Innovation & Grants Senior Expert

Innovation & Grants Senior Expert

MARINE DEBRIS FOUNDATION

Chartered by Congress as the official nonprofit partner to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, the Marine Debris Foundation (MDF) has a federal mandate do what government agencies alone cannot: spark innovation, unlock private sector potential, and directly fund high-impact solutions to prevent and remove marine debris. Central to MDF’s mission is the identification of and financial support to innovators whose inventions, technologies, and system designs offer market scale solutions to reduce plastic waste, lost fishing gear, and other marine debris that threaten our waters.

SOW and DELIVERABLES

The Innovation & Grants Senior Expert will work closely with the MDF Executive Director, Board members, contractors, consultants, and NOAA partners on developing and managing MDF’s grants portfolio and the Genius Prize. Our team is in the process of developing and implementing grantmaking and partnering strategies; as such, the Innovation & Grants Expert will be instrumental in helping devise, catalyze and sustain prizes and projects that will establish MDF’s reputation as a partner of choice.

Task 1: Genius Prize

Description:

  • The bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act authorizes MDF to administer and award a biennial $100,000 Genius Prize to encourage technological innovation addressing the challenge of marine debris. A Genius Prize committee composed of MDF officers and Board members as well as NOAA Marine Debris Program colleagues oversees the direction of the Genius Prize.

Task Deliverables:

  • Implementation of the full lifecycle of the Genius Prize competition from inception to close-out, including coordination and management of a company contracted to support the inaugural Genius Prize;
  • Identification of relevant best practices in design and administration of prize competitions to support the Genius Prize committee in key decision points, such as Prize question, evaluation criteria, eligibility criteria, and judges.
  • Syntheses of research and state-of-play on areas related to the Genius Prize scope (as necessary);
  • Development of a communications plan for the Genius Prize, in collaboration with NOAA’s communication liaison. This includes drafting and revising communication documents.
  • Identification and outreach to realize partnering opportunities related to the Genius Prize.

Task 2: Grantmaking

Description:

  • MDF provides grants to local organizations for the prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris. MDF’s grantmaking funds received from the federal government must have a 1:1 match from non-federal sources.

Deliverables:

  • Development and implementation of MDF processes for grants management; This includes obtaining, reviewing, and maintaining budget documentation and grantee reports per requirements of MDF’s cooperative agreement with NOAA.
  • Maintaining effective communication with MDF past, current and potential grantees and project partners to ensure that projects are implemented as envisioned and that their results are explained to external audiences.
  • Support to the MDF Grantmaking Committee in identifying and formulating projects and partnerships with high value in terms of impact and messaging;
  • Liaise with NOAA and its national and regional partners to ensure that MDF benefits from its many assets and that MDF grantmaking augments the work of NOAA’s Marine Debris Program.

Task 3: Curation and Communication of Subject Expertise

Description:

  • As the innovation arm of NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, MDF must ensure that it has knowledge of issues related to marine debris, including emerging technologies, new policies, and innovative practices.

Deliverables:

  • Contributions to MDF’s subject matter expertise through summaries of peer-reviewed literature and trends;
  • Development of communication assets that highlight and frame MDF’s impact in terms that resonate with key audiences;
  • Outreach to external partners on MDF’s value proposition;
  • Assistance in writing reports, including progress reports for NOAA.

REQUIRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

  • 5 or more years of professional experience in managing programs related to marine conservation, marine/coastal ecosystems, or human impacts and threats facing the ocean;
  • Demonstrated interest in technological innovation as applied to environmental threats and solutions; experience in prize competitions preferred;
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts to varied and cross-sector audiences;
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and highly collaborative mentality;
  • Willingness to travel;
  • Ability to work flexible hours (i.e., occasional evenings and weekends).

EDUCATION/TRAINING

  • Advanced degree in a relevant scientific discipline such as marine science, marine ecology, oceanography, environmental science or marine resource management or a field such as public administration or non-profit management.

TERMS

This position will be on a contractual basis. It is estimated that the individual’s compensation will be a flat rate of $90/hour, up to 1,000 hours distributed throughout the year, for a maximum $90,000/year. As a contractor, the individual will not receive any other forms of compensation. Pre-approved work travel costs will be reimbursed based on actual, reasonable costs.

Please submit your CV and cover letter to
MDF Executive Director Clare Romanik at

Clare.Romanik@MarineDebrisFoundation.org

Deadline 5pm EDT on May 12