What are the responsibilities and job description for the Gulf Coast Field Tech position at Atlanta Botanical Garden Inc?
Description
The Atlanta Botanical Garden’s (ABG) Conservation & Research Department seeks a Field Technician to assist with fieldwork and data entry related to several projects throughout the Florida panhandle (Escambia to Jefferson Counties). This is a field-based position with limited ability to work from home during data entry activities. This position has flexible hours depending on project needs and plant phenology. This is a temporary position.
PRINCIPAL FUNCTION:
This position assists the Gulf Coast Project Manager with fieldwork in the Florida panhandle, including:
- Rare plant monitoring
- Searches for new populations of rare species
- Seed/leaf tissue collection
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Assist field staff with inventorying and monitoring of rare, threatened, endangered, and culturally significant in-situ plant populations across the Florida panhandle
- Assist with field collection of seed, leaf tissue, cuttings, herbarium vouchers, and other plant materials using methods consistent with department protocols
- Support field-related operations in and out of the field, including preparation for fieldwork, driving ABG or personal vehicles to and from field sites and ensuring that all equipment, data, and samples are organized at the end of fieldwork
- Maintain and prepare data for reporting
- Track work by updating “project diaries” to document daily and weekly work accomplished to meet objectives for multiple grant-funded projects
- Maintain volunteer forms and records of hours worked
- Safely and efficiently drive ABG Gulf Projects field vehicles on rough terrain
- Follow established field and safety protocols
- Utilize iPads, Survey123, FieldMaps, and Gaia GPS in the field to collect data
- Create simple maps in ArcGIS for field use
- Apply for research and collection permits as needed
Requirements
- Must be organized, detail-oriented, and adaptable
- Associate or Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Botany, Biotechnology, Horticulture, or related field preferred
- Prior experience with seed and pollen collection is highly desired
- Prior experience or skills in field data collection, plant identification, use of GPS and mapping tools, and navigation in challenging terrain is highly desired
- Work occasional independent field days and regular overnight trips during peak field season
- Ability to maintain a positive attitude in adverse conditions required
- Must have a valid Driver’s License
- Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lb
- Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Effectively respond to multiple, changing, and often conflicting priorities
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Ability to spend long periods standing, walking, crouching, bending, and kneeling in the field in various conditions, including the presence of extreme heat and humidity, thick vegetation, biting insects, and venomous snakes.
The above job duties and responsibilities describe the general nature and level of work for employees in this position, but this is not intended as an exclusive or all-inclusive inventory of all duties required of employees in this job.
If you meet some, but not all, of the qualifications, