Research Technician

ECS seeks a full-time, remote Social Sciences Research Technician to support the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC).

This position will support NOAA Fisheries’ need to support the project entitled “Greater Atlantic Region Commercial Fishing Survey.”

The Social Science Branch of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) carries out economic and social primary research, data collection, and analysis for NOAA Fisheries in the Greater Atlantic region. SSB is responsible for providing estimates of economic and social impacts on fishing businesses and communities associated with fisheries management decision making, which inform management actions. These economic and social data are used in many of the frameworks and amendments to the region’s fishery management plans (FMPs) that require economic and social impact analyses. SSB strives to provide accurate, timely, and relevant data and analyses about economic and social conditions in the Greater Atlantic region’s fishing communities to its stakeholder groups, which include fishing industry participants, fisheries management decision makers, fishing community organizations, academics, non-profit organizations and the interested public.

To collect financial costs faced by commercial fishing businesses, voluntary surveys of commercial fishing vessel owners are conducted. Data collected includes general vessel information, operating costs (trip costs), fixed costs (non-trip costs), and crew costs for the indicated calendar year.

The SSB is now preparing for the next cost survey implementation, tentatively planned in 2027 to collect costs incurred by commercial fishing vessel owners during 2026. The upcoming survey will be administered largely based on the Dillman mixed-mode protocol, allowing individuals to respond by mail, online, or through a phone call or virtual interview. This survey will be sent to owners of federally permitted commercial fishing vessels in the Greater Atlantic region, spanning the Atlantic coast from Maine to North Carolina. The survey sampling frame is not yet finalized but may be as large as ~2,500 vessels if all vessel owners are surveyed.

The Social Sciences Branch will require a Research Technician to provide support on a variety of tasks ahead of the next survey implementation. These tasks include, but are not limited to, online survey programming/testing, paper survey editing/formatting, summary report writing, and outreach support. The Research Tech will be responsible for taking on tasks during and in preparation for the upcoming survey implementation and create outreach plans, materials and presentations, update the hard-copy survey instrument and ready the survey for administration, as well as coordinate the implementation as needed. During survey implementation, they will be responsible for conducting virtual interviews/phone calls with vessel owners who choose that method of response, entering data from returned mail surveys, and performing QA/QC of collected data. They may also be responsible for coordinating the mailing of the survey notifications and survey packages in lieu of hiring a survey firm and updating and double checking all survey notifications, emails and CATI scripts that may be used during the process as well as overseeing that the implementation is conducted according to schedule.

The position will also be assisting the Coastal Survey Working Group in databasing previously collected survey information, which will involve reviewing previous survey instruments to identify commonalities and differences across surveys. 

Tasks To Be Performed:

In coordination with the NOAA Fisheries social scientists and team contractors, the contractor will be expected to contribute to the accomplishment of the following activities and deliverables: 

• Online survey programming/design
• The contractor will be responsible for programming the online survey using Qualtrics software in the event that a programmer is unable to be hired.
• The contractor will be responsible for thoroughly testing the online survey and be in regular communication with the CSWG throughout the testing process.
• The contractor will be responsible for regular communication with the survey programmer (if hired) throughout the online survey testing process.
• All issues/remedies will be appropriately documented by the contractor.
• The contractor will ensure all gear-specific survey questions are appropriately captured in the online survey.
• Produce reports/research papers
• Using data collected from previous surveys, the contractor will work with the CSWG to produce reports/research papers to maximize the use of collected data.
• The contractor will follow all required steps for NOAA publications, including the use of 508 compliance.
• The contractor will assist the CSWG in finalizing a NOAA Technical Memorandum focusing on recently implemented QA/QC methods.
• Assist with databasing of previously collected data
• The contractor, under guidance from the CSWG, will assist in proper databasing of previously collected data.
• The contractor will help identify common survey variables over time and assist in capturing all data consistencies/inconsistencies in the survey metadata.
• Formatting of paper survey
• The contractor will be responsible for editing existing surveys to capture any changes in question/formatting leading up to next survey implementation.
• The contractor will be responsible for making these changes across all gear-specific survey versions, as necessary.
• Assist with preparation of Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) documents
• The contractor, under guidance from the CSWG, will assist in the preparation of documents to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget required under the PRA, as necessary.
• Update Correspondents Materials Contacts
• Update all survey email and mail notifications.
• Incorporate updated QR codes to hard-copy mailers.
• Update and or generate any CATI scripts as needed.
• Implementation preparation
• Investigate optimal options for survey implementation based on budget constraints.
• Investigate the options for CATI callers and mailing surveys.
• Create a timeline for implementation.

Deliverables:

Online survey programming/design.

• Preliminary programming/testing of Qualtrics online survey.
• Final programming/testing of Qualtrics online survey.
• Produce reports and research papers.
• Assist CSWG in completing QA/QC NOAA Technical Memorandum as needed.

Survey file databasing.

• Formatting of paper surveys.

Commence survey outreach.

• Assist CSWG in finalizing a comprehensive survey outreach plan using the previous (2023) survey implementation as a starting point.

Implementation preparation tasks.

A government-furnished laptop will be provided. 

Salary range: $65,000 - $80,000

General Description of Benefits

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in natural resource management, social sciences, or related field, with an emphasis on practical data usage.
• Experience in conducting social science/ economic primary data collection, including QA/QC of collected data.
• Experience entering commercial fishing cost data.
• Exposure to Qualtrics survey software.
• Strong understanding of qualitative research methods.
• Knowledge of commercial fishing gears and practices.
• Familiarity with requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
• Data entry experience.
• One-on-one phone interview experience with commercial fishermen in the Northeast region.
• Experience with Oracle databases/structure.
• Experience in conducting primary data collection of cost information with commercial fishermen.