The Bronx River Alliance seeks an Ecology Assistant

The Bronx River Alliance serves as a coordinated voice for the river and works with 100+ partners—particularly NYC Parks—to ensure that the river corridor will be a healthy ecological, recreational, educational and economic resource for the communities through which the river flows. 

The Bronx River Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. People of all identities are encouraged to apply. The Bronx River Alliance is committed to practicing and upholding the values of inclusion, collaboration, environmental justice, responsiveness, communication, ecological restoration, innovation, respect, integrity, and public access.

Starting Salary Range: $36,000-$41,000/yr

Schedule: This is a full-time (35 hours/week) position, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm set to begin on March 20th, 2023.  Occasional evening/weekend work is required.

Reports To: The Ecology Coordinator

Job Overview:  The responsibilities of the Ecology Assistant ensure that, through careful planning and execution of critical scientific research, the Alliance’s mission is advanced. The Ecology Assistant will work alongside the Ecology Coordinator to engage local stewards to perform scientific research along the Bronx River related to the following: water quality, floatable waste, microplastics, local air pollution, native and invasive species populations, and habitat restoration. The Ecology Assistant helps with ecological research and restoration projects while managing community science volunteers, data collection, and data analysis along the Bronx River, and communicating issues related to the river’s health. The Ecology Assistant works with other partner organizations to facilitate the collection and analysis of scientific data. The Ecology Assistant also helps convene and manage the Eco Team, a cohort of scientists, partner orgs, and community members who are interested and engaged in the health of the Bronx River. The Ecology Assistant helps gather and synthesize new information about the Bronx River and its ecosystems to be used for its overall protection and enhancement. This position lends support to other Bronx River programs  (Education, Outreach, Greenway, Foodway, Recreation) as needed.

Major Job Responsibilities:

• With support from the Ecology coordinator, lead community science programming with students and volunteers to collect water quality data along the Bronx River.  
• With support from the Ecology coordinator, lead in-field events for Project WASTE, our trash collections and assessment program, with Alliance staff and volunteers, and coordinate data entry, management, and analysis.
• Administer volunteer attendance, waivers, registration, pre- and post-surveys to volunteers. Foster a sense of community and stewardship among volunteers and provide recognition and network opportunities to volunteers. Help supervise Ecology interns.
• Help oversee the maintenance of the air quality monitoring system and monitor air pollution data.
• Support the field collection of scientific data and the laboratory analysis of river samples, and assist with data entry, analysis, and management.
• Support the Bronx River Ecology Team, a cohort of scientists, partner representatives, and community members committed to improving the ecological health of the river and watershed.
• Help coordinate outreach to community stakeholders on water quality and other river issues, including through social media, websites, and newsletter posts with up-to-date information.
• Help track grant deliverables and budgets, and assist with compiling grant reports.

Other responsibilities include:

• Developing resources for volunteers, such as training and manuals.
• Occasionally assisting the Conservation Crew with litter removal, removal of invasive species of vegetation, and planting native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.
• Support educational trips with K-12 students both in the classroom and near water.
• Occasionally supporting the Recreation Team with paddling trips.
• Supporting major events at the Bronx River Alliance including the Amazing Bronx River Flotilla, International Coastal Coastal Cleanup, and Soiree.

Qualifications:

• Passion for the mission, vision and values of the Bronx River Alliance.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent in environmental studies, natural resource management, ecology, biology, or similar and 1-2 years of experience in environmental or related fieldwork research and data collection as well as duties above, OR a high school graduate/GED with at least 4 years of relevant work experience.
• Excellent analytic, organizational, writing, and communication skills and ability to read and interpret environmental assessments, studies, and reports. Knowledge of ecological principles related to river systems preferred. 
• Experience with field data collection and laboratory analysis procedures. Experience with IDEXX or other certified laboratory procedures is preferred.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe PDF creator, and web-based tools. Mapping/GIS skills a plus.
• Ability to work on a team and with diverse partners including scientists, agency representatives, educators, and local residents.
• Ability to learn quickly, work independently, multitask, organize information, and develop creative solutions to overcome problems.
• Spanish fluency and/or knowledge of Bronx communities is a plus.
• Experience with grant management, tracking, reporting, and invoicing is a plus.
• Availability to work evenings and weekends.
• Ability to carry up to 25 lbs while walking over uneven ground.
• Valid New York State driver’s license.
• Fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Bronx River Alliance Mission and Value Statement: 

The Bronx River Alliance serves as a coordinated voice for the river and works in harmonious partnership to protect, improve and restore the Bronx River corridor and greenway so that they can be healthy ecological, recreational, educational, and economic resources for the communities through which the river flows. 

The Bronx River Alliance is committed to practicing and upholding the values of inclusion, collaboration, environmental justice, responsiveness, communication, ecological restoration, innovation, respect, integrity, and public access.  We value the full range of human diversity and seek to involve diverse populations in our staff, board, volunteers, and partners. Read our full values statement at bronxriver.org/about/values. Read our Commitment to Environmental Justice at bronxriver.org/about/commitment-to-environmental-justice.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@bronxriver.org by Feb 17, 2023.