The Land Institute Seeks Civic Science Research Technician
Posted on August 16, 2022
Position Title:
Civic Science Research Technician
Position Summary:
We seek a creative, collaborative Civic Science Research Technician to help steward a large new civic science project, involving a community of approximately 250 civic scientists in the United States growing and studying small plots of multiple perennial grain crops over multiple years. The project has an emphasis on diversity and inclusion through motivating broad participation and engaging civic scientists who may range across geographic locations, educational background, socioeconomic status, community membership, gender, race/ethnicity, age, and cultural contexts.
The Civic Science Research Technician will bring professional and/or personal life experience in effectively engaging a wide range of people in educational settings, either formal or informal learning environments, and managing qualitative and quantitative data. The technician will contribute excellent communication, organization, and collaboration skills
interest or experience in agriculture and working with plants
and intellectual curiosity with a commitment to lifelong learning. We have a strong preference for a technician who is bilingual in Spanish and English with proficiency in both writing and speaking.
For this role, we are looking for someone with new and valued vantage points that will stand out in our team. For example, you may bring experience in citizen science and community science methods
in urban community gardens and urban agriculture
in science communication and data visualization
in regions of the US other than the Great Plains and Midwest
and/or in identifying and addressing barriers to inclusive public participation in agricultural research and education. We can imagine many different people succeeding in this role and are open to the variety of experiences that prepare people for it.
The Civic Science Research Technician will join a collaborative, innovative civic science lab. We imagine that if this role is successful, in the next four years, our project research team will have invited, engaged, and supported a diverse civic science community in active learning, building new relationships and stories with perennial grain crops and each other, and collecting high-quality scientific data that advances domestication and agroecology research.
Who We Are + What We Do
The Land Institute (TLI) is an international non-profit research organization. With more than 50 organizational research partners, TLI is developing perennial grain crops in diverse cropping systems to equitably nourish human communities and ensure our longevity within the ecosphere.
TLI was founded in 1976 along the Smoky Hill River outside Salina, Kansas, by white environmentalists who returned to their home region to find inspiration in the perenniality and diversity of native ecosystems like the prairie for the pursuit of long-term sustainability. Over the past 40+ years, we’ve focused on growing scientific research to successfully establish that perennial grain crops are possible and desirable. Now we are collaboratively accelerating scientific research to realize perennial grain agricultures, while re-expanding our consideration of the social context that will make it possible to reconcile the human economy with nature’s economy, beginning with food.
Collaborative partnerships are core to our work and mission. We are on the journey to grow the connections, understanding, and actions necessary to realize a perennial future. As an organization, beginning in our home hub, we seek to live into our responsibilities to positively relate to the land: the interdependent creatures, plants, soils, water, air, and human communities of this place and the unique stories, cultures, and knowledges that emerge from and are possible within this place.
By investing in relationships and partnerships, The Land Institute aims to help envision and enact a re-perennialized central Great Plains of North America in which human communities can live and thrive for the long term. The work of the Land Relations Coordinator, team, and partners at our home hub may demonstrate the relevance of relational practices and provide a model for other localized research hubs advancing diverse, perennial grain agriculture around the world.
Primary Responsibilities + Expectations
Support lead researchers through civic science project management
• Contribute to civic science experimental project design and implementation plans in alignment with research questions and project goals and values
• Lead project management and manage internal workflow and communications by organizing tasks, timelines, and calendars through digital project management software
• Organize and facilitate digital meetings of project researchers and collaborators
Manage civic science project data
• Manage scientific and humanistic data collected by civic scientists and researchers—ranging from measurements and observations to stories and images—through evolving digital platforms, while assuring scientific and ethical integrity
• Contribute to the collaborative design of data governance protocols and adhere to them in data management, analysis, and communication
• Serve as a liaison for gathering, synthesizing, and sharing user feedback to lead researchers and project collaborators developing digital platforms
Design and implement civic science educational processes
• Help identify and implement strategies to invite, motivate, and sustain participation by civic scientists across geographic and cultural contexts
• Collaborate with researchers to produce and manage clear protocols, accessible educational materials, feedback and communication channels, and engagement opportunities for civic scientists
for instance, through print and digital forms like field guides and newsletters, webinars, individual emails and phone calls, mailings to send supplies and seedlings and receive samples and results, and site visits and other events
• Support project research team in data collection and analysis and in returning results to multiple audiences, including through collaborative presentations, reports, and articles
Participate in growing an inclusive learning culture in the civic science lab and across TLI
• Share knowledge, insights, and questions across civic science projects to grow an inclusive learning culture in the civic science lab, such as through co-working and lab meetings and ongoing development of our practices, as documented in our lab manual
• Learn and connect across TLI by collaborating and consulting with colleagues in other research labs and teams
• Engage in regular practices of individual and group reflection and evaluation of our own learning, including giving and receiving feedback and putting lessons learned into practice
This Job Is For You If You Are…
• Mission Driven: You are passionate about the mission of The Land Institute and are interested in aligning your skills and personal genius to benefit this work. You are excited to help broaden and deepen civic engagement in scientific research with perennial grains.
• A Boundary Spanner: You bring an intercultural skill set and you model self-awareness in your own preferences. You are curious and committed to continual learning, and you adapt to span boundaries with people across a range of different perspectives.
• A Planner and Doer: You have a knack for translating ideas and possibilities into practical educational plans, materials, and actions. You organize workplans and effectively manage tasks, timelines, and multiple forms of data. You like improving and evolving systems, and you embrace change.
• A Creative Collaborator: You believe in the power of a diverse collective to generate knowledge and solve problems. You are motivated and inspired to build collaborative relationships with researchers and civic scientists, and you excel as a team player. You bring a playful, positive approach to work.
Hours
Generally available to work forty hours per week, including in person and digital meetings, primarily during 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Central Time on weekdays when most of our staff and collaborators are working. Some evening and weekend working hours will be needed for community engagement activities. We are flexible for caregivers who might need to provide rides or support, attend appointments, or be available for caregiving.
Location + Travel
Our strong preference is for this role to be based at The Land Institute’s headquarters in Salina, Kansas. However, we are also open to some remote work with regular time on site. Time on site is important for the technician to have access to people, plants, and experiences that will inform their learning and the development of civic science educational materials, and for the technician to coordinate mailing and receipt of physical materials (such as seedlings and harvest samples) involved in civic science projects. This role includes a budget for travel to visit selected civic scientists and other relevant events, and you will be provided with a laptop computer.
Compensation + Benefits
The Land Institute offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary commensurate with experience.
Salary / 40,000-60,000 depending on qualifications and experience
• Remote-friendly work environment
• Paid parental leave
• 403(b) Retirement with employer contributions
• Medical, dental, vision, & life insurance
• Short Term and Long Term Disability
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Accidental Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care
• Employee Assistance Program
• Professional Development
• Paid holidays
• Generous PTO
• Complete laptop workstation and set up for remote work
To Apply
Link to application process:
Upload the following paragraphs as an attachment by clicking apply below (as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf).
1. Two to three paragraphs telling us why you are interested in this particular position and how you believe you meet the qualifications. Please specifically address these topics in relationship to the role you are applying for
do not send a general cover letter.
2. Your work/skills/training history as an attachment OR link to your LinkedIn profile.
Qualified applicants will receive a reply within five business days to schedule a conversation.
Position open until filled. Start date flexible—ideally someone will begin full time by October 3.
The Land Institute is an equal opportunity employer and embraces the opportunity to provide employment to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. We are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.