Ecological Monitoring Crew Lead

The New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute seeks an eager and creative-minded Crew Lead to join its diverse team of ecological restoration professionals. 

The Ecological Monitoring Crew Lead is an integral member of the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute (NMFWRI). The Ecological Monitoring Program at NMFWRI maintains a professionally managed field crew to collect data on short and long-term ecosystem responses to restoration treatments, wildfires, climate change, and other disturbances. This data provides a critical scientific basis for adaptive management decisions and improved treatment effectiveness. The program also works with partners to build statewide capacity in ecological monitoring, adaptive management, and restoration.
 
This Crew Lead is responsible for leading crews carrying out NMFWRI’s ecological monitoring and restoration activities on public and private lands throughout New Mexico. This position works with the Ecological Monitoring program manager and our team, and other FWRI teams as needed.

We welcome candidates who can work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of professionals working towards wildfire resilience, post-fire restoration, and watershed conservation. This position will require excellent attention to detail; good self-care; a passion for working outdoors; a strong safety ethic and robust organizational skills.

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to leadership of the monitoring field crew in data collection (including regular overnight travel); providing oversight and quality control; supervising and mentoring student workers and interns; equipment inventory and maintenance; assisting with data analysis and reporting; participating in the creation, revision and publication of training and other materials; providing training to various audiences; and some administrative tasks.

• We are looking for someone with solid technical and social skills.
• Our new teammate will have strong organizational skills and will be able to creatively apply their skill and knowledge to new and emerging projects.
• They will enjoy getting out of the office and gathering field data in challenging and scenic places.
• They will showcase their talent for high-quality field data collection in service of a community passionate about the conservation and restoration of our New Mexico forests and watersheds.
• They will be excited about working with a close-knit team and model a culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, and professionalism

We take care of our staff!  

Once hired, the Crew Lead will have opportunities for professional development. They will work with a passionate team engaged in and excited about education, ecological monitoring, and collaborative conservation.  

As a New Mexico Highlands University employee, benefits include superb health, paid leave, and retirement benefits, an extended winter holiday break, and tuition waivers at New Mexico Highlands University. 

Where you will work 

From city to wilderness, valley to the mountaintop, our Las Vegas, New Mexico-based team serves our communities from the office and in the field. NMFWRI’s Ecological Monitoring Crew Lead will also train others and receive training at locations throughout the state. They collect data and train others for selected projects in forested, grassland, and riparian settings, bringing it back to the office for processing, analysis, and distribution to others. The ideal candidate should reside within a two-hour drive of our Las Vegas, NM office, as regular in-office attendance on campus and fieldwork in the HPCC burn scar is required. 

Duties & Responsibilities  

• Provide leadership, supervision, and operational oversight for field crews and work-study students/interns, when applicable.
• Take a leadership role in crew preparation, management, and accomplishment of field tasks. This involves primary supervision, mentorship and task delegation of the upland field crew and work-study interns in the field, and at times in office settings, as well as coordinating schedules, vehicles, equipment, and meals. Overnight travel and camping required.
• Perform field measurements and assessments of forest resources and ecological indicators, including data recording and quality assurance. Work is often performed in remote locations over difficult terrain.
• Clearly communicate expectations, schedules, and protocols to field staff; support professional development through mentorship, training, and feedback. Emphasize and model a strong culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, and professionalism.
• Prepare Emergency Action Plans and other materials to support fieldwork.
• Perform computer entry and quality control of field data including using FFI, Microsoft Excel, or other database software with attention to detail, including working with complex historic data
• Generate summary reports and analysis of field and vegetation treatment data; work with NMFWRI staff to communicate results and management implications to partners.
• Maintain quality control and quality assurance of entered field data. Conduct quality control analysis on collected data using R scripts and other tools.
• Perform field mapping of project sites using Global Positioning System and Geographic Information Systems technology
• Work with NMFWRI staff in development and publication of training guides, manuals, and other technical support materials.
• Work with the NMFWRI herbarium, technical literature, and equipment libraries including collection of samples, identification, equipment inventory, and providing managed access and training to professional and student partners.
• Conduct training related to forest measurement, treatment, and analysis techniques, including in coordination with other NMFWRI staff and external partners.
• Maintain and organize files, photos, documents, office resources, and field equipment, including equipment inventory and management via AssetCloud, and coordinating purchases for fieldwork.
• Utilize an asset management system to handle check in/check out and inventory of equipment for fieldwork
• Perform routine cleaning and maintenance of NMFWRI equipment, including basic vehicle maintenance
• Maintain a Wilderness First Responder or higher certification; maintain eligibility for a wildland firefighting ” red card” (FFT2), consistent with position duties.
• Support NMFWRI in their accomplishment of forest and watershed restoration treatments; participate in other professional development opportunities.
• Assist with education and outreach initiatives of the Institute, including cross-program support.
• Maintain regular attendance and clear communication with supervisors and colleagues in office, field, and online working environments.
• In-person attendance at NMFWRI and SWERI staff meetings and functions, when permitted by field schedule.
• Serve on search committees for Monitoring and other hires.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of NMFWRI programs and operations.

Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:

Education:   
Bachelor’s degree in a natural resource field including coursework pertinent to the duties described above such as botany, ecology, forestry, water resources, and GIS; or equivalent experience (e.g. work experience or a combination of coursework and work experience where 1 year of work experience equates to 1 year of coursework) 
AND

Experience:  

• Familiarity with ecological monitoring and safety protocols
• At least 2 field seasons’ experience on a field crew
• Wilderness First Aid or higher
• Effective time management – continued employment is contingent upon grant/contract funding which come with time-sensitive deliverables
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Basic GIS competency

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with R coding and ArcGIS software
• Wilderness First Responder or higher
• GIS certificate or equivalent experience
• 2-years or more experience in the measurement of riparian, wetland, forest and related ecological indicators
• 2-years or more experience with plant ID
• Experience in outdoor leadership and crew leadership
• Previous work experience providing quality control for collected field data, including troubleshooting based on results to identify and correct error sources
• Experience delivering technical training, including on monitoring protocols and field safety.

Education:  

• Bachelor’s degree in a natural resource field including coursework pertinent to the duties described above such as botany, ecology, forestry, water resources, and GIS; or equivalent experience (e.g. work experience or a combination of coursework and work experience where 1 year of work experience equates to 1 year of coursework)

Special Conditions for Employment 

• Must possess and maintain a valid NM driver’s license; must possess a full valid New Mexico Driver’s license within 60 days of employment and maintain a clean motor vehicle record.
• Must be willing to work weekends, evenings and odd hours as required
• Must be willing to travel, at times to remote locations.
• Must be able to engage in field work, often under difficult/challenging environmental conditions, including, but not limited to, steep slopes, dense vegetation, extreme heat and cold, and snow cover.

Continued employment is contingent on grant funding.

Continued employment is contingent upon the employee maintaining authorization to work in the United States. New Mexico Highlands University and New Mexico Forest & Watershed Restoration Institute do not provide employment visa sponsorship for this position.

Physical Demands:• Sitting: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Frequently

• Standing: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frequently
• Walking: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Frequently
• Bending: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Occasionally
• Squatting: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Occasionally
• Climbing: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Occasionally
• Kneeling: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Occasionally
• Lifting up to 20 pounds: . . . . . . . . . . . .. Frequently
• Lifting greater than 20 pounds: . . . . . . Occasionally

Working Environment:

50% outdoors; 50% indoors