Survey Coordinator and Analyst III (MDBC)

A.I.S., Inc. (AIS) is a national scientific services firm supporting maritime activities requiring certification of compliance with environmental regulations as well as collecting data for use by Federal, State, Municipal, and other government agencies along the US coastline. AIS is looking for a Survey Coordinator and Analyst III – Mesophotic Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) to support NOAA SEFSC Population and Ecosystems Monitoring Division (PEMD).

Primary Function:

The Survey Coordinator and Analyst III leads coordination of MDBC surveys within NOAA SEFSC PEMD, supporting DWH oil spill restoration efforts. The incumbent coordinates all aspects of ROV/AUV survey operations, leads field crews, manages data workflows with NCEI and NCCOS, produces habitat analyses, and publishes peer-reviewed research on coral and benthic reef communities across depths of 50–1800m. This position is contingent upon contract award and available funding.

Duties / Responsibilities:

• Assist MDBC Project Management Leads in coordinating all aspects of survey preparation, execution, and completion including schedules, supply/equipment, and survey vehicle selection (ROV, AUV)
• Ensure cruise instructions and reports are completed on time; confirm all participant clearance forms are submitted
• Serve as Field Party Chief or Watch Leader; execute at-sea mapping and ground-truthing missions per MDBC SOPs
• Coordinate daily vessel activities, personnel, vessel movements, ports of call, and weather/sea conditions
• Serve as subject matter expert for identifying marine fishes in mesophotic and deep reef habitats
• Conduct video annotation, review, and QA/QC of ROV-based footage using C-Vision tools
• Develop data management strategy in coordination with NCEI and NCCOS Biogeography Branch; manage MDBC database
• Ingest bathymetric inventory data for U.S. EEZ of Gulf of Mexico (50–1800 m) into MDBC database
• Coordinate data standardization, quality, backups, and security with OMI; integrate AI/ML automated outputs
• Collate existing biological data inventory and mine acoustic bathymetric data for mesophotic and deep benthic reef prioritization
• Prepare and defend abundance analyses for management decision-making; publish peer-reviewed manuscripts
• Attend professional scientific meetings and present results
• Participate in public outreach and education activities

Compensation:

Candidates will be paid an hourly rate to be negotiated, and total compensation will vary depending on candidates' depth of experience. This is a full-time position. AIS benefits package includes health and dental insurance, vacation, sick and holiday benefits.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS Degree plus 5 years of relevant experience
• Advanced proficiency with PRIMER, Microsoft SQL, and ArcGIS (Spatial, Geostatistical, and 3D Analyst extensions); able to write reports and make oral presentations
• Proficient with fish, invertebrate, and protected species identification keys; knowledge of mesophotic and deep reef taxa from the Gulf of America
• 10 years of experience in at-sea data collection using ROVs, Submersibles (HOVs), and AUVs
• Ability to collect, process, label, and track marine specimens including barcode label creation
• Expert knowledge of acoustic mapping methodologies; proficiency with multibeam, side-scan, and synthetic aperture sonar data and associated software (ArcGIS, Caris, Seabird, Fledermaus)
• Knowledge of procedures when encountering endangered or threatened species
• Sea going contractors must submit NOAA Health Services Questionnaire and TB Screening Form annually/biennially; must have current tetanus vaccine

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS Degree or higher in Marine Science or related field

Travel:

• Domestic and international travel anticipated for at-sea surveys and scientific meetings.

Location:

• 3500 Delwood Beach Rd, Panama City, Florida 32408 (Panama City Laboratory – SEFSC)

An Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of A.I.S. to recruit, hire, train, promote, transfer and compensate our employees and provide all other conditions of employment including Company sponsored events without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, lawful alien status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, citizenship status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

Must be able to work in the U.S. • VEVRAA Federal Contractor • Request Priority Protected Veteran Referrals • Equal Opportunity Employer