Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory
USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Otto, NC
The Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory of the Southern Research Station is recruiting a Hydrologic Science Technician-GS-1316-06. The position will be advertised as a term two-year appointment. The position will be at the GS-6 level (salary range $35,306 to $46,294/yr plus standard Federal benefits). The duty station will be located at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Otto, NC. The Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory has been in continuous operation since 1934 and the research program spans the continuum of basic to applied science. Coweeta is a Long-Term Ecological Research Site and works cooperatively with several universities, National Forests, and local, state, and other federal agencies.
The incumbent will participate in ongoing team-oriented research focused on understanding responses of watershed ecosystems to anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Duties include, but are not limited to: (1) installing and maintaining a variety of standard hydrologic and water quality instruments measuring precipitation, soil moisture, streamflow, stage, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, turbidity, suspended solids, etc.; (2) assisting with selecting and establishing new stations for data collection in watershed experiments; (3) using computer software to write new, and modify existing automated scripts for data quality assurance; and (4) tabulating, statistically analyzing, and summarizing data.
This position requires: (1) knowledge of the principles of forest hydrological research, and the ability to lay out, schedule, organize, and execute the details of a wide variety of projects, at least some of which have nonstandard technical problems that must be coordinated with others; (2) ability to identify and correct deficiencies that are readily apparent in field data collected by field recording equipment; (3) knowledge of the servicing, calibrating, repair, and installation of field recording equipment and ability to modify and/or repair parts on a variety of complex gauges, instruments and other equipment, and keeping appropriate records that document the proper evaluation and interpretation of hydrological data; (4) knowledge of the application of flow meters, automated water samplers, soil moisture instrumentation, and data logging equipment; and (5) skill in the use of personal computers and software packages used in data collection (e.g., Loggernet, CR Basic), analysis (e.g., Matlab, SAS), data storage, and presentation processes.
We anticipate officially announcing the position in the near future, with an anticipated starting date of mid-2016. If you are interested in this position, please fill out and return the attached outreach form and send to Dr. Chelcy Ford Miniat, Research Project Leader, USDA Forest Service, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, 3160 Coweeta Lab Rd, Otto, NC 28763 or email to cfminiat@fs.fed.us by February 14, 2016. Those interested will be sent a copy of the announcement with duties, qualifications required, and application instructions. For more information, contact Dr. Miniat at 828-524-2128, ext. 118. The USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity employer.