Hydrology Technician (Multiple Districts, Sequoia NF)

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the US Forest Service, Sequoia National Forest, is recruiting one Hydrology Crew Technician who will work under the direction of a GBI Hydrology Crew Lead and/or the USFS to perform assignments of limited scope and complexity which are designed to contribute to the continuing professional development of the employee and forest objectives. Work will include opportunities to gain resource management experience in land management planning and implementation, hydrologic evaluation techniques and procedures used to identify management opportunities, preparing management prescriptions for protecting and/or enhancing the water resource, and standard administrative procedures, including program budgeting. Work on this position will begin as soon as hired personnel are available and will continue until approximately October 2025.

A Temporary Special Assignment (TSA) employee is one who is hired for a specific temporary assignment external from the institute’s administrative operations with one of GBI’s partners for 52 weeks or greater or less than 52 weeks and may work full-time (30 or more hours per week) or part-time (less than 30 hours per week).

Essential Job Functions may include the following:

• Conducting water resource inventories, field surveys, flagging and preparing the resulting data for application into the land management planning process;
• Prepare and direct implementation of water resource improvement project plans;
• Evaluate impacts of forest management on the water resource; and
• Aid in assessing water resource capability and suitability and identifying goals, issues, and concerns for water resource management. Duties include brief assignments to other functional areas to gain understanding of how they operate and how hydrologic information may be used by related disciplines.

The goal is to carry out relatively routine hydrology assignments or portions of more complex activities of a broader scope. The technician will inventory, analyze, and interpret various hydrologic factors and conditions to determine interrelationships, deviations, and relationships to forest resource management.

The work is physically demanding and involves hiking in steep terrain at high altitudes (4,000 to 9000 ft.) on a daily basis, commonly during extreme or inclement weather such as snow or rain or high wind events. Candidates will need to bring their own gear for such conditions. The position will require working in remote locations on National Forest lands to accomplish project goals. Work schedules can consist of 5 days per week (8 hours/day). However, there is high potential for an abbreviated work schedule consisting of 4 days per week (10 hour days). Work schedules are subject to change depending on weather and project needs. This is principally a field-based position with 80% of time in the field and 20% in an office.

Camping may be required as part of work. During the work week camping will occur at established sites within the Sequoia National Forest. The field work schedule is likely to be Monday-Thursday, 10 hours/day, 40 hours/week. Some weekend work or irregular hours may be required. 

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in hydrology, geology, soil science or biological sciences with coursework in watershed sciences, aquatic ecology, or related subjects and/or equivalent experience.

QUALIFICATIONS

• LiDAR, aerial photos, field survey protocols and methods, GPS, and GIS.
• Must be reliable, able to follow directions, maintain a positive and professional attitude, dress appropriately for office and field work.
• Tasks involve different and unrelated processes and methods.  The work requires familiarity and judgment in selecting appropriate alternatives from among a number of standard hydrologic principles, methods and practices, in order to solve relatively limited problems.
• High level of computer literacy, including MS Office, databases
• Ability to understand, implement and adhere to established data collection, inventory, assessment, and monitoring protocols;
• Capacity to collect and maintain field data in an organized manner that is easily understood and accessible to other resources staff;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience;
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license with ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads;
• Ability to live and work in rural and remote field and office setting;
• Physically fit to work outdoors, carry up to 50 pounds of personal and/or field equipment, and withstand the rigors of a forested and/or high desert environment in all seasons; and
• Willingness and ability to consistently enact high performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the mission of GBI and the goals and objectives of the USFS.

BENEFITS
Wage: $21/hour with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate. Full time, average 40 hours per week

In addition to a competitive base salary, this full-time,onsite position includes company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance, as well as $25,000 Life/AD&D policy. Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available, and voluntary Life/AD&D policies for family members.  Mental health support resources are employer provided, competitive PTO accrual, and paid holidays.  Shared housing is provided.  This exciting role contributes to GBI’s significant positive impacts within the fields of environmental research, education, and conservation.

TSA employees who serve a term under 52 weeks in duration, and have a thirty (30) day or less break between terms, and then sign a second term that (cumulatively) becomes greater than 52 weeks of employment, will be eligible for the >1-year TSA benefits (equivalent to Regular full-time employees).