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The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full time Project Management and Administrative Support position with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Washington, D.C.

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports high-quality research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

What the EPA project is about

The CPHEA Health and Environmental Effects Assessment Division (HEEAD) Integrated Environmental Assessment Branch - DC (IEAB-D) evaluates and conducts scientific assessments on the impacts of environmental stressors or global climate change on environmental or ecological health. IEAB-D provides scientific information and decision tools to inform resource managers, policy makers, and other stakeholders to support decisions related to changing environmental factors.

In response to the Administration and EPA’s top priorities of taking action on climate change and environmental justice, ORD is in the process of creating a new Integrated Climate Sciences Division (ICSD) within CPHEA. This division will house two new initiatives: (1) an Interdisciplinary Climate Assessment Program (ICAP) to deliver quantitative assessments of climate damages in support of Agency needs to assess the costs of climate change and the benefits of actions to control greenhouse gases (GHGs) and inform metrics such as the Social Costs of Carbon; and (2) a Regional Climate Assistance Network (RCAN) to deliver regionally relevant assessments, technical support, and capacity building in support of adaptation planning and resilience building in the Regions and their frontline communities. RCAN is designed to serve as a strong complement to the Agency’s climate adaptation planning process, by directly supporting the science needs expressed by ORD’s regional partners for implementing their climate adaptation plans. In advance of the official start of the new ICSD, HEEAD/IEAB-D will house the implementation work needed to stand up these flagship ORD programs.

What experience and skills will you gain?

As a team member, you will support the HEEAD/IEAB-D Branch Chief, and staff within the branch, on a wide range of program and project management assignments, administrative support services, and communication tasks to help build the RCAN. In particular, the team member will support the creation of an RCAN Info Hub to provide a visible, accessible place for regional office staff to engage with dedicated ORD staff providing curated information and services tailored to climate needs, including access to a network of experts for subject-matter expertise and collaborations; facilitation of connections among stakeholders through workshops; and training on ORD research, climate assessments, tools, and resources. The team member will report to a mentor in the HEEAD/IEAB-D.

Program Management Support will include:

• Reading EPA regional climate adaptation plans to determine relevance and provide input to program building activities;
• Researching websites, technical reports, and scientific manuscripts to inform implementation activities of the RCAN;
• Organizing and tracking information streams through spreadsheets, relational databases, and other mechanisms, including regional contacts, ORD subject-matter experts, and incoming information requests and science questions;
• Gathering and visualizing data using tools such as Microsoft Power BI to analyze, share, and promote data insights, and generate reports related to regional information requests and technical assistance needs;
• Developing summary information to present regional requests for assistance and ORD responses over time in various quantitative and qualitative formats;
• Assisting project managers in the creation of information workflows to track and manage incoming regional requests for climate-related information and services;
• Developing project timelines and schedules, as well as metrics to track product status and delivery;
• Assisting with the management and tracking of incoming requests, utilizing tools such as Microsoft Forms;
• Assisting staff with the use of project management tools;
• Gathering updates on project status from project managers and technical leads; and
• Tracking product status and delivery and generating status reports.

Administrative Support and Communications will include:

• Organizing and tracking outreach and other communication efforts with EPA regional offices and tracking the status and schedule of action items;
• Supporting communications efforts through generation of outreach materials including talking points, newsletters, and status reports;
• Providing logistical and administrative support for meetings and workshops, including scheduling, notetaking, maintaining meeting records, and tracking action items;
• Supporting correspondence through tracking and answering phone calls and emails and connecting with appropriate ORD subject-matter experts to respond to regional inquiries or requests for technical assistance;
• Maintaining effective communications with the project team; and
• Developing and conducting special analyses or projects as directed.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

• Research experience on a topic relevant to environmental science, climate change, and/or environmental justice;
• Experience reading and summarizing scientific information;
• Experience in technical scientific writing and editing;
• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• Strong organizational skills and experience in successfully handling multiple assignments with competing deadlines;
• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Experience working well as a part of a team;
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook;
• Knowledge of Microsoft Teams, Planner, Forms, Project, Business Intelligence (BI) or similar applications; and
• Experience with program and project management relating to scientific research activities.

Location: This job will be located EPA’s facility in Washington D.C.

Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $24.40 for hours worked.

Hours: Full-time.

Travel: No travel will be required.

Expected start date: The position is full time and expected to begin November 2022. The selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The project renews each May through 2025.

For more information, contact EPANSSC@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly.

• Be at least 18 years of age and
• Have earned at least a Bachelor’s degree in a field related to environmental science, biology, ecology, climate science, social science, science communication, or program and project management and
• Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.

EPA ORD employees, their spouses, and children are not eligible to participate in this program.

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree received within the last 24 month(s).
• Minimum Overall GPA: 2.00
• Discipline(s):
  • Business (1 )
  • Communications and Graphics Design (1 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (1 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (2 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (1 )

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; a recent graduate with at least a Bachelor’s degree in a field related to environmental science, biology, ecology, climate science, social science, science communication, or program and project management from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months; a citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States of America; and not a current employee of EPA ORD or the spouse or child of an EPA ORD employee.