Environmental Analyst VII - Lakes and Ponds Program - Limited Service

at State of Vermont in Montpelier, Vermont, United States

Job Description

Vermont is home to more than 800 lakes and ponds, from its largest well-known lakes - Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog - to ponds just a few acres in size. The Lakes and Ponds Program works to protect, maintain, enhance, and restore the health of Vermont lakes and the public uses that healthy lake ecosystems provide through outreach and education, monitoring and assessment, and regulatory programs. The program is one of eight in the Watershed Management Division, which utilizes a holistic, integrated watershed-based approach to managing Vermont's surface water resources.

We're looking for an experienced lake scientist to lead the lake monitoring and assessment section in the Lakes and Ponds Program. As the Lake Monitoring and Assessment Supervisor you will oversee lake water quality monitoring, assessment, and management activities statewide, including supervising a small team of passionate, dedicated aquatic biologists and environmental scientists.

In this role, you will:

• Provide strategic and administrative oversight of the Lake Monitoring and Assessment Section in the Lakes and Ponds Program, including identifying lake monitoring and assessment priorities, working collaboratively to develop and align annual monitoring plans, overseeing the section's use of analytical services, and managing associated grants and contracts.
• Supervise a small team of aquatic biologists and environmental scientists responsible for lake monitoring and assessment statewide, oversee workplan implementation, assess and address capacity and training needs, and provide timely feedback.
• Serve as the technical lead for lake monitoring and assessment, overseeing Vermont Water Quality Standards development and implementation for lakes, collecting, assessing, and communicating lake water quality data, and representing the Lake Monitoring and Assessment Section in collaborative initiatives within the Watershed Management Division and with partner organizations.
• Environmental Factors

  Duties are largely performed in an office setting; however, some field travel may be necessary for which private means of transportation must be available. Field work may involve exposure to chemicals, gases, hazardous liquid and solid waste, and construction sites during all weather conditions; and may involve traversing rough terrain and bodies of water. Some work outside of regular working hours, including attendance at public meetings, may be required. Strong differences of opinion may be encountered on a regular basis.