Hatchery Management Biologists And A Lead OR Supervisory Archaeologist at Lynker Technologies in Seattle, Washington

Lynker Corporation is expecting the need to hire multiple Hatchery Management Biologists and a Lead OR Supervisory Archaeologist to support a contract with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) West Coast Region (WCR). These are full-time, remote positions that are anticipated to begin on July 1, 2024. Hiring for these positions will be contingent on contract award.

NOAA's NMFS received funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to address high-priority deferred maintenance and repairs to hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and steelhead in support of federally recognized tribes with federally reserved fishing rights. Over the next several years, tribes will identify priority hatchery facilities that require funding to complete deferred maintenance that currently operate individual hatchery programs (hereafter, Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans, or "HGMPs”) producing salmon and steelhead. The HGMPs are largely implemented to provide adult fish for harvest in tribal and State fisheries as mitigation for lost natural-origin salmonid production. Funding deferred maintenance may lead to in-water work, and potentially alteration of production levels of salmon and steelhead at any facility deemed eligible. Depending on the watershed where a facility operates, there can be multiple Endangered Species Act (ESA) -listed "threatened” or "endangered” anadromous salmonid populations under NMFS regulatory purview that may be affected by facility maintenance activities, construction, or operational modifications. As such, much if not all of the activities associated with awarding funds from the IRA towards deferred maintenance of tribal hatchery facilities will require ESA review and approval by NMFS to ensure their effects ( "takes”) do not jeopardize listed salmon and steelhead populations.

The NMFS review and determination processes require completion of several effects evaluation and determination documents consistent with ESA and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. We expect tribal and/or federal managers will submit the necessary plans for assessment of the adequacy of the activities under section 10, section 7(a)(2), or Limits 4, 5 or 6 of the salmon and steelhead rule under section 4(d) of the ESA. The work may require assembling information on species status and life history specific to the stocks at issue using the Viable Salmonid Population framework and technical analysis including trend analysis and risk assessment. NMFS requires support to perform scientific writing and analyses required to complete ESA and NEPA effects evaluation and determination documents for the anticipated requests for consultation from the tribes. The technical support will include writing and editing sections of ESA and NEPA documents for IRA funded tribal hatchery deferred maintenance activities that may affect WCR Anadromous Salmon and Steelhead ESA-listed fish. The employee will revise draft versions of the documents prior to their finalization based on internal NMFS review, and review by the Tribes, and potentially the general public.

Additionally, funding deferred maintenance may lead to in-water work, and potentially alteration of production levels of salmon and steelhead at any facility deemed eligible. Cultural resources may be impacted on historic properties on federal, state, private, or tribal lands. Therefore, NMFS seeks support to serve as a professional archaeologist and lead historic preservation for NMFS grant programs within the WCR. The employee would lead NMFS implementation and compliance with federal historic preservation legislation, especially the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the Archaeological Resource Protection Act. The employee will serve as liaison between NMFS, Tribes, and State Historic Preservation Officers to consult on cultural resource issues and prepare and conduct educational and outreach activities, presentations, and events that provide information on NMFS compliance with the NHPA when applicable. The employee will be responsible for creating procedures for historic preservation compliance that meet the requirements of law and regulation. Moreover, they will conduct research at libraries, agencies, and other institutions for archaeological, historic, and ethnographic information, and create and implement a cultural resource administrative program for NMFS, and update and maintain cultural resource hard-copy and computer records tracking project status, sites, inventories, consultations, and artifact collections.

Key tasks and deliverables required for these positions include:

Task 1: Project oversight and coordination

The employee shall:

• Work with the NMFS staff to draft and complete NEPA and ESA effects evaluation and determination documents throughout the WCR region, bundled by watershed or type of hatchery program, or facility. Bundles prioritized for NMFS review will come on a first come/first serve basis and contractor work during the contract period include plans for potentially all watersheds containing a hatchery facility associated with federally recognized tribes with federally reserved fishing rights.

