8-hour days: 90%
10-hour days: 10%
In the field: 50%
In the office: 50%
H2O Quality Monitoring: 40%
Storm Water Mitigation: 10%
Post-Restoration Monitoring/Maintenance: 10%
Volunteer Management: 10%
Education & Outreach: 8%
Commuting To/From Field Sites: 5%
Biological Sample Analysis / Lab Work: 5%
Data Synthesis and Reporting: 5%
Data Entry: 5%
Trawling: 2%
SFEI advances visionary science that is foundational to rebuilding and sustaining the chemical, physical, and biological health and the resiliency of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary and beyond. At SFEI, CMs will work within the Clean Water Program to support the San Francisco Bay Nutrient Management Strategy Program (NMS) and the Bay Regional Monitoring Program (RMP).
CMs will primarily work (62% time) with the NMS team to increase the monitoring capacity of the NMS program. The goal of the NMS program is to build the necessary scientific foundation to inform regional nutrient management decisions that will improve the health and resiliency of water quality in the San Francisco Bay. Specifically, CMs will work with the NMS team to:
Help maintain a network of long-term continuous water quality monitoring stations deployed throughout the Central, South, and Lower South Bay. Data gathered from these monitoring stations
provide information on current water quality conditions at a fine spatial and temporal resolution. These data are used to track low dissolved-oxygen events and the progression of harmful algal blooms, to calibrate and validate various water quality and hydrodynamic models, to determine suitable habitat for fish communities including salmonids, and much more. Helping maintain these stations entails visiting moored stations via boat to retrieve and deploy instruments, reviewing and synthesizing water quality data from each station, and servicing and calibrating high-frequency multi-parameter water quality sensors.
Manage the continuous deployment of two water quality monitoring stations in managed salt ponds in the Lower South Bay. These salt ponds were historically used for industrial salt pond production and are now undergoing restoration as part of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. The data gathered from these monitoring stations are crucial in assessing the impact of salt pond restoration on water quality in the shallow sloughs of the Lower South Bay, which are important habitats for many sensitive species like sturgeon and salmon. Management of these stations entails the activities listed above, as well as independently leading all field coordination, station maintenance, and station data management.
Collect and process mussel samples from stations around the perimeter of the Bay to monitor common harmful toxins released by phytoplankton. This monitoring work entails collecting mussels and discrete water samples from marinas and docks, processing mussel samples in the SFEI lab, and coordinating with external labs that analyze the samples.
CMs will also work (10% time) with the RMP Sources, Pathways, and Loading Workgroup (SPLWG) within the RMP. The goal of the RMP is to provide water quality regulators and policy-makers with the necessary information to manage the water quality of the Bay effectively. The RMP has produced a world-class dataset on estuarine contaminants and evaluates toxic effects on sensitive organisms and chemical loading to the Bay. Now in its third decade, the SPLWG is increasing its work on characterizing contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in stormwater. CECs of interest include PFAS, organophosphate esters, bisphenols, and tire-related chemicals, but priorities are continuing to evolve as information is generated about sources, pathways, and the impacts of CECs on Bay beneficial uses. CMs will help support stormwater sampling from start to finish for each storm. Duties will include fieldwork (deployment and retrieval of automated samplers, sampling during storm events), data entry and management, and lab/storeroom work (prepping materials, shipping samples, cleaning equipment). Note: stormwater sampling occurs when rainfall is predicted to be high, thus can be outside of typical office hours or on the weekend.
Site Mentors Ariella Chelsky and Alicia Gilbreath will collectively oversee all safety, recruitment, training, and documentation duties outlined in the WSP Mentor Position Description. Both Mentors will also co-mentor each CM on program requirements that are unrelated to the placement site, such as their WOW! and WAVE tasks. Ariella Chelsky will mentor all CM activities related to the Nutrient Management Strategy (NMS) Program, and Alicia Gilbreath will mentor all CM activities related to the Bay Regional Monitoring Program (RMP). The CM activities related to the NMS Program will be ongoing throughout the entire service term, while the CM activities related to the RMP tasks will mainly occur in the winter when stormwater sampling occurs. Because of this, Ariella Chelsky will lead all weekly check-ins with CMs throughout their service term and Alicia Gilbreath will primarily join the weekly check-ins with CMs in winter, otherwise as needed.
SFEI is a highly unique placement site for the following reasons:
SFEI is a large environmental research institute and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with more than 70 interdisciplinary scientists working in and across numerous fields, including environmental chemistry, fluvial and estuarine modeling, ecology, wildlife biology, landscape planning, historical ecology, geomorphology, geospatial analysis, web development, and science communications. CMs will have exposure to many different environmental disciplines and access to a diverse network of scientists, both at SFEI and through external partners. Mentors can pair CMs with staff members for more information, supplemental projects, or career advice, depending on their areas of interest.
The SFEI community is inclusive, diverse, friendly, and safe. SFEI actively examines and improves its internal systems, such as recruitment, training, and guiding policies, to ensure that our culture and practices reinforce our diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice values.
A large portion of our staff are entry- and mid-level in their career and have recently graduated from BS, MS, and PhD programs. CMs will join a community of young environmental professionals who can share advice on navigating the environmental field as an early career professional.
At SFEI, CMs will get exposure working on regulation-driven, applied research. There are many unique challenges and opportunities that come with working in such an urbanized system like the San Francisco Bay, such as balancing the needs of management agencies that have different regulatory-mandates and management drivers. CMs will have the opportunity to join NMS Steering Committee Meetings to watch how the monitoring data they collect is used to inform management decisions in the Bay.
Numerous SFEI staff, including Lucy Montgomery, the Site Field Leader for WSP, are WSP alumni. They can offer CMs valuable insights and guidance on navigating WSP successfully and foster a supportive environment where CMs can connect over shared experiences.
CMs will have the unique and valuable experience of independently managing a monitoring project, including leading
fieldwork and pre/post fieldwork coordination.
CMs will gain experience supporting or leading fieldwork on various boats, with the added benefit of world class views of
the San Francisco Bay!
CMs will have their own office, computer, Google account, free parking and access to SFEI’s well-stocked snack room.
Experience doing, or ability to do, fieldwork, particularly on a boat
Experience working with water quality instruments
Data analysis, QAQC, or visualization experience