Career Opportunities

Founded in 1983, the Island Institute is a nonprofit membership-based organization dedicated to partnering with Maine’s year-round islands and working-waterfront communities to ensure that they remain vibrant places to live and work.  We provide support through programs such as the Island Fellows, Maine Island Scholarships, and a wide range of projects in the areas of education, working waterfronts, fisheries management and other issues of importance to these communities.  The Institute has an annual operating budget of $2.5 million and a membership base of nearly 4,800. Its main office  is located in the coastal city of Rockland in midcoast Maine, with a satellite office in Portland, Maine.

Current Openings

• Americorp VISTA Island Scholars Network Coordinator
• Fellows Program

AMERICORP VISTA ISLAND SCHOLARS NETWORK COORDINATOR
The Island Institute is seeking an Americorp VISTA to assist in coordinating the newly designed Island Scholars Network.   

Based in Rockland, Maine the Island Institute is a nonprofit organization that has served for 25 years as a voice for the balanced future of the islands and waters of the Gulf of Maine. We are guided by an island ethic that recognizes the strength and fragility of Maine's island communities and the finite nature of the Gulf of Maine ecosystems. Along the Maine Coast, the Island Institute seeks to:

• support the islands' year-round communities;
• conserve Maine's island and marine biodiversity for future generations;
• develop model solutions that balance the needs of the coast's cultural and natural communities;
• provide opportunities for discussion over responsible use of finite resources, and provide information to assist competing interests in arriving at constructive solutions.

Job Description
VISTA responsibilities include:

• Support a peer-mentoring program that pairs incoming island freshman with island upperclassmen at the same higher-education institution.
• Plan social events in partnership with higher-education administrators and island scholars.
• Create and support the Island Scholars Online Community Group.
• Create and disseminate the Island Scholars e-newsletter.
• Foster college-exchange programs.
• Provide college-readiness workshops and various outreach activities for island students in grades K-12, their families, and teachers.
• Collect and analyze data on island student graduation and retention rates.

Job Requirements
The Island Institute VISTA must:

• be extremely organized;
• be able to work independently;
• work well in a team-based environment
• follow through on assignments in an accurate and timely manner;
• communicate effectively (through phone, e-mail and in person);
• prioritize and handle numerous functions within an effective workflow;
• possess skills in and knowledge of Windows, spreadsheets, databases, word- processing, and social-networking sites;
• have good writing and time-management skills;
• have a reliable vehicle, and be willing to travel extensively throughout the state;

This position will be based at the Island Institute in Rockland.

Education Requirements
The ideal candidate will have a BS/BA degree and experience working collaboratively within a fast-paced work environment.  He or she should have proficiency with and knowledge of Windows, spreadsheets, databases, word-processing, and communications programs (email, skype, e-newsletters, etc). 

How To Apply
Applications are available online at http://www.mainevista.net/positions.htm
Click on Island Institute and then click on apply now.

---

FELLOWS PROGRAM
The Island Institute is currently accepting applications for 2008-09 Island Fellows Program. Click here for more information.
NOTE: Island Fellows Benefits differ from the Island Institute organization benefits.

The Island Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Residents of Maine's year-round island communities are encouraged to apply for open positions at the Island Institute.