Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (Temporary)

or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition or medical leave, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law. The College also prohibits the harassment of any employee on any of these bases.

Location: Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title: Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (Temporary)

Job Details and Requirement:

BASIC FUNCTION:

The Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (Post-Bac) is split between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) research of PI Branwen Williams in the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences and the Roberts Environmental Center's Energy Initiative at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. The fellow will play a key role in supporting two efforts, with time shared between them. This position will work closely with Williams to develop and apply statistical methods to analyze coastal ocean temperature data and ENSO events. Ideally, the research will result in a publication. This position will also contribute to the Roberts Environmental Center's Energy Initiative in a leadership capacity by helping coordinate speaker events and on-campus programming and mentor student research teams. Through this position, the fellow will gain new technical skills and hands-on research experience, lead programming initiatives, and work closely with stakeholders across the Claremont Colleges and with off-campus collaborators.

This is a one-year position, with the possibility of continuation beyond one year. Review of applications will begin August 17, 2026. Anticipated start date is mid-September. Applicants will be required to submit a cover letter (two pages) including relevant course and work experience, interest in the position, and career goals; a resume or CV that includes education (degree, institution, major, and graduation year) and, where applicable, research or relevant coursework, programming languages (and level of competency), mathematics, and/or statistics skills, any leadership, event-coordination, or mentoring experience, prior work experience, honors or scholarships, written work such as reports, theses, or publications, and teaching, tutoring, or community involvement. Candidates in advanced interview stages will be asked to submit two references to be contacted only with the approval of candidates.

Review of applications will begin August 17, 2026. The anticipated start date is mid-September 2026.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Reporting to the George R. Roberts Professor of Integrated Sciences: Environmental Science and Director of the Roberts Environmental Center, the Post-Baccalaureate Fellow performs the following essential duties and responsibilities:

ENSO Research

• Assemble, quality-control, and document publicly available oceanographic and climate datasets, and conduct exploratory data analysis.
• Assist in developing, coding, and testing statistical time-series models linking tropical Pacific ENSO conditions to California coastal sea-surface temperature, and evaluate model performance against historical data and standard baselines.
• Maintain well-organized, reproducible, and documented analysis code and workflows.
• Prepare figures, tables, and written summaries of results; contribute to drafting a written product and/or conference presentation.
• Meet regularly with the supervising PI and research lab group to report progress, discuss methods, and set research priorities.

Roberts Environmental Center Energy Initiative

• Serve as a consistent point of contact across Energy Initiative programming, coordinating activities, maintaining continuity between events and research teams, and contributing substantive input on programming direction, including timely energy topics and potential speakers and partners.
• Mentor and support undergraduate student research teams representing a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds, political opinions, genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, and religions, providing guidance on research methods, project management, timelines, and deliverables.
• Draft and edit communications and outreach materials, including event announcements, web and social media content, and reports disseminating student and REC work.
• Build and maintain relationships with faculty, staff, students, and off-campus collaborators across the Claremont Colleges and beyond, representing the REC professionally.

Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment.

The successful candidate will also be able to perform the following essential functions:

• Take and follow directions.
• Work cooperatively with others.
• Be self-motivated.
• Be well-organized and have an attention to detail.
• Receive and respond appropriately to constructive criticism.
• Display a positive attitude.
• Balance multiple tasks and priorities.
• Perform other essential duties and tasks specific to the position.

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS & SKILLS:

EDUCATION: A bachelor's degree (BA or BS) received within the past five years in earth or environmental sciences (e.g., geology, atmospheric science, ecology, geography, chemistry, environmental science and policy, or environmental engineering) is required. Qualified candidates with a degree in environmental studies may be considered.

EXPERIENCE: Undergraduate-level experience with statistical analysis (e.g., an upper-division statistics course) or advanced mathematics (e.g., undergraduate level linear algebra) is required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Completion of the following courses with an "A" or "B" is highly preferred: statistics, computational, or related classes.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES: Individual must possess knowledge, skills, and ability to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the position, or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge skills and abilities.

OTHER:

REQUIRED HOURS: The regular hours for this full time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, Monday through Friday. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division.

CLASSIFICATION AND STATUS: This is a temporary, full-time, non-exempt, ACA benefits-eligible eligible position.

Supervisor – AB1825: No

Mandatory Reporter – CA Penal Code: Yes

Responsible Employee – Title IX: Yes

Campus Security Authority – The Clery Act: Yes

IPEDS Category Job Code: 25-2000/25-3000/25-9000 - Student and Academic Affairs and Other Education Services Occupations

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Sedentary (up to 10 lbs.)

ANTICIPATED PAY RANGE: The anticipated pay range is $20.00 - $24.00 per hour.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None

REPORTS TO: This position reports to George R. Roberts Professor of Integrated Sciences: Environmental Science and Director of the Roberts Environmental Center.

GROOMING AND APPEARANCE: Employees are expected to wear attire that is appropriate to the office or department in which they work.

BACKGROUND CHECK: The successful candidate will be required to undergo a full consumer background check. Employment is contingent on the satisfactory results of the aforementioned, in addition to compliance with the requirements cited in this job description.

