NEON - Lead Field Technician - Limnology - WA

Battelle delivers when others can’t. We conduct research and development, manage national laboratories, design and manufacture products and deliver critical services for our clients—whether they are a multi-national corporation, a small start-up or a government agency.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Battelle manages and operates the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) program, which is solely funded by the National Science Foundation. A 30+ year project dedicated to understanding how changes in climate, land use and invasive species impact ecology, the observatory’s scientists and engineers are collecting a comprehensive range of ecological data on a continental scale across 20 eco-climatic domains representing US ecosystems.

Our teams use cutting-edge technology, including an airborne observation platform that captures images of regional landscapes and vegetation; mobile, relocatable, and fixed data collection sites with automated ground sensors to monitor soil and atmosphere; and trained field crews who observe and sample populations of diverse organisms and collect soil and water data. Once structures are completed, a leading-edge cyberinfrastructure will calibrate, store and publish this information.

The Observatory includes more than 500+ personnel and is the first of its kind designed to detect and enable forecasting of ecological change at continental scales.

We are currently seeking a Lead Field Technician-Limnology. This position is in Vancouver, WA.

Lead Field Technicians supervise and perform seasonal and periodic sampling of physical, chemical, and biological data at one (1) to five (5) field sites, while exercising good judgement and decision-making abilities to interpret protocol requirements. Lead Field Technicians are assigned an area(s) of primary responsibility within the scope of data collection: botany, soils, entomology, mammalogy (except Puerto Rico and Hawaii), limnology (except Hawaii), or instrumentation.

Field observations and collection are conducted using approximately 30 different protocols and multiple Standard Operating Procedures with varying schedule requirements based on local ecosystem and field conditions.

Individuals are responsible for their own housing and transportation to primary work location.

If you can't choose between the mountains and the ocean, the Pacific Northwest (Domain 16) may be the place for you. This coastal Domain features spectacular mountain ranges, vast conifer forests, and a rugged, rocky coastline. The NEON field sites, nestled into the Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon, offer an opportunity to see how different land management strategies impact this unique temperate ecosystem.

NEON sites in the Pacific Northwest Domain are managed from our Vancouver, WA office.

The work involves walking, hiking, prolonged standing, bending, and kneeling. Heavy items, equipment and packs up to 40 pounds, must be lifted and carried on a routine basis. Field work includes exposure to extreme temperatures, inclement weather, rough and variable terrain, toxic plants (e.g., poison ivy, hogweed), stinging and biting insects, and wildlife hazards. Instrument maintenance involves performing work on instrument towers ranging in height from 24 feet to 300 feet, which includes ascending and descending multiple flights of stairs.

Driving off-road in 4WD vehicles is required for most field sites.

Work schedules are typically 8-10 hours per day but can occasionally be 12+ hours per day, including split shifts (off in the middle of the day), starting before dawn and/or ending after dusk, and weekends depending on the work assignment.

Frequent overnight travel (e.g., monthly for 3-4 nights) is required.

• Perform and supervise stream channel morphology, aquatic organism abundance and diversity, biogeochemistry, seasonal climatic and hydrologic changes, and riparian phenology data collection following…