As a Biologist, you will perform the following duties:
• Provide guidance and oversight in planning, monitoring, and policy development for the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Incidental Take Program, including Quality Assurance/Quality Control, management of designated sub-programs, staff training, and development and implementation of measures, processes, and analyses to increase effectiveness of the program.
• Collect, synthesize, and critically evaluate biological and other scientific data and literature to assess impacts of human activities on marine mammals and develop/evaluate mitigation and monitoring to support agency findings and ensure compliance with applicable statutes.
• Process MMPA incidental take authorization (ITA) requests pursuant to Section 101(a)(5) of the MMPA, which includes conducting analysis and drafting documents for the administrative record to ensure science, policy, and statutory standards are met, and ensuring ITA compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• Communicate scientific analyses, program policies, requirements, and issues to the public and other Federal Agencies, as well as to other NOAA programs and leadership.