at State of Vermont in Springfield, Vermont, United States
Job Description
OverviewAre you looking for a position that makes a difference in protecting Vermont's rivers? If so, you may be a good fit for a River Scientist position in the Watershed Management Division, Rivers Program.
The program is seeking an individual with education and skill sets in river science and interest in working on rivers and floodplains in Vermont. This work is performed under the supervision of the Physical Science section supervisor as part of a smaller team working on assessing and analyzing the physical condition of Vermont’s rivers and supporting flood resiliency of Vermont’s communities.
The right candidate must demonstrate responsibility, organization, and independence. The position will serve as a regional river scientist for an assigned region and requires a high level of technical, specialized skills in the field of river science. Work includes supporting Flood Safety Act regulatory requirements, Stream Geomorphic Assessments (SGA), quality assuring collected data, providing data synthesis and analysis, and providing recommendations with respect to priority actions and tools to better protect the river resource.
The candidate must be comfortable communicating with consultants and landowners. The position is responsible for conducting fieldwork to field verify and apply the Statewide River Corridor Map in a regulatory context and work across all interested or affected parties. The official workstation will allow for telework and be headquartered in Essex or Montpelier Vermont and will require travel within the assigned geographic region.
The ideal candidate has skills in:
- Work independently to set schedules and general day-to-day work tasks
- Able to oversee State’s SGA Protocols, field data collection and analysis methods in their region.
- Able to work collaboratively with other subject matter experts in the program and agency.
- Comfortable supporting watershed assessments, river corridor plans, and partner restoration project efforts
- Highly proficient in the application of ESRI ArcGIS mapping software.
- Comfortable doing education and outreach efforts that may be part of program or agency events
- Able to communicate technical information, both orally and in writing, to a variety of audiences
- 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, 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.
