Position Overview
The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) is seeking an early-career scientist or engineer with an interest in environmental field studies and excellent organizational skills to join our interdisciplinary team investigating nutrient biogeochemistry and ecosystem responses in San Francisco Bay. This work will be carried out in support of the San Francisco Bay Nutrient Management Strategy (NMS;see here), a research program that studies the impacts of nutrient loads on San Francisco Bay and evaluates potential management actions. Working with regional, state, federal and academic collaborators, we study the Bay’s biogeochemistry, water quality, and habitat condition using ship-based sampling, high-frequency in situ sensors, and coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical modeling.
This is a full-time position for a candidate who will play a key role in maintaining a network of water quality sensors and assist with data management and analysis. The candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree in a pertinent scientific field and experience with water quality, estuarine ecosystems, or a related area. They must be able to: (1) coordinate logistics and carry out boat-based fieldwork in an estuarine environment;(2) collect, review, and synthesize scientific data and information from various sources;(3) work well in teams as well as independently with general direction from senior scientific staff;and (4) communicate findings effectively in presentations, reports, memoranda, and scientific journals.
Responsibilities
Primary position responsibilities will include:
• Contributing to the management of a distributed network of water quality sensors in San Francisco Bay.
• Coordinating, preparing for, and carrying out fieldwork on a boat.
• Occasionally lifting or carrying heavy field equipment for short durations.
• Servicing and calibrating water quality instruments in the lab.
• Conducting quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of NMS data and working with external laboratories to troubleshoot analyses and reporting issues.
• Analyzing and synthesizing data.
• Assisting with project management and operations tasks for the NMS field programs (e.g., budget tracking, task management, and coordination with external collaborators).
• Assisting with writing technical reports and journal articles, and contributing to the development of posters and presentations for meetings and conferences.
• This position requires in office and/or in person presence approximately 4 days per week for lab and fieldwork. Fieldwork may include 3-4 long field days (often early mornings) per month in varying weather conditions.
If you are excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this, or one of our other roles.
Qualifications
Qualifications
Required Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, civil/environmental engineering, geology, ecology, oceanography, chemistry, biology, or another related scientific field
Required Skills
• Familiarity with environmental chemistry or environmental science, particularly fieldwork, data analysis, and report writing
• Ability to lead or participate in boat or ship-based fieldwork, and to coordinate field and lab logistics
• Excellent communication, presentation and writing skills, and ability to synthesize information.
• Ability to work well in teams as well work independently with general direction from senior scientific staff
• Valid Driver’s License
Preferred Skills
• Experience calibrating and deploying aquatic instrumentation
• Experience processing, analyzing, and visualizing data using Python or R (or similar) would be considered an asset.
How to Apply
https://www.sfei.org/about/employment-opportunities