Fellow NOAA Corps officers,
As NOAA Corps officers, a big part of our jobs is improving processes for the efficiency of the organization. We stress this to our junior officers aboard ships, aircraft, and at every level of our careers. This goal is even reflected in the leadership development framework at the highest levels as "leading performance and process improvements" and "leading organizations". Creating process improvements for the good of the organization and for the benefit of all officers is a significant goal of CPC.
CPC will be instituting process improvements to the forthcoming assignment letters (orders) next week. Those of you who have received a forthcoming assignment but have not yet reported will get a new forthcoming assignment letter with the revised language. In accordance with the new letter, an officer must reply to CPC within 45 days of receipt of the forthcoming assignment letter, or 12 months from the date of the orders, whichever is later, indicating their intention to accept the orders. If the officer does not intend to comply with the orders, a voluntary resignation or retirement request is required. This modification will reduce last minute assignment changes that typically affect multiple officers, resulting in pulling officers from billets early and off their normal rotation schedule, and impacting other line offices. This process improvement will allow officers to better plan their career path. It will help CPC place the proper officers in the most appropriate assignments. It will increase the NOAA Corps' standing with the other line offices as it should increase our reliability. Increased reliability will lead to increased trust.
As with most changes, there will be growing pains. CPC values our officers and understands there may exist extenuating circumstances affecting an officer's availability for a new assignment. We encourage you to work with the Assignment Coordinator to explore alternatives.
CAPT Devin Brakob, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 16 Sep 2020 | CO/XO Command Advisory Board |
| CDR Mark Blankenship | 01 Oct 2020 |
| CAPT Devin Brakob | 01 Dec 2020 |
| LTJG Sara Wood | 01 Dec 2020 |
| LCDR Ryan Wartick | 01 Jan 2021 |
BOTC 136 has successfully completed the two week ROM (Restriction of Movement) Phase of the program after arriving at the USCGA on July 22nd. As the Indoctrination Phase nears, the members of 136 will continue to focus on mastering the skills of Leading Self: time management, attention to detail, proper wear of the uniform, and reaction to stress. The class has completed Basic Seamanship and is moving forward with their maritime curriculum in classes such as Aids to Navigation, Basic Safety Training, and Firefighting.
 LT Gallagher briefs arriving Officer Candidates on the procedures set forth during ROM Phase. Photo credit- CAPT Michael Levine, NOAA |
 NOAA Officer Candidates participate in the first Health and Physical Readiness exam. Photo credit- LTJG Brittany Sagardia, USCG |
NOAA Corps Recruiting is requesting volunteers who are interested in helping staff virtual career fairs this fall! If interested please contact - LT Douglas Pawlishen at noaacorps.recruiting@noaa.gov
Are you interested in joining a team with cross-cutting goals and activities that support multiple NOAA missions? NESDIS' Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) is seeking motivated officers to assist with STAR's mission to transfer satellite observations of the land, atmosphere, ocean, and climate into high-quality, state-of-the-art products and services to decision makers. Within STAR, the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division (SOCD) provides the research and development of remote sensing data in such observing areas as sea surface temperature, sea surface winds, sea surface height, ocean color, sea ice, and sea surface roughness. An officer with the appropriate background will be able to join and collaborate with any of these research efforts.
As the Executive Officer of SOCD, the officer will be part of the leadership team, having a voice in shaping the policies and procedures of STAR, but will also be in charge of overseeing the day-to-day operations within the Division (badging, purchasing, property management, travel, etc.). The officer will have supervisory responsibility over both NOAA Federal employees and contractors. Additionally, the officer will be the project manager of the multi-year, multi-million dollar effort MOBY (the Marine Optical BuoY), responsible for the vicarious calibration of all the world's satellite-based ocean color sensors.
As one of the few officers within NESDIS, there will be numerous opportunities to serve as the line office representative to several high-profile teams: Fleet and Aircraft Working Groups; OMAO Integrated Planning Team for next-generation ship development.
This billet is scheduled to become available as early as December of 2020. The officer can expect to gain experience in supervision, budgeting, contracting, and project management, making it an excellent developmental opportunity for future ship Executive Officers. Meanwhile, the prospect of coordinating with other line offices, academic institutions, and international scientific agencies helps build an officer's deeper understanding of scientific policy that is needed for advancing into senior leadership roles within NOAA.
For more information, please contact the position's supervisor, Paul DiGiacomo at paul.digiacomo@noaa.gov or the incumbent CDR Michael Gonsalves at michael.gonsalves@noaa.gov.
The Marine Chart Division (MCD) of the Office of Coast Survey is seeking an O-4 to serve as a Production Branch Chief in Silver Spring, Maryland. MCD is responsible for producing all navigational nautical charts for U.S. waters and the officer would be responsible for the charts within a single region of the U.S. The officer should have a maritime background and experience with NOAA ENCs®. The officer should also have experience with ESRI® ArcGIS™ software. Prior supervisory experience is desirable.
The officer supervises a branch of 11 civilian employees and manages the compilation of hundreds of nautical charts and products. The officer works closely with other divisions within the National Ocean Service (NOS). The officer also represents the division at meetings and conferences with federal, state, and local agencies and private organizations with the opportunity for domestic travel. As the NOAA chart suite evolves, the officer provides an integral voice in setting the prioritization of resources and shaping charting policy for new charts.
The officer is also eligible for training through NOAA's International Hydrographic Organization Cat-B certified program in nautical cartography, and can further this training through the University of Maryland's Geospatial Information Science Master's Program. Through this training, the officer could earn either a GIS Certificate or a Master's degree.
This billet is scheduled to be available in January 2022. If interested, please refer to the billet description and contact the NOS Liaison Officer, CAPT Benjamin Evans (benjamin.k.evans@noaa.gov), the NOS Technical Liaison Officer, LCDR Damian Manda (damian.manda@noaa.gov) or the current Chief of Production Branch, LCDR William Winner (william.winner@noaa.gov).