ADA/OSHA: This job description defines the essential or fundamental job duties of this position. It is assumed that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others. It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title 1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

DISCLAIMER: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position. Duties and responsibilities can change and develop over time; accordingly the College reviews job descriptions on a periodic basis and may make changes of business necessity.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT: Employment with the College is “at-will” meaning that the terms of employment may be changed with or without notice, with or without cause, including, but not limited to termination, demotion, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, duties, and location of work. There is no agreement express or implied between the College and you for continuing or long-term employment. While the College has every hope that employment relationships will be mutually beneficial and rewarding, employees and the College retain the right to terminate the employment relationship at will, at any time, with or without cause. The President is the only person who can modify or alter the at-will employment relationship.

Claremont McKenna College hires and promotes individuals on the basis of their qualifications, consistent with applicable state and federal laws, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristic or information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. Inquiries may be directed to the Director for Human Resources, 528 N. Mills Avenue, Claremont, California 91711-4015, (909) 621-8490. All applicants must complete and submit an online application to be considered for an open position.

Employment is contingent upon new employee providing documents verifying U.S. citizenship or, for aliens, documents verifying legal permission to work in the United States, applicant's acceptability for positions requiring use of a college vehicle is contingent upon a driving record acceptable to the College's automobile liability insurance. Promotion from within is encouraged whenever qualified employees of Claremont McKenna College are available. Interested employees of the College are urged to contact the Office of Human Resources if qualified for any open position. Please do not contact departments directly.

Disability Accommodations

In compliance with applicable laws ensuring equal opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability, CMC will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual (applicant or employee) with a disability if the disability affects the performance of essential job functions, unless the accommodation results in an undue hardship for the College. Employment decisions are based on the merit and not an individual’s disability. An applicant or employee who requires an accommodation should contact the immediate supervisor and the Human Resources Office. If multiple accommodations are identified that do not pose an undue hardship for the College, the selection of an accommodation will be at CMC’s discretion. To request disability accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Human Resources at (909) 621-8490 or hr@cmc.edu for assistance.

Organization

As one of the nation's most selective private liberal arts colleges, CMC sits among the intellectually-stimulating, socially-fulfilling, seven-college community known as The Claremont Colleges, a system modeled after England's Oxford University. Founded in 1946, CMC is the youngest of the nation's top colleges and enrolls approximately 1,200 students.

Claremont McKenna College (CMC) educates its students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in economics, government and public affairs. CMC's strong grounding in the liberal arts, together with its emphasis on economics, government, and international relations, attracts students who approach education pragmatically and who intend to make a difference in the world. With this broad-based foundation graduates leave CMC well prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. Many go on to pursue careers in law, business, government, foreign service, international relations, public policy, museum administration, science and education, or to pursue graduate study.

The College's cutting-edge research institutes provide students unprecedented opportunities to work alongside their professors and discover how what they learn in the classroom links to life in the world behond. The world comes to Claremont McKenna through a vibrant and renowned speakers series in which world leaders, thinkers, artists and visionaries visit campus through the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum and other public programming.

In September 2007, Robert A. Day, the Founder and Chairman of The TCW Group, Inc., pledged a $200 million personal gift to establish the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance and its unique programs. This was the largest recorded gift to a liberal arts institution, the largest gift in the field of finance and economics, and among the top 20 largest gifts ever given to a college or university. Through his generosity, the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance now offers multiple programs, including a Master of Arts in Finance degree.

While many other colleges champion either a traditional liberal arts education with emphasis on intellectual breadth, or training that stresses acquisition of technical skills, Claremont McKenna College offers a clear alternative. Instead of dividing the liberal arts and the working world into separate realms, education at Claremont McKenna is rooted in the interplay between the world of ideas and the world of events. By combining the intellectual breadth of the liberal arts with the more pragmatic concerns of public affairs, CMC helps students to gain the vision, skills, and values necessary for leadership in all sectors of society.

In addition to its dedication to teaching and learning, the College is a center for scholars who are engaged in research that can enlighten a society intent on finding solutions to its economic, political, social, and environmental problems. Ongoing research at CMC is contributing to the body of knowledge in areas such as the effects of government regulations upon the economy, toxic waste, juvenile justice, changes of enzyme systems in humans, and the ecology of desert regions.

The Research Institutes are perhaps our clearest example of the linkages forged at CMC between research, teaching and learning. Here, students serve as assistants to, and collaborators with, their teachers, co-authoring scholarly articles and presenting papers to academic bodies, corporations, political organizations and government agencies. They test theories in the public marketplace and actively seek answers to questions of broad social importance.

In recent years CMC has gained national recognition as one of the top liberal arts colleges in America. This recognition can be attributed, in part, to CMC's mission which acknowledges its obligation for service to the larger scholarly community through faculty contact with business and with government, a process that enriches both the outside world and the campus itself. Also contributing to CMC's national reputation are the accomplishments of its almost 8,000 alumni. Today, about seventy percent of CMC's graduates go on to advanced degrees at prestigious institutions, and one in eight graduates holds a position in top management.

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