San Clemente Island Botany Project Manager

The Soil Ecology and Restoration Group (SERG) is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of the San Diego State University Research Foundation and is committed to restoring and preserving California’s sensitive vegetation communities for the benefit of the environment and the preservation of the ecosystem services they offer.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

SERG is seeking one (1) Project Manager for habitat restoration, rare plant surveys, and other botany-related projects on San Clemente Island (SCI), a Naval installation on the southern-most of California’s Channel Islands. The Project Manager will work closely with the SCI Program Coordinator on all aspects of the program, as well as communicate with US Navy Biologists. This position requires arduous manual labor, working outdoors in all weather, heavy lifting and carrying, hiking on rugged terrain, as well as significant time spent on office tasks, such as writing technical reports. The Project Manager position will start on June 1st, 2026, with some flexibility in the start date. This is a full-time, hourly position with full benefits. Compensation will be $26.50/hour plus a full benefits package. Housing is provided while working on San Clemente Island. Work schedule will be 10 days working on-island and 4-day weekends off-island. Housing is not provided during the 4-day weekends off-island. Transportation to and from the island is provided from the San Diego area by means of a twin engine 19-seater plane.  Relocation benefits will not be offered.

All work will be conducted on San Clemente Island, which is owned and operated by the U.S. Navy as an active training site, as part of the Navy’s Natural Resources Program. San Clemente Island has a particularly unique flora, hosting two federally listed plants, 20 plants that are known from nowhere else in the world, and an additional 12 plants that are only known from the Channel Islands as a whole. The Navy’s Natural Resources Program also supports an extensive community of biologists and researchers. Applicants should enjoy living as part of a small and remote community and be able to maintain a professional, positive attitude at all times.

SPECIFIC DUTIES

The Project Manager is responsible for but not limited to:

Project Management 55%

• Use principles of adaptive management to prioritize project tasks appropriately
• Adhere to project schedules as outlined in annual work plans
• Coordinate between SERG and other island users, including military and civilian employees
• Respond to requests for data from the US Navy or other island users
• Ensure safety of all crew members, including compliance with Navy practices associated with work on an active Naval base
• Organize, train, and oversee all crew members to balance completing project needs within a biologically relevant timeframe
• Assist in identifying future project sites
• Train field staff in data entry and management
• Manage a geodatabase and create biologically relevant maps as needed
• Write reports and prepare maps and figures for quarterly and annual reports
• Incorporate comments from senior staff and US Navy
• Attend project kickoff meetings, site visits, SCI leads meetings, etc.
• Maintain vehicles, field equipment, and greenhouse and nursery areas, as well as computers, GPS units, and other office equipment
• Purchase and coordinate shipment of equipment and supplies

Field Work 40%

• Monitor rare plant populations
• Monitor vegetation cover
• Install, maintain, and monitor native species outplantings
• Remove/control non-native plant species manually, mechanically, and chemically
• Collect native plant propagules
• Propagate native plants
• Use GPS in the field and GIS software

Other Duties and Responsibilities as assigned 5%

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Education Requirement:

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university.

Minimum Experience Requirement:

• One-year of experience in technical research or statistical work.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIAL SKILLS

General

• Ability to interact effectively with co-workers, sponsors, and other contractors
• Ability to understand and follow posted work rules and procedures
• Ability to relate well to others within the project environment
• Ability to display motivation and strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• Ability to display organization, meet deadlines, display detail orientation, and possess good judgment and common sense
• Ability to demonstrate a high level of cross-cultural sensitivity
• Valid driver’s license, good driving record, and ability to drive 4-wheel-drive vehicles
• Ability to pass a background check to obtain clearance for military base access
• Ability to repeatedly lift loads of up to 45 lbs. throughout the workday and to safely navigate and work off-trail on steep, rocky, cactus-covered terrain
• Safety-minded

Field

• Rare plant survey experience
• Vegetation monitoring experience
• Experience with herbicide and willingness to apply it.
• Skilled in plant identification
• Knowledge of Southern California flora (Channel Islands preferred), especially coastal sage scrub, chaparral, canyon woodland, and dune ecosystems
• Experience safely operating and maintaining mechanical equipment, hand tools, and herbicide application equipment
• Valid California Qualified Applicator Certificate or ability to become certified within 6 months of hiring

Office and Management

• Excellent writing skills with experience writing scientific progress reports
• Demonstrated organizational skills to manage multiple, concurrent, high-priority project tasks
• Detail-oriented and able to maintain and improve on established databases
• People management experience
• ArcGIS Pro experience or ability to learn and become proficient

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIAL SKILLS

• Master’s degree in botany, ecology, biology, or related discipline
• Endangered plant survey experience
• Experience managing invasive plant species
• Experience with installation and maintenance of native outplantings
• Greenhouse propagation and pest management experience
• Experience creating and improving database organization
• Experience with Microsoft Access or comparable database software
• Experience maintaining and repairing small engines
• Experience working in a remote field site
• Experience hiring and managing staff