full time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, Monday through Friday. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division.

CLASSIFICATION AND STATUS: This is a temporary, full-time, non-exempt, ACA benefits-eligible eligible position.

Supervisor – AB1825: No

Mandatory Reporter – CA Penal Code: Yes

Responsible Employee – Title IX: Yes

Campus Security Authority – The Clery Act: Yes

IPEDS Category Job Code:25-2000/25-3000/25-9000 - Student and Academic Affairs and Other Education Services Occupations

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Sedentary (up to 10 lbs.)

ANTICIPATED PAY RANGE: The anticipated pay range is $20.00 - $24.00 per hour.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None

REPORTS TO: This position reports to George R. Roberts Professor of Integrated Sciences: Environmental Science and Director of the Roberts Environmental Center.

GROOMING AND APPEARANCE: Employees are expected to wear attire that is appropriate to the office or department in which they work.

BACKGROUND CHECK: The successful candidate will be required to undergo a full consumer background check. Employment is contingent on the satisfactory results of the aforementioned, in addition to compliance with the requirements cited in this job description.

ADA/OSHA: This job description defines the essential or fundamental job duties of this position. It is assumed that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others. It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title 1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

DISCLAIMER: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position. Duties and responsibilities can change and develop over time; accordingly the College reviews job descriptions on a periodic basis and may make changes of business necessity.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT: Employment with the College is “at-will” meaning that the terms of employment may be changed with or without notice, with or without cause, including, but not limited to termination, demotion, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, duties, and location of work. There is no agreement express or implied between the College and you for continuing or long-term employment. While the College has every hope that employment relationships will be mutually beneficial and rewarding, employees and the College retain the right to terminate the employment relationship at will, at any time, with or without cause. The President is the only person who can modify or alter the at-will employment relationship.

Claremont McKenna College hires and promotes individuals on the basis of their qualifications, consistent with applicable state and federal laws, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristic or information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.  Inquiries may be directed to the Director for Human Resources, 528 N. Mills Avenue, Claremont, California 91711-4015, (909) 621-8490.  All applicants must complete and submit an online application to be considered for an open position.

Employment is contingent upon new employee providing documents verifying U.S. citizenship or, for aliens, documents verifying legal permission to work in the United States, applicant's acceptability for positions requiring use of a college vehicle is contingent upon a driving record acceptable to the College's automobile liability insurance. Promotion from within is encouraged whenever qualified employees of Claremont McKenna College are available. Interested employees of the College are urged to contact the Office of Human Resources if qualified for any open position. Please do not contact departments directly.

Disability Accommodations                                                                                    

In compliance with applicable laws ensuring equal opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability, CMC will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual (applicant or employee) with a disability if the disability affects the performance of essential job functions, unless the accommodation results in an undue hardship for the College. Employment decisions are based on the merit and not an individual’s disability.               

An applicant or employee who requires an accommodation should contact the immediate supervisor and the Human Resources Office. If multiple accommodations are identified that do not pose an undue hardship for the College, the selection of an accommodation will be at CMC’s discretion. To request disability accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Human Resources at (909) 621-8490 or hr@cmc.edu for assistance.