• Edit draft versions of NEPA and ESA sections of documents prepared by others to prepare them for review within the West Coast Region, the hatchery co-managers, and the general public.

• Respond to comments on the NEPA documents provided via internal review, by the co-managers, and/or by the general public. Respond to comments on the NEPA and ESA documents provided via internal review, by the co-managers, and/or by the general public.

• And/or coordinate with NMFS grant program staff, grant recipients, partners, Tribes, other federal agencies, and other archaeologists to manage the Section 106 process and cultural resources that may be impacted by NMFS undertakings on historic properties on federal, state, private, or tribal lands. Consult with State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs), and other interested parties concerning the effects of undertakings on historic properties. Conduct research at libraries, agencies, and other institutions for archaeological, historic, and ethnographic information. Serve as a liaison between NMFS and Tribes and NMFS and SHPO. Set up and execute consultation with these parties on all cultural resource issues.

Deliverables:

1. The employee shall be the Subject Matter Expert and be the primary point of contact for internal contractor communications, and for communications with NMFS Project Leader and other NMFS staff.

2. The employee shall be the Subject Matter Expert to provide project management and support to any subcontractors, organization and facilitation of the work and meeting the deliverables within provided metrics.

3. Maintain regular communications with Project Leader and project performance.

4. Communications are to occur on an as needed basis as determined by the nature and complexity of the document(s) and project schedules. Efficient and effective project performance is mandatory.

Task 2: Well written documents, which will be gauged against their adherence for using the required document formats (e.g., West Coast Region NEPA Quality Assurance Plan , Federal plain language guidelines , Government Printing Office Style Manual , etc.) and approaches supplied by NMFS, including:

1. Well-written Environmental Assessments (EA).

2. Well-written sections of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS).

3. Revised versions of NEPA documents that address internal, co-manager, and the general public concern. In addition, a "response to comments” will need to be prepared based on comments received on the draft NEPA document.

4. Well-written ESA documents.

5. Well-written historic preservation programmatic procedural, planning, overview, and guidance documents.

Deliverables:

1. Provide draft EISs or final EISs, and front and end materials including lists of acronyms, glossary, summary, tables of contents/tables/figures/appendices, references, and index, to NMFS Project Leader and/or staff for review and revision.

2. Resource sections to be prepared shall include water quantity and quality, fish species other than salmon and steelhead, wildlife, socioeconomics, environmental justice, and human health.

3. Writing sections of ESA documents that are organized logically, flow smoothly, are free of errors, are concise, support a central point, and are delivered within the required timeframes.

4. The employee will also contribute to revising versions of ESA documents that address internal, co-manager, and the general public concern in a timely manner.

5. And/or maintain cultural resource hard-copy and computer records tracking project status, sites, inventories, consultations, artifact collections, and other pertinent management information. Provide information for various comprehensive reports.

Task 3: Document review, QA/QC, word processing, and production

1. Using NMFS NEPA style guides , provide technical and QA/QC reviews of NEPA documents, provide word processing of draft and revised documents following NMFS internal review, and compile finished EIS documents for NMFS clearance.

2. Using NMFS established review and internal review and clearance procedures, compile finished ESA documents for NMFS clearance.

3. Develop updated outreach materials for NEPA or ESA documents.

4. Review cultural resource documentation prepared by consultants or sub-recipients, distill, and transmit to consulting parties.

Deliverables:

1. Reviewed and formatted documents submitted to NMFS for final editing/revision/approval.

2. Documents include 508 compliance and other applicable law checks.

3. Each document will have a unique time frame and be due on an as needed basis

The Hatchery Management Biologists and the Lead OR Supervisory Archaeologist selected should meet the following requirements:

We anticipate providing NMFS WCR a mix of entry level, mid-level, and senior level support.

(Senior Level-lead)

Bachelor's degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university with a major directly related in a field of study as related to the requirements of specific task order with emphasis in fisheries, oceanography, social science, natural science, mathematics, or hydrology, plus 8 (eight) years of experience in related field or combination totaling twelve (12) years combined education/experience.

