JOB DESCRIPTION for the position of Manager at the R.B. Gump South Pacific Biological Research Station, Moorea (French Polynesia)

The Gump Station, inaugurated in 1985, is part of the UC Berkeley Campus and administered by the College of Natural Resources. Its missions are teaching, research in marine and terrestrial biology, geomorphology, geology and anthropology, and applied research for the benefit of the Polynesian people.

Appointment to the academic position of Manager is renewable each year. The Manager should partition his/her time to run the Station (75%) and to do research (25%). Under delegated authority from the Director and the Moorea Advisory Committee, the Manager is responsible for:

Academic Responsibilities

Research is conducted in one or more of the following fields: marine biology, terrestrial biology, biogeography, geomorphology, geology or anthropology. The Manager is expected to be involved in grant writing activities. Under his/her supervision, Station research projects are initiated or continued, such as improving teaching collections of the terrestrial and marine flora and fauna, in particular insects and marine invertebrates, or evaluating the effects of coral bleaching on the reef community.

Budget and Accounting

The Manager administers the Station's budget of approximately $200,000 and follows all applicable University and campus accounting policies and procedures, including expenditure of operating funds (labor, maintenance, equipment and supplies). Monthly balance sheets are forwarded to the accounting office at CNR. The Manger bills Station visitors who pay directly to the CNR accounting office at UC Berkeley. 

Facilities Management

The Manager directs the upkeep of the estate, i.e. its buildings and installations, roads, gardens and lawns. The Station consists of three guest bungalows and apartments, three dormitories, a lecture hall, a laboratory building, the G. & B. Moore Field Laboratory, and the Manager's residence. These buildings are located on the west bank of Cooks Bay. On the foothill of Mt. Rotui lies Gump House (the Manager's residence), a guest cottage and a workshop.

The Manager and his staff keep the Station's transportation park (vehicles and boats) in working order. The Manager pays for personal use of telephone, fax and e‑mail and charges visitors for these services.

The Manager is in charge of safety procedures, arranging facilities use and logistic support for courses taught at the Station.

Supervision of Station Staff

The Manager hires, supervises and reviews performance of a workforce consisting of two handymen and a half‑time maid. The handymen maintain and repair the buildings, mow the lawns, care for the vegetable garden and keep the road to the Gump‑residence in operable condition. The maid cleans the dormitories and the residence. The Manager makes daily work assignments and pays weekly salaries and the social security fees.

Coordination of Visitor Schedules

The Manager ensures the welfare and safety of the Station's staff and visitors, coordinates the stays of visiting researchers, student groups taking field courses and groups of lay people assisting in research. He/she arranges for ground and sea transportation, and ensures that individuals and groups strictly adhere to the Station Rules.

Liaison with French and Polynesian Authorities

The Manager may be called on to mediate requests from the Polynesian Government, assist in problem‑solving missions for the Director, serves as a liaison between the Station and the French and Polynesian Research Institutes, as well as with the Université Française du Pacifique and its teaching program; he/she arranges for class visits and cooperative endeavors.

In particular, the Manger maintains the good relations between the Gump Station and the French Institut de l'Environnement on Moorea, plans and arranges seminars between the two stations, and facilitates collaboration on research projects of mutual interest.

The Manager maintains contact with municipal authorities and the community as a whole and coordinates or assists in efforts to solve environmental problems on Moorea.

Qualifications

The Manager should hold a Ph.D. or a Master's degree in the Natural Sciences and is expected to be conversant in French, preferably fluent. He/she should have prior experience in managing field stations, preferably in the tropics. Both organizational, administrative ‑experience and mechanical skills are required. tie/she must be able to operate boats and cars and to perform minor repairs. The Manager should be, or will be, certified as a scuba diver by UC Berkeley's diving board or an equivalent institution, be familiar with air‑compressor systems and scuba diving equipment, and be trained in first aid, particularly in cardio‑pulmonary resuscitation.