Manager Laboratory Research

Closing Date: July 11, 2026 – 23:55 MDT

• Position Title: Manager Laboratory Research
• College/Division: Agricultural Experiment Station
• Department: 317250-JORNADA EXPER RANGE HEADQUARTERS
• Location: Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Target Hourly/Salary Rate: Commensurate with qualifications
• Appointment Full‑time Equivalency: 1.0
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Bargaining Unit: Not a bargaining unit position with AFSCME
• Contingent Upon Funding: Contingent upon external funding
• Standard
  
  Work Schedule:
  
  M‑F, 8‑5

*** THIS IS AN INITIALLY A ONE‑YEAR APPOINTMENT WHICH MAY BE EXTENDED; CONTINGENT UPON EXTERNAL FUNDING ***

Field work includes working as a member of a two‑ to four‑person team at remote locations in southwestern NM (possibly the southwest) collecting landscape‑scale vegetation inventory and monitoring field data (e.g., plant cover estimates, standardized monitoring methods, digging soil pits and characterizing soils, and determining ecological sites and states). Field work will include extensive travel and overnight stays. Lab and office work includes data entry, error‑checking, creating metadata, data analysis, project and data management and self‑directed work.

Position will involve the use of ArcGIS, MS Excel, MS Access (DIMA), Survey 123, R and GPS units.

Required

Education and Experience:

• Required
  
  Education:
  
  Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Required Experience:
  
  Five (5) years of professional experience related to the standard duties as outlined.
• Equivalency:
  None.
• Required Certification/License:
  None.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in ecology, environmental science, range science, soil science, natural resources or related field.
• Experience identifying plants to species.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with multiple researchers, private land managers, and agency personnel.
• Ability to work outdoors during hot or cold, windy weather.
• Strong time management skills.
• Attention to details.
• Experience performing self‑directed, independent work.
• Experience with vegetation monitoring (e.g., the BLM AIM protocol), describing ecosystem function (e.g., Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health), using ecological site descriptions, and characterizing soil profiles preferred but not required.
• Ability to identify the relationships among landforms, soil/site potential, and plant communities at the landscape scale preferred.

Environment: Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment.

Physical Effort: No or very limited physical effort required.

Lifting Requirements: Requires handling of average‑weight objects up to 25 pounds or standing and/or walking for more than four (4) hours per day.

Risk: No or very limited exposure to physical risk.

New Mexico State University does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, military service, or other non‑merit factor.