Hybrid Water Resources GIS Specialist - WV Water Research Institute

Description

The WV Water Research Institute at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Water Resources GIS Specialist.

As the Water Resources GIS Technician, the incumbent supports office, laboratory, and field efforts in the West Virginia Water Research Institute (WVWRI) by providing primary technical support for GIS and spatial data initiatives. The core of this position involves leveraging Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to advance a diverse portfolio of water quality projects throughout West Virginia. The incumbent serves as a technical bridge between field observations and digital analysis, applying spatial modeling and data visualization to address complex challenges involving acid mine drainage (AMD), wastewater infrastructure performance, and a significant emphasis on rural drinking water reliability.

This role involves active collaboration with multi-disciplinary research teams, including partnerships with WVU Health Sciences to assess the intersection of water quality and public health outcomes.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ s.
• Wellness programs

What You ll Do

• Geospatial Analysis & Data Management:
  Performs complex GIS and spatial analysis using ArcGIS Pro to support WVWRI projects. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining comprehensive project geospatial datasets and streamlining GIS workflows to ensure data integrity and accessibility.
• Drinking Water & Health Sciences
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Supports specialized research initiatives in partnership with WVU Health Sciences to map and analyze drinking water quality data. This includes providing the spatial context necessary to evaluate how rural water infrastructure impacts community health across the state.
• Mobile Tool Development:
  Builds and manages specialized data-collection tools and interactive mapping platforms to modernize field data acquisition and tracking.
• Multi-Domain Project Support:
  Supports water quality and AMD remediation projects through a balanced combination of field and office work, with a prioritized focus on providing technical GIS context for drinking water safety and wastewater management studies.
• Comprehensive Field Monitoring:
  Conducts field sampling of water chemistry following strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to ensure high-level Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC).
• Data Assimilation & Insight:
  Systematically assimilates and analyzes water quality data, converting raw field results into actionable insights for research teams and public health partners.
• Technical Reporting & Publication:
  Prepares detailed technical reports for diverse projects and contributes to the development of peer-reviewed journal publications to share findings with the broader scientific and public health communities.
• Staff & Research
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Provides direct support to project staff by creating custom maps and organizing spatial data. Maintains active, high-level collaboration with multi-disciplinary research teams to ensure all geospatial needs are met for various WVWRI initiatives.

• Bachelor s degree in a natural resources-related field
• A minimum of one (1) year of related experience
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All…