Monitoring Technician

Location: Las Vegas Town

The New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute seeks an eager and creative-minded Monitoring Technician to join its diverse team of ecological restoration professionals.

The Monitoring Technician is an integral member of the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute (NMFWRI).The Ecological Monitoring Program at NMFWRI maintains a professionally managed field crew to collect data on short and long-term ecosystem responses to restoration treatments, wildfires, climate change, and other disturbances. This data provides a critical scientific basis for adaptive management decisions and improved treatment effectiveness.

The program also works with partners to build statewide capacity in ecological monitoring, adaptive management, and restoration.

This Technician will assist with data collection, analysis, science communication and field logistics. This position works with the Ecological Monitoring program manager and our team, and with other FWRI teams as needed.

We welcome candidates who can work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of professionals working towards wildfire resilience, post-fire restoration, and watershed conservation. This position will require excellent attention to detail; good self-care; strong time management capabilities; and engaging communication skills with audiences diverse in age, socioeconomics, and cultural backgrounds.

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to working closely with the field crew in data collection and analysis (including regular overnight travel); working with complex datasets; working with professionals and NMHU students; assisting in analyzing, interpreting and communicating the management implications of monitoring data; participating in the creation, revision and publication of training materials; providing training in field methods or other topics to various audiences;

assisting in field logistics; and some administrative tasks. The majority of the seasonal technician's work will be in the field.

We are looking for someone with solid technical and social skills.

Our new teammate will have strong organizational skills and will be able to creatively apply their skill and knowledge to new and emerging projects.

They will enjoy getting out of the office and gathering field data in challenging and scenic places.

They will showcase their talent for high-quality field data collection in service of a community passionate about the conservation and restoration of our New Mexico forests and watersheds.

We take care of our staff!

Once hired, our Technician will have opportunities for professional development. They will work with a passionate team engaged in and excited about education, ecological monitoring, and collaborative conservation.

As a New Mexico Highlands University employee, benefits include superb health, paid leave, and retirement benefits, an extended winter holiday break, and tuition waivers at New Mexico Highlands University.

Where you will work.

From city to wilderness, valley to the mountaintop, our Las Vegas, New Mexico-based team serves our communities from the office and in the field. NMFWRI’s Ecological Monitoring Technician will also train others and receive training at locations throughout the state. They collect data and train others for selected projects in forested, grassland, and riparian settings, bringing it back to the office for processing, analysis, and distribution to others.

The ideal candidate should reside within a two-hour drive of our Las Vegas, NM office, as regular in-office attendance on campus and fieldwork in the HPCC burn scar is required.

Duties & Responsibilities Assist crew leads, specialists, crew logistics, and program manager in achieving the goals of the monitoring program.

Perform computer entry of field data including using FFI, Microsoft Excel, and other protocols with attention to detail.

Participate in preparation of Emergency Action Plans and other materials to support fieldwork.

Assist crew leads, specialists, crew logistics, and program manager in achieving the goals of the monitoring program.

Perform computer entry of field data including using FFI, Microsoft Excel, and other protocols with attention to detail.

Participate in preparation of Emergency Action Plans and other materials to support fieldwork.

Maintain quality control and quality assurance of entered field data. Conduct quality control analysis on collected data using R scripts and other tools.

Generate summary reports and analysis of field and vegetation treatment data.

Maintain and organize files, photos, documents, office resources, and field equipment, including equipment inventory and management via Asset Cloud, and coordinating purchases for fieldwork.

Perform routine cleaning and maintenance of NMFWRI equipment, including basic vehicle maintenance.

Perform field measurements and assessments of forest resources and ecological indicators, including data recording and quality assurance. Work is often performed in remote…