Through our Early Career Science Fellowship Program, the GIS and Field Technician performs a variety of routine tasks that assists the implementation of work plans within the business unit. The GIS and Field Technician provides technical support in GIS or other database technologies to Conservancy staff and monitors conservation easements. The position is a three-year and three-month, June 2019 – August 2022, (three summers included) term position.
The GIS and Field Technician provides administrative assistance to program or preserve staff. They provide research assistance to a program or preserve tasks, project management and/or general assistance to program or preserve staff. Specifically, s/he provides technical support in GIS (such as producing paper and/or online maps and processing spatial data sets) and other software programs (such as Excel) to Science and Conservation staff. S/he performs data analysis and helps write scientific reports. S/he works with the land asset management team to monitor conservation easements across the state of Colorado. S/he will review legal documents, travel to properties throughout the state, work with landowners, and create monitoring reports including written documentation, photos, maps and other data associated with monitoring of conservation easement properties.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
General Responsibilities
- Maintain project records.
- May perform financial or administrative work related to project appraisals, surveys or title work.
- May purchase equipment and supplies as provided for in budget.
- May assist with program budget development and monitoring.
- May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, in hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.
- Will require travel to remote places and contact with partners and private landowners.
- Works under minimal supervision making independent decisions based on experience and judgment.
- Will require the ability to drive 4-wheel drive vehicles or pickup trucks on two track and rough roads in remote locations and may require some overnight travel to remote areas.
GIS Responsibilities
- Ensures integrity of both data collection and management relating to conservation projects and project statistics.
- Produces maps from templates and creates original print-quality maps using ESRI GIS products.
- Creates, edits, and populates spatial data in geodatabases.
- Organizes and updates maps and map archives.
- Provides occasional technical support and assists non-GIS staff when necessary.
Conservation Easement Stewardship and Field Responsibilities
- Plan and conduct property monitoring visits for compliance, including taking annual monitoring photos and completing assessments of property conditions.
- Builds and maintains strong landowner and partner relationships.
- Understands and interprets complex legal documents such as conservation easements and stewardship agreements.
- Identifies, documents and reports violations, will coordinate with staff, legal counsel, and partners to determine a course of action.
- Responds in a timely manner to landowner requests for permission, notification, and amendments by gathering field data, reviewing easement language, summarizing and analyzing issues, and collaborating with other staff, legal counsel, and partners.
- Tracks and records transfers of ownership, including title searches.
- Independently drafts memoranda, correspondence, forms, and stewardship issue analyses, and revises as necessary.
- Assists with additional stewardship duties as assigned, including updating Management Plana and creating Current Conditions Reports.
- Assists with collection of other field data and ecological information on properties throughout Colorado as needed.
- Associates Degree in natural resources; environmental studies or equivalent combination of education and 6 months’ experience.
- Experience managing and prioritizing tasks from multiple sources.
- Experience with GIS software and basic map making.
- Experience managing, maintaining and populating databases and manual files.
- Experience with producing maps and/or other graphic products and reports and operating GIS software.
- Experience analyzing, building, populating and producing reports from databases.
- Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and web browsers.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Multi-language skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
- Field experience, including working alone in remote locations.
- Strong communication skills including written and verbal communication.
- Ability to assist with program budget development and monitoring.
- Ability to work independently and exercise independent judgment.
- Basic supervisory skills.
- Time management skills.
- Working knowledge and experience using ESRI’s ArcGIS to perform basic spatial analyses involving both vector and raster data.
- Strong administrative skills including attention to detail and numerical ability.
- Ability to plan, administer and record results of work-team meetings and activities.
- Experience managing, maintaining and populating databases and manual files.
The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, 401k or savings-plan matching for eligible employees, excellent benefits, flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.