Subject Matter Expert II

Job Description

Subject Matter Expert II

The Subject Matter Expert II (SME II) supports ecotoxicology research by executing and improving laboratory and field studies focused on emerging contaminants, exposure pathways, and risk. This role operates, maintains, and troubleshoots advanced freshwater invertebrate culture and propagation systems and deploys/maintains water-quality monitoring sensors and analytical instruments to generate high-quality, defensible data.

Compensation & Benefits:

Estimated Starting Salary Range for Subject Matter Expert II: $69,000.00-$71,000.00 per year. Pay commensurate with experience. Full time benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, and other possible benefits as provided. Benefits are subject to change with or without notice.

Subject Matter Expert II

Responsibilities Include:

• Support ongoing ecotoxicology laboratory and field studies, with emphasis on evaluating exposure pathways and risk from emerging contaminants and deploying/operating water-quality sensors.
• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot advanced culturing systems to produce healthy, high-quality organisms for laboratory and field experiments and for augmentation/restoration activities.
• Follow validated environmental testing methods and internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to maintain data quality, integrity, and reproducibility.
• Organize, manage, and interpret complex laboratory datasets; develop clear summaries, tables, figures, and other deliverables for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate with staff to prepare and publish data releases in accordance with policy, Fundamental Science Practices (FSP), and metadata standards.
• Provide training and workflow support to scientists and other staff as needed to ensure consistent execution of laboratory processes.
• Perform core laboratory functions including sample tracking; sample preparation and processing; operation and upkeep of advanced analytical instrumentation; data quality control and data management; reporting of results; and other laboratory duties as assigned.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned

Subject Matter Expert II Experience, Education, Skills, Abilities requested:

• Requires a Master's degree and relevant education and experience in one or more related fields, such as mathematics, hydrology, soils, water quality, fluvial geomorphology, biometeorology, biology (including invertebrate ecology), plant and wildlife ecology, chemistry, biochemistry, sociology, psychology, political science, public administration, or economics.
• Serve as a key contributor to collaborative research efforts; coordinate closely with the Project and Team Lead and other internal team members.
• Maintain advanced freshwater invertebrate culture and propagation systems; produce organisms to support science activities.
• Plan and conduct controlled laboratory and/or field experiments using established methods and internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot analytical and monitoring equipment (e.g., Coulter counter, water-quality sensors/sondes, microscopes, spectrophotometers); perform routine maintenance and instrument calibrations to support high-quality data generation.
• Apply strong attention to detail to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and reproducibility.
• Evaluate data against published method criteria and SOP requirements (e.g., review calibration performance, identify outliers, and document results).
• Manage and organize data using appropriate software tools and databases to maintain complete records and enable efficient retrieval for analysis and reporting (e.g., Solinist, PME, R, Excel).
• Support preparation of data releases and reporting deliverables, including tables, graphs, figures, and narrative summaries that clearly communicate methods and results to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned, including general lab upkeep, chemical inventory support, dissections, and preparation of documentation, spreadsheets, and related materials.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical…