Research Associate

Location: Ecological Restoration Inst.

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Job ID: 607923

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Workplace Culture

NAU aims to be the nation’s preeminent engine of opportunity, vehicle of economic mobility, and driver of social impact by delivering equitable postsecondary value in Arizona and beyond.

https://nau.edu/president/strategic-plan/ 

Special Information

• This position is subject to the availability of funding. The incumbent is not eligible for Service Professional non-renewal notice, or Classified Staff layoff or recall status.
• Must be able to work outdoors in a variety of terrain and weather conditions.
• Must be able to travel for field work, workshops, or as needed nationally; on average less than 15%.

Job Description

The Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) is adding to our science delivery team of natural resource professionals committed to working with land management practitioners (e.g., US Forest Service, AZ State Forest and Fire Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management) and other NGO partners to restore and increase resiliency of Arizona’s fire-adapted forests. As a member of the Science Delivery Team, this position will support the ERI’s mission (https://eri.nau.edu/about-us) through co-production of technical analyses with partners to inform large forest landscape restoration.

This role will interact with a wide variety of land managers and stakeholders to translate broad forest management goals into specific metrics for implementation and evaluation, and communicate landscape concepts via spatial (e.g., GIS, remote sensing) and tabular (e.g., spreadsheets, databases) data products. The ideal candidate is a creative problem solver that has both practical and scientific experience in forest/fire ecology, a passion for collaborative work involving a diverse range of stakeholders and team members, and an interest in creating healthy, resilient forested landscapes.

This position is grant funded, with possibility of extension, dependent on performance, program needs and availability of funding. The selected candidate will work closely with a research team that includes students and faculty at NAU, the Ecological Restoration Institute, the School of Forestry and various federal land managers.

Science Delivery Content & Application – 35%

• Conduct needs assessments with land manager practitioners to identify scientific needs for best ecological practices, and climate adaptation tactics, for landscape resiliency to climate and wildfires.
• Lead and/or contribute to the coordination of workshops, seminars, and virtual events at local, state and west-wide scales.
• Coordinate with ERI scientists and communications staff to explore and identify new science delivery and/or integrative products based upon recognized land manager/ stakeholder needs.
• Collaborate across ERI staff to ensure timely creation and dissemination of a regular and diverse suite of written or web-based science delivery products translating emerging science for land management communities to meet identified land manager/stakeholder needs.

Knowledge Development – 30%

• Identify key scientific questions and needs with federal land managers on topics including fire behavior modeling, forest treatment prioritizations, landscape evaluations, and post-fire assessments.
• Realize and facilitate opportunities for cross-boundary co-production, when management questions and needs are similar.
• Acquire and analyze spatial and tabular datasets for practical applications with federal, state, and local land managers.
• Summarize data analyses into technical reports for managers.
• Conduct forest sampling fieldwork to inform landscape evaluations and monitoring studies or respond to land manger questions.

Foster & Support Partnerships – 25%

• Maintains and enhances relationships with both the scientific and land management communities.
• Assesses, summarizes, and communicates land manager needs to researchers, and integrates land manager needs into current ERI work.
• Provides coordination for, and/or participates in, partnerships and collaboratives with a wide range of natural resources interest groups and constituencies.
• Support collaborative efforts with technical contributions and expertise.
• Coordinate with sister-institutes of SWERI (AZ, NM, & CO) to leverage joint projects.

Internal Communications – 5%

• Participate in weekly meetings to support and coordinate among ERI Policy and Human Dimensions team, Ecology team, Indigenous Program team, and Industry and Biomass Utilization team.

