Maryland Coastal Fellowships

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Coastal program is hiring two fellowships.

Resilient Restoration Permitting and Shoreline Programs Fellowship

Overview/Background and Project Description

A fellow will help to advance Maryland’s NextGen Adaptation Plan resilient restoration and resilient permitting and regulatory outcomes by working jointly with the Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) Coastal Management Program (CMP) and CMP network partners at the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). A fellow will identify opportunities to simplify the permitting process to make the process of resilient restoration easier, support outreach and communication efforts around project implementation, and help to accelerate implementation of resilient nature-based projects. The fellow will work to review other states’ approaches – such as Virginia’s general permit and North Carolina – to identify ecosystem restoration project permitting options that incorporate resilience. The fellow will then develop proposed options for updates, engage in shoreline loan and other funding program updates, and create communication products to increase understanding about shoreline and other nature-based project restoration.

Preferred Candidate Experience and Skills

The following knowledge, skills, and/or experience are helpful, but not required:

• Experience with or knowledge of tidal wetlands and nontidal waterway construction regulations and permitting
• Experience with technical evaluation of eroding shorelines and shoreline erosion control projects
• Coastal, Stream, and Shoreline Restoration Design: Knowledge of or training or experience in specific restoration techniques, including Natural Channel Design, Regenerative Stream Conveyance Design, Valley Restoration Design, and Living Shoreline Design
• Database Management: Experience utilizing database computer programs to manage and analyze project data

Additional information

• 2-3 days/week at the MDE (Baltimore) and DNR (Annapolis) offices
• Field work to visit living shoreline and stream restoration sites is part of this project
• May require in-state and/or out-of-state travel
• Presentation of materials at DNR and MDE internal meetings
• Participate in public outreach opportunities with plain language tools

Community Engagement and Coastal Resilience Fellow

Overview/Background and Project Description

This fellowship will work as a bridge between state-level programs and community actions focused on enhancing local government capacity for coastal management and heat mitigation.

The fellow will function as a communicator and strategist to address coastal hazards and advance adaptation goals. This fellow will research vulnerability hotspots (flooding and extreme heat) and conduct targeted community engagement offering tools and resources. The fellow will also provide recommendations on how the Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) Coastal Management Program (CMP) can enhance its program of work to address heat, based on learnings from public engagement experiences.

Preferred Candidate Experience and Skills

Experience in the following areas is preferred:

• Strong commitment to community-based outreach, engagement, and research, related to adaptation
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills (Ex. experience in public engagement, science communication, and youth education)

Additional information

This position requires applicants willing to work in field and/or on-site, in-state vehicle travel, and public speaking/community engagement. Some out of normal business hours may be required.