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Senior Economist

Spatial Front, Inc.com

80k - 100k USD/year

Hybrid

REMOTE WORKER

Full Time

Job Type Full-time Description

Spatial Front Inc. (SFI) is seeking a Senior Economist to support the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Regional Office (SERO). This position provides advanced economic and policy expertise to inform fishery management plans, regulatory analyses, and conservation actions under a broad suite of federal mandates.

The ideal candidate is a senior applied economist with strong quantitative and policy analysis skills who can operate independently as a subject matter expert, advise NOAA leadership, and collaborate on interdisciplinary planning teams shaping U.S. fisheries management.

Summary Of Major Job Functions

  • Serve as the Senior Economist on interdisciplinary plan teams that develop fishery management plans and regulatory actions, advising on the economic effects of proposed measures on fleets, industries, and communities.
  • Review fisheries management action documents to ensure compliance with statutes and executive orders, including:
  • Prepare and review Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) analyses and classification sections for Federal Register rulemaking packages.
  • Draft and refine economic descriptions of fisheries (fleet size, gear types, landings, markets) and evaluate the economic impacts of management alternatives using primary and secondary data.
  • Serve as a technical reviewer for grant proposals, disaster relief spending plans, and economic assessments to ensure sound, defensible analyses.
  • Collaborate with NOAA and council staff to improve economic data, models, and analytical tools, enhancing NOAA’s ability to assess impacts of regulatory and conservation actions.
  • Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA)
  • Executive Order 12866 (cost-benefit analysis of significant rules)
  • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  • Endangered Species Act (ESA)
  • Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
  • Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA)
  • Clean Water Act (CWA)
  • Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
  • Lacey Act
  • Federal Power Act (FPA)

Primary Responsibilities

  • Lead preparation of RFA analyses, cost-benefit evaluations, and Federal Register rulemaking content.
  • Validate economic accuracy and compliance of Environmental Assessments (EAs), Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and fishery management plan amendments.
  • Conduct and interpret economic analyses using NOAA fisheries datasets, surveys, and market data.
  • Provide actionable economic advice to NOAA leadership and fishery management councils.
  • Communicate complex technical findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Contribute to research and model development to strengthen NOAA’s long-term economic analysis capabilities.
Requirements

Education & Experience

  • Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Economics, Marine Resource Economics, Environmental Economics, or a related field.  
  • 7+ years of applied economics or policy analysis with 3–5+ years supporting federal regulatory or fisheries management work.

Required Skills & Qualifications

  • Demonstrated experience in resource management policy and cost-benefit analysis.  
  • Proven track record in preparing Regulatory Flexibility Act analyses, cost-benefit evaluations, and Federal Register rulemaking sections.  
  • Proficiency with statistical and analytical software (e.g., R, Stata, SAS, or Python) and NOAA fisheries datasets.  
  • Skilled in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet) for collaborative work in a cloud-based environment.  
  • Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for analysis, reporting, and presentation.  
  • Strong organizational, coordination, and technical writing skills for policy and compliance products.  

Desired Skills & Qualifications (Nice-To-Haves)

  • Familiarity with the full range of NOAA-related statutes: ESA, MMPA, NEPA, MSA, FWCA, CWA, CWPPRA, Lacey Act, FPA.  
  • Ability to work both independently as a senior subject matter expert and collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.  
  • Experience presenting economic findings to NOAA leadership, fishery management councils, and industry representatives.  
  • Strong data interpretation skills: ability to evaluate data quality, advise on data gaps, and integrate primary/secondary sources.  
  • Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to meet tight regulatory deadlines without sacrificing analytical rigor.

Other Information:

  • The salary for this position is $80,000 - 100,000 annually
  • For information on SFI's benefits, please visit http://www.spatialfront.com/pages/career.html
  • This is a full-time W2 position.
  • Please no agencies, third parties, or Corp-to-corp.
  • Spatial Front Inc. is an Equal-opportunity Employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.
  • Spatial Front Inc. participates in E-Verify.
Salary Description 80,000 - 100,000

Senior Economist

Hybrid

REMOTE WORKER

Full Time

80k - 100k USD/year

October 1, 2025

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Spatial Front, Inc