[Coral-List] Job Announcement - REEF in Florida, General Manager

[Christy Semmens]

General Manager, Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), Key Largo, Florida (USA)
Please reply to jobs at reef.org

Summary:
The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), a non-profit, marine conservation organization, is seeking to hire a General Manager. REEF is a marine life education and data gathering organization working with the public in unique partnerships with private, governmental, scientific, and educational sectors. The position will be based at REEF’s Key Largo, Florida, headquarters with a salary in the range of $40-50K plus benefits, commensurate with experience. Responsibilities include operational management of REEF Headquarters, financial and administrative oversight, public relations, membership support, and providing support as needed to REEF program staff. 

Description:
The position of General Manager will be based at REEF’s Key Largo headquarters, a 1913 historic conch-style house converted into offices, a retail area, and classrooms. Headquarters staff includes an Executive Director, Director of Special Projects (including Exotic Species Program), Field Operations and Outreach Coordinator, Office Manager, Office Assistant, and volunteers and interns. Work environment is casual. Three additional staff – Director of Science, Membership Development Coordinator, and Outreach Coordinator – are located in Washington and California.

Duties of the General Manager include management of a variety of activities necessary to maintain effective day-to-day operations of a marine conservation organization. Areas of responsibility include: overseeing fiscal management including oversight of financial records including A/P, A/R, inventory, and REEF store orders; working directly with the bookkeeper to ensure accuracy of records; supervising the office administrative staff and volunteers; overseeing maintenance and upkeep of the headquarters facility; assisting with public relations including media releases and social media; assisting with logistics for field survey trips; and assisting the Executive Director, Director of Science, and Director of Special Projects, as needed.

Qualifications:
Candidates for this position will most certainly need to have a passion for marine conservation with excellent supervisory/management and communication skills. Educational background and experience with business and fiscal management will be important considerations. Proficiency with office computers and software is required, and knowledge of basic computer networks and QuickBooks preferred. Candidates should be strongly self-directed and work well in a team environment. Excellent written and oral communication skills will rank a candidate highly.

Application Procedures:
Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume or CV, 2-3 writing samples and references via e-mail to: jobs at reef.org.  It is anticipated that a final selection will be made in mid to late August with a starting date in early Fall 2011.

Organization Background:
The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) was founded in 1990 as a way to educate scuba divers and snorkelers in marine life identification and to utilize their marine life sightings. Patterned after the successful Audubon and Cornell birding programs, REEF has grown into a 40,000 plus member organization with programs in place throughout the western hemisphere. Primary among these programs is the Fish Survey Project, enabling marine enthusiasts to conduct surveys and submit sightings data from throughout the Tropical Western Atlantic, coastal North America, Tropical Eastern Pacific, Hawaii, and South Pacific. Data are managed by REEF staff and made available to researchers, scientists, managers and the public free of charge via REEF’s on-line database at www.REEF.org.  To date more than 150,000 marine life surveys have been submitted.

In addition to the Fish Survey Project, REEF maintains a large and active diver education program with standardized course materials for each of its survey regions. Strong partnerships within the diving industry and effective outreach provide opportunities for thousands of divers to learn about marine life and take part in surveying activities throughout the year. REEF manages the July-long Great Annual Fish Count; the Grouper Moon Project – researching grouper spawning aggregations; the Exotic Species Program – tracking the impact and control of non-native marine fish species, particularly the human-induced invasion of Indo-Pacific lionfish into the Tropical West Atlantic; Special Projects – assessing fish population changes in and around marine reserves and on and around newly developed artificial reefs; printed and e-newsletter communications; and, several week-long field survey and data gathering expeditions. REEF maintains strong partnerships with federal, state, and local government agencies as well as other US based and international agencies, NGOs, and business entities.  

REEF is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer


Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D.
Director of Science
Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)
www.REEF.org