Community Development Officer -Working Waterfront & Aquaculture

The Island Institute is seeking a Community Development Officer for Working Waterfront and Aquaculture in Rockland, ME. This role involves developing and implementing strategies to support Maine’s working waterfront and aquaculture sectors, managing budgets, facilitating community discussions, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders. The position requires strong communication skills and a commitment to the Institute’s values. It is a full-time position based on-site.
Island Institute is hiring a Community Development Officer/Working Waterfront and Aquaculture who will bring experience to deliver on the Institute’s strategic priorities to preserve, protect, and prepare Maine’s working waterfront properties and to the growth of aquaculture along Maine’s islands and coast. This role develops and implements work plans and grant-specific deliverable as part of the working waterfront team and aquaculture teams within the Center for Marine Economy.

The working waterfront team supports island and coastal working waterfronts to ensure they have access to the resources that can preserve and protect and ultimately prepare them for climate related challenges. The aquaculture team works to ensure that Maine’s island and coastal communities have access to and support for shellfish and seaweed aquaculture as a livelihood. This work requires extensive communication between diverse stakeholders, technical experts, and multi-disciplinary leaders to ensure linkages across multiple disciplines to address key community-driven priorities.

The person in this position is team-minded and self-aware, able to give and accept constructive and consistent feedback, and committed to the Institute’s organizational values.

Essential Functions:
• In collaboration with others, develops and implements work plans in alignment with Island Institute’s working waterfront and aquaculture strategy.
• Manages all aspects of an assigned body of work, including managing a program budget, work plans and reporting requirements.
• Plans, convenes, and facilitates partner conversations of significance to the community and Island Institute.
• Represents Island Institute as a participant in and contributor to partner, stakeholder, and community meetings.
• Works effectively with island and rural communities, using community-driven processes to inform, develop and implement responsive programing.
• In collaboration with others, identifies resources to support assigned body of work, and supports efforts to secure resources.
• Serve as a consultant both within the organization and externally, translating technical information to promote understanding and deepen the impact of our working waterfront work.
• Contributes to developing and implementing the Center for Marine Economy strategy.
• May delegate tasks and assist with directing the work of another employee.
• Seeks and participates in professional development opportunities to build cross-sector and essential skills.
• Promotes the Institute’s work by representing the organization before external audiences as requested.