Agricultural Technician

Job Description

This is an off‑campus position based in Suffolk, VA that provides support to the field crop entomology program at the Virginia Tech Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Duties will include (but are not limited to): operating and maintaining research farm equipment; assisting with planting, maintaining, spraying, and harvesting research plots; assisting with insect and slug sampling; collecting data for laboratory and field research experiments.

• Ability to work in an agricultural environment (subject to heat, humidity, dust, noise, etc.) and do moderately strenuous labor associated with establishing, maintaining (including chopping weeds and applying pesticides), sampling, and harvesting field and laboratory research experiments.
• Must complete applicable safety trainings. Must adhere to pesticide record‑keeping requirements. Ability to lift 50‑pound bags of seed.
• Must be licensed to operate a motor vehicle.
• Must have (or be able to obtain within 6 months from date of hire) a valid Virginia pesticide applicator license.

• High school diploma or the equivalent.
• Experience in small plot agricultural research.
• Experience with the calibration, safe operation, and maintenance of tractors, planters, sprayers, and harvest equipment.
• Experience with field crop insects and related organisms and an understanding of basic principles of insecticides, pest management, experimental design, and data recording.
• Experience with insect identification and with laboratory experiments involving insects.

1

Non‑Exempt:
Eligible for overtime

Restricted

Average of 29 hours per week/1,500 hours per year

March 5, 2026

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands‑on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem‑solvers. A comprehensive land‑grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, a Graduate School, and Honors College.

The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

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If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Tim Bryant at btim2 during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.