Other – 5%

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in natural resource science (e.g. forestry, forest ecology, landscape ecology, fire science, geography, ecoinformatics, quantitative ecology) or a closely related field.
• Four to six years of research support experience or professional work experience in forest ecology, silviculture, fire suppression, fire science, landscape ecology, forest management, wildlife management or a closely related field.
• A combination of related education, experience and training may be used as an equivalent to the above educational Minimum Requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in natural resource science (e.g. forestry, forest ecology, landscape ecology, fire science, wildlife biology, geography, informatics, quantitative ecology) or a closely related field.
• Two or more years experience coordinating delivery outcomes including event planning for workshops, webinars, field tours.
• Demonstrated experience working in collaborative teams to innovate better science communication to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries and work harmoniously with diverse groups of students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders outside the university setting.
• Excellent demonstrated verbal and written communication skills and experience conveying complex forest and fire ecology science to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience in spatial and non-spatial modeling, including fire behavior modeling, and/or methods to study trends and predicted changes in forest conditions, forest health and wildfire risk, and values at risk over time.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Knowledge of science delivery methodologies, technologies, and processes.
• Knowledge of western forest systems.
• Knowledge of public land management policies, practice, and culture.
• Knowledge of remote sensing, fire ecology, forest ecology, or climate change effects.
• Skilled in translating complex technical information to non-technical audiences regarding data and information management and technology.
• Skilled in professional writing and verbal communication techniques.
• Skilled in software platforms that facilitate different science outreach products, including some of, and not limited to, the following: Adobe suite, Microsoft suite, ArcGis and Google Earth Engine.
• Skilled in strong collaborative, organizational, and project management.
• Ability to establish and nurture beneficial professional relationships with diverse entities.
• Ability to appropriately manage and incorporate differing views from diverse partners into productive discussions and outcomes.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and manage multiple work tasks at a time.
• Familiarity with southwestern U.S. forests and/or similar ecosystems and management strategies to address current threats.
• Knowledge and experience in applying climate change science to the study and analysis of forest ecosystems and climate adaptation.

Driving Requirement

Driving a vehicle on behalf of the university is anticipated to be a regular part of this position. Arizona Administrative Code Fleet Safety Policy requires all employees who drive on university business become authorized by submitting Driver’s license information for driving record monitoring, and completion of training appropriate to the level of driving performed. The law applies to all faculty, staff, and students who drive personal or university-owned motorized vehicles for any business purpose. More information on the https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/motor-vehicle-use-for-university-business/ can be found on the NAU website.

Background Information

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Additionally, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees’ right to work in the United States. Finally, each year Northern Arizona University releases an https://in.nau.edu/police-department/annual-security-and-fire-safety-reports/. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the https://in.nau.edu/police-department/annual-security-and-fire-safety-reports/ is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Salary

Anticipated salary begins at $54,779. Annual salary commensurate with candidate’s qualifications and related experience.

FLSA Status

This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and therefore will not earn overtime or compensatory time for additional time worked.

Benefits

This is a Service Professional (SPF) position. NAU offers an excellent benefit package including generous health, dental and vision insurance; participation in the Arizona State Retirement System or the Optional Retirement Program; 22 days of vacation and 10 holidays per year; and tuition reduction for employees and qualified dependents. More information on benefits at NAU is available on the https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/benefits/. NAU is a tobacco and smoke-free campus. Service Professionals are hired on a contract basis, renewable each 6 months according to https://public.powerdms.com/ABOR/documents/1499270. Employees offered a position will be eligible for state health plans (including NAU’s BCBS Plan). New employees are https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/eligibility-enrollment/ on the first day of the pay period following their enrollment, after their employment date. Employees will have 31 days from their start date to enroll in benefits. If a new employee chooses the ASRS retirement option, participation in the Arizona State Retirement System, and the long-term disability coverage that accompanies it, will begin on the first of the pay period following 6 months after the new employee’s start date. New employees who choose to participate in the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), which is an alternative to the ASRS plan for faculty and other appointed staff, will begin to participate on the first day of the pay period following election. Additionally, the long-term disability plan that accompanies the ORP will begin on the first day of the pay period following election.

Learning and Development

Your career at Northern Arizona University includes the opportunity for professional development. https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/orientation/  includes courses to be completed within the first 30 days.

Immigration Suppt/Sponsorship

NAU will not provide any U.S. immigration support or sponsorship for this position.

Application Deadline

July 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please click on the “Apply” button on this page. You must submit your application by clicking on the “Submit” button by midnight of the application deadline. If you need assistance completing your application there are instructions available on the https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/ or in person in the Human Resources Department located in Building 91 on the NAU Campus – on the corner of Beaver and DuPont Streets.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at 928-523-8773, http://DR@nau.edu,  or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Northern Arizona University is a committed Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. NAU is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

https://in.nau.edu/Human-Resources/Posters-Required-by-Law/ 

NAU is an Employer of National Service. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other National Service alumni are encouraged to apply.

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