Assistant Director Aquatic Sciences
Overview
The National Ecological Observatory Network
(NEON) is a $430 million dollar observatory
project dedicated to understanding how changes in
climate, land use and invasive species impact
ecology. For the next three decades NEON will
collect a comprehensive range of ecological data
on a continental scale across 20 eco-climatic
domains representing US ecosystems. NEON will use
cutting edge technology including an airborne
observation platform that will capture images of
regional landscapes and vegetation; mobile,
re-locatable, and fixed data collection sites
with automated ground sensors to monitor soil and
atmosphere; and trained field crews who will
observe and sample populations of diverse
organisms and collect soil and water data. A
leading edge cyber-infrastructure will calibrate,
store and publish this information. The
Observatory will grow to 300+ personnel and will
be the first of its kind designed to detect and
enable forecasting of ecological change at continental scales.
Summary:
Reporting to Project Scientist/Director of
Biology, the Assistant Director for Aquatic
Sciences provides direction and management
oversight for the design of the scientific
rationale and procedures for the Aquatic
Observation System (AOS), Aquatic Instrument
System (AIS) and Stream Experimental and
Observational Network (STREON), which are part of
the NEON project. This position is responsible
for overseeing the scientific rationale, sampling
designs, budgets, schedules, and personnel for
all terrestrial ecology activities.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Manages a diverse team of scientists to develop
the Aquatic and STREON sampling design for the NEON Project.
Develops and manages team schedule, budget, risks, and documentation.
Provides strategic, scientific rationale for
aquatic components of the NEON project
Oversees and contributes to design of NEON
sampling strategies (with inclusion of
terrestrial and aquatic interactions) and
implements into overall site based environmental data collection efforts.
Identifies risks to meeting scheduled
activities, and implements solutions to mitigate risk and meet timelines.
Manages the documentation of sampling plans,
equipment design and data collection, verifying
that all activities are documented.
Develops QA/QC protocols for field sampling and data processing.
Contributes to training material and field
manuals for field and lab procedures.
Supports Scientific Research Collections to
identify external facilities that can process STREON and aquatic samples.
Develops data products and quality checks data
from field crews and external labs.
Coordinates and collaborates with the NEON CVAL
lab to develop workflows for data quality control and quality assurance.
Collaborates with NEON scientists to develop
data formats for public data access.
Coordinates information sharing with relevant
scientific and academic communities
Facilitates publication of results with contracted laboratories.
Coordinates and collaborates with Observatory
Science and Engineering teams to develop
recommendations for best practices, future analyses, and data processing.
Participates in the larger NEON science
community by participating in independent
research and collaborating and attending meetings and conferences.
Follows and participates in development of NEON
and site specific environmental protection requirements, policy and procedures.
Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills:
PhD in Ecology, Evolution, or related field.
Seven (7) or more years experience with methods in aquatic ecology.
Some of this experience should include
supervisory/leadership experience, sufficient to
demonstrate the ability to manage a diverse group
of scientists and technicians.
Experienced in managing budgets and schedules
for a large scale scientific project.
Experienced in scientific writing and review.
Very effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Preferred Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills:
Experience working in a dynamic environment.
Experience working with groups involved in
terrestrial and aquatic ecological environments.
Experience working in a collaborative scientific enterprise.
APPLY AT: <http://WWW.NEONINC.ORG>WWW.NEONINC.ORG
NEON Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Women, Minorities, Veterans and Disabled Persons are encouraged to apply.
Bridget A. Sorget
Sr. Technical Recruiter
NEON, Inc.
(National Ecological Observatory Network)
1685 38th Street, Suite 100
Boulder CO 80302
www.neoninc.org
Phone: 720.330.1570
Cell: 720.839.5016
