Posting Details

Posting Details

Posting Number S02701P Working Title Research Technician II Department Ecology Dean's Office About the University of Georgia

The University of Georgia (UGA), a land-grant and sea-grant university with statewide commitments and responsibilities is the state’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (http://www.uga.edu/). UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA was founded in 1785 by the Georgia General Assembly as the first state-chartered University in the country. UGA employs approximately 1,800 full-time instructional faculty and more than 7,600 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 36,000 students including over 27,500 undergraduates and over 8,500 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 17 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

About the College/Unit/Department College/Unit/Department website Posting Type External Retirement Plan TRS Employment Type Employee Benefits Eligibility Benefits Eligible Full/Part time Full Time Work Schedule Additional Schedule Information

typically Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, with possibility of some extended days in the field

Advertised Salary $24,500 Posting Date 03/05/2019 Open until filled Yes Closing Date Proposed Starting Date 03/18/2019 Special Instructions to Applicants Location of Vacancy Other South Georgia Area EEO Policy Statement

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status.

Position Information

Classification Title Life Science Technician Pay Grade FLSA Job Family FTE 1.00 Minimum Qualifications

Requires technical knowledge in the field acquired through an apprenticeship, a 2-year degree, or professional certificate. Please contact your Human Resources office for an evaluation of education/experience in lieu of the required minimum qualificaitons.

Preferred Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in Biology, Wildlife Management, or related field

Position Summary

While this position will assist with various projects in the lab, they will focus their efforts on a contract with Southern Ionics Minerals, LLC. (SIM), an on-going project that operates off annual contract renewals. They will assist with all aspects of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and other priority wildlife species surveys and relocation tasks on a site scheduled for heavy mineral sand mining. These surveys include assessments of all plant and wildlife species that are deemed to be of state and federal importance, thereby requiring a diverse and confident set of skills in field detection and identification. Additionally, they will oversee the process of excavating animals from tortoise burrows requiring MSHA training to operate immediately proximate to heavy machinery. They will also need to extract commensal animals from burrows that may include eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, requiring specific safe handling protocols for venomous animals. The job also requires them to conduct health assessments and biological sample acquisition from relocated animals, and the skillsets to monitor them at the recipient sites after they have been released (trapping and radio tracking). Last, they will oversee project data management and GIS map production, both of which involve working with large, long-term datasets. Typically, the Technician will be expected to work 5 days (40 hours) a week. The technician is required to support housing and transportation expenses as part of their full-time pay and provides their own computer.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and/or Competencies

• Knowledge of southeastern herpetofauna and a dedicated interest in conservation.
• Field experience with Gopherus spp. on research and mitigation projects, including use of a burrow camera, is highly preferred.
• Field experience in the deployment and management of wildlife cameras and photo data. Experience with wildlife acoustic monitoring and data analysis is preferred.
• Working knowledge of GIS and data management software is highly preferred.
• Ability to work well with others, operate independently, good communication skills, and have an overall positive attitude.
• Flexibility with scheduling and physical and mental resiliency are key to achieving our work plan goals in an efficient manner.
• Capacity to work independently and be a good team player.
• A high-level of organization and professionalism, quality performance, and direct and efficient communication.

Physical Demands

Good physical condition and a patient temperament – this job will be physically demanding, requiring long days in the very hot and sometimes very buggy south Georgia summer. Physical exertion may involve walking up to 5 miles/day during surveying or carrying up to 25 lbs of equipment.

Is driving required to perform essential duties outlined in this position? (This does not include infrequent trips) The successful candidate would have to provide proof that s/he has a valid driver's license when offered employment. Does this position have financial responsibilities? No Does this position require a P-Card? No Is having a P-Card an essential function of this position? No Credit and P-Card policy

Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website.

Duties/Responsibilities

Duties/Responsibilities

Transect and visual encounter surveys for gopher tortoises of all age classes and their burrows, gopher tortoise nests during reproductive season, indigo snakes during the winter season, and other federal and state priority species including, but not limited to, flatwoods salamanders, striped newts, gopher frogs, and hairy rattleweed. Additionally, we document occurrence of all reptile and amphibians noted on the mine site property. These surveys will include an extensive amount of walking and collecting GPS data at occurrence points.

Percentage of time 40 Duties/Responsibilities

Duties/Responsibilities

Recipient site preparation and monitoring, including digging starter burrows and overseeing fence installation for temporary holding pens, and monitoring tortoises through VHF and GPS telemetry, and recapture through trapping in order to replace transmitters or collect samples. Additional monitoring techniques include the deployment of wildlife camera traps and acoustic recorders at burrows for monitoring social interactions and other behaviors.

Percentage of time 20 Duties/Responsibilities

Duties/Responsibilities

Office and data management tasks, including but not limited to, data entry, reviewing and organizing output from camera traps and acoustic units, management of spatial data and production of GIS maps, generating information for reports to SIM or government agency collaborators.

Percentage of time 20 Duties/Responsibilities

Duties/Responsibilities

Excavating gopher tortoises of all age classes, including eggs, to relocate to state Department of Natural Resources recipient sites. Excavations will be conducted primarily using an excavator and trained personnel but will include some removal by hand with a shovel in the instance of young individuals in shallow burrows. All tortoises captured are processed for morphometrics data, and disease screening and health assessments at to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) on Jekyll Island.

Percentage of time 10 Duties/Responsibilities

Duties/Responsibilities

Coordinate or assist with the husbandry of captive animals, primarily the incubation of tortoise eggs or hatchlings from the mine site that have been relocated or those that are from the recipient sites and part of research projects. Additionally, the AWCL maintains a modest collection of education animals used for staff training and public programs. Animal husbandry, the execution of training and outreach programs, and the development of material for AWCL social media platform will be minimal, yet important, parts of this job.

Percentage of time 10 Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. * Do you possess a valid driver's license?
   • No Response
   • No
   • Yes

Applicant Documents Required Documents

1. Resume/CV
2. Cover Letter

Optional Documents