The Illinois State Water Survey of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has been a leader in the study of water resources for more than a century. Our research and service programs provide citizens, industries, and government agencies at all levels with timely, science-based information and analyses necessary to manage our water resources wisely for economic development and a sustainable environment.
The Water Quality Section is seeking a Data & Information Specialist to envision, create and maintain various field methods, computational schema, analytics and data storage and archiving procedures employed by the Section in order to promote and ensure the accurate and efficient review, reduction, analysis and storage of water quality data begin generated as a result of research efforts.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Develop and implement methodologies for processing, organizing, and reviewing unit value, provisional and final data resulting from research projects. Collaborate with Principal Investigators and lead efforts to design, develop and manage hydrologic and water quality databases. Provide IT functions/support for project databases including maintenance and operations. Design development and subsequent troubleshooting of scripts and macros designed for batch processing of data files in order to ensure data integrity and comparability. Compile, perform analyses on, and plot data for inclusion in reports and presentations. Devises designs and reviews and updates data processing standard operating procedures used to ensure data quality standards. Supervise and develop workloads, schedules and review work product of hourly employees as necessary.
Education:
Required: Bachelor’s degree in natural resources, engineering, bioinformatics, computer science, or related field.
Preferred: M.S. degree in engineering, bioinformatics, natural resources, computer science or related field.
Experience:
Required: Demonstrated experience with database development, database querying, and import/export of data to/from databases. Experience with SQL programming and Visual Basic scripting. Experience with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access). Relevant coursework may be considered towards experience.
Preferred: Three years of experience with database management and/or databases involving hydrology, natural resources, or in support of numeric modeling research. Experience with Microsoft SQL Server.
Knowledge Requirements:
Required: Knowledge of water resources data, hydrological data, or other environmental data. Knowledge of methods and software used to review large data sets for inconsistencies and/or trends, identify patterns, provide analysis and interpretation of data sets and prepare summaries and reports for audiences of varying knowledge levels and backgrounds. Must have an understanding of the purpose formatting and impacts of data protocols and procedures. Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and written/oral communication skills. Self-motivated with the ability to work on multiple projects and manage time effectively. Ability to quickly learn new software programs
Proposed start date: as soon as possible after close, or until a suitable candidate is identified. Salary: is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Appointment status: Full-time, benefits eligible, academic professional position Application procedures: Please complete your candidate profile at http://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a cover letter, CV/resume, and the contact information for three professional references must be received by January 15, 2016. Interviews may be conducted before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after that date. All requested information must be submitted for your application to be considered.
For further information regarding application procedures, you may contact Hannah Dorsey at (217)333-4978 or hdorsey@illinois.edu. The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of contingent offer. Illinois is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. Illinois welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity.