And/or a bachelor's degree with an emphasis in geology; geography; history; and methodology, theoretical, or practical archaeology plus 8 (eight) years of experience in related field or combination totaling twelve (12) years combined education/experience. Master's Degree in related field plus six (6) years of experience or Ph. D. may be substituted for experience.

(Mid-level)

Bachelor's degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university with a major directly related in a field of study as related to the requirements of specific task order with emphasis with emphasis in fisheries, oceanography, social science, natural science, mathematics, or hydrology, plus one (1) year of experience in related field or combination totaling five (5) years combined education/experience.

And/or a bachelor's degree with an emphasis in geology; geography; history; and methodology, theoretical, or practical archaeology plus 1 (one) year of experience in related field or combination totaling five (5) years combined education/experience.

The Ideal Hatchery Management Biologists and a Lead OR Supervisory Archaeologist will have the following qualifications:

• A high level of expertise and extensive experience with processes, document preparation, and production of NEPA or ESA documents for NMFS analyses of salmon and steelhead hatchery programs.

• Extensive familiarity with the effects of hatcheries on natural resources, including physical operation of hatchery facilities, water quality and use, potentially affected listed and non-listed aquatic and terrestrial fish and wildlife species, fisheries, socioeconomics, environmental justice, human health, and cumulative effects.

• A thorough enough understanding of NMFS requirements for sufficient NEPA or ESA documents.

• And/or work experience that demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional archeology. This includes knowledge and experience regarding National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance.

Additional preferred qualifications include:

• Experience working with Native American tribes.

• Experience working with Columbia River basin and/or Puget Sound hatchery programs.

• Proven experience working under the guidance and direction of NMFS, using NMFS' document formats and approaches for NEPA or ESA analysis of hatchery programs.

The selected employees for these positions will work up to 40 hours per week. While work will primarily be conducted remotely, on-site work or attendance for various trainings and/or meetings could occur at any of the following locations: the NMFS office located at 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Building #1, Seattle, WA 98115; or 1009 College St. SE. Suite 210, Lacey, WA 98503; or 304 South Water, #201, Ellensburg, WA 98926; or 1201 Northeast Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232; or 800 E. Park Blvd, Plaza IV, Suite 220, Boise, ID 83712-7768; or 1848 South Mountain View Road, Box 5, Moscow, ID 83843-7019 or other agreed to NMFS office depending on what site might be closest to the contractor off-site location.

Travel in anticipated for these positions. Several day trips will be necessary for technical collaboration and check-ins. Estimated expenses for these trips include per Diem (MI&I) for travel days, mileage reimbursement, and lodging for a trip, should it be deemed necessary and within the expected budgeted expectation.

About Lynker

Lynker is a growing, employee owned, small business, specializing in professional, scientific and technical services. Our continually expanding team combines scientific expertise with mature, results-driven processes and tools to achieve technically sound, cost effective solutions in hydrology/water sciences, geospatial analysis, information technology, resource management, conservation, and management and business process improvement.

We focus on putting the right people in the right place to be effective. And having the right people is critical for success. Our streamlined organization enables and empowers our talented professionals to tackle our customers' scientific and technical priorities – creatively and effectively.

Lynker offers a team-oriented work environment, and the opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled and diverse professionals who embrace sound science and creative solutions. Lynker's benefits include the following:

• Comprehensive healthcare for the employee at no monthly cost
• Healthcare benefit covers medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision
• Personal Time Off (PTO) Policy plus paid holidays
• Highly competitive compensation plan regularly calibrated against industry and location benchmarks
• 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) – we're all company owners!
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life and accident insurance
• Tuition assistance/Training/Workforce improvement reimbursement per year
• Spot bonuses for exceptional performance
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards with bonuses
• Employee Referral Program
• Free centralized, self-directed Learning Management System to learn at your own pace
• Personalized career growth plans for every employee

Lynker is an E-Verify employer.

Lynker is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply.