Position Description

Download Position Description (PDF - 70 KB)

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) seeks a creative professional to use web-based skills to advance Arctic science coordination at a critical time in the Arctic research enterprise.

Background

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) is chartered as a subcommittee under the National Science Technology Council (NSTC) within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. IARPC, which consists of representatives from 16 agencies, departments, and offices across the Federal government, is charged with enhancing both the scientific monitoring of, and research on, local, regional, and global environmental issues in the Arctic. IARPC is required by law to prepare and execute an Arctic Research Plan every five years to coordinate the overall Federal effort in Arctic research. IARPC Collaborations, an online user-driven platform, is the primary structure for implementing the Plan. Website membership is open to anyone who can contribute to efforts to implement the Plan, and thus it serves as a mechanism for bringing together Federal government program managers, the research community, and other stakeholders to accelerate the pace of Arctic research.

Job Description

IARPC is seeking a Web Manager & Community Coordinator who will be responsible for managing its online user-driven collaborative website called IARPC Collaborations. This will be a contracted position, managed through the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS). The candidate will be responsible for engaging the community to contribute content to the website. They will maintain workspace tools (such as online calendars and user-uploaded documents and updates) to effectively coordinate interagency activities and communicate with external partners domestically and internationally. The qualified candidate will take steps to improve the user experience on the website, increase engagement across the user profiles, and develop analytics to track the effectiveness of the website.

The qualified candidate will provide support to IARPC collaboration teams (groups formed to implement the IARPC 5-year Arctic Research Plan) to improve team engagement on the website and at virtual meetings and provide support for collaboration team leaders to execute communication strategies. They will also provide technical support to the collaboration teams by ensuring webinar presenters are prepared for meetings and that recordings of meetings are edited and posted to the website.

The IARPC Web Manager & Community Coordinator is expected to prepare creative and graphically compelling presentation and outreach materials to support IARPC activities at conferences, workshops, and meetings.

The Web Manager & Community Coordinator as part of the dispersed IARPC secretariat is encouraged to develop new and creative initiatives that align with IARPC's goal of increasing collaboration across Federal agencies, with the research community, and with Indigenous and northern communities in Alaska.

Tasks will be broken down as follows:

Web Management (50%): Content creation, editing, and management on the IARPC Collaborations website.

  • Ensure new content is added to the public and member sides of the IARPC website and curate all material that is added
  • Develop metrics to evaluate user experiences of the IARPC Collaborations website
  • Working with the web development team, make website improvements and resolve errors
  • Develop mechanisms on the website to improve the transparency of Arctic research programs within IARPC agencies and highlight their contributions to Arctic research
  • Onboard new IARPC Collaborations community members through video conference and email to direct them to relevant resources
  • Design and utilize automated communication with members to encourage their ongoing engagement with the website
  • Review and process account and team requests
  • Track and analyze website analytics and prepare detailed reports

Collaboration and Self-forming Team Support (30%)

  • Provide support to IARPC collaboration teams to improve team engagement on the website and at meetings, and provide support for team leaders to execute communication strategies
  • Meet with webinar presenters to give tutorials on IARPC Collaborations website and Zoom software
  • Edit webinar video files, post them to the IARPC Collaborations website, and share them and other meeting content on social media accounts
  • Onboard and support organizations creating self-forming teams on website and assist with team start-up
  • Develop creative and graphically compelling annual reports reflecting progress on Plan implementation

Communication and Outreach (20%)

  • Engage in and seek partnership with communities and organizations whose missions and members will benefit from participation in IARPC Collaborations
  • Post content to IARPC social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube
  • Organize the IARPC Collaborations public webinar series, including coordination, advertising, and hosting webinars
  • Prepare IARPC materials for workshops and symposia, including developing posters, presentations, and flyers
  • Periodically, represent IARPC Collaborations at symposia, conferences, and workshops
  • Complete other tasks as assigned by the Executive Secretary, Executive Director, or IARPC Staff Group

Minimum required skills/experience:

  • 3+ years of experience as a website manager
    • Experience with basic HTML is a plus
    • Experience with basic image editing is a plus
  • Experience managing community member relationships and/or customer relationships
  • Proficiency with website analytics software, such as Google analytics, and analysis technique
  • Experience with broadcast email tools such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact
  • Experience with web-based communication tools
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Experience with Microsoft Office or equivalent
  • Understanding of science issues
  • Desire to work with a collaborative, motivated, and dispersed team

Desirable skills/experience:

  • Master's degree or equivalent
  • Experience as a science project coordinator
  • Familiarity with Arctic science issues
  • Familiarity with the U.S. Arctic
  • Experience working with scientific and/or advisory committees
  • Familiarity with U.S. Federal science-funding agencies
  • Experience with social media networks
  • Experience with web-based task management
  • Comfortable giving oral presentations

Location: Qualified candidates must be located within the United States and will provide their own workspace, equipment, business license and insurance. Some travel will be required, which would be paid and/or reimbursed by ARCUS.

Compensation: The position will be managed through a Professional Services Agreement contract with the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The agreement will be equivalent to $6,200–$7,400 per month. The initial contract term will be approximately 6 months at 40 hours per week, with an expectation of a contract renewal. The tasks undertaken by the contractor will be overseen by the IARPC Executive Secretary.

How to Apply: To apply, send a cover letter and resume to iarpc_apply [at] arcus.org by 5:00 pm AK on Wednesday, 25 March 2020. For questions, interested candidates may email the IARPC Executive Secretary, Sara Bowden (bowden [at] arcus.org). No telephone calls please.

ARCUS is an equal opportunity employer/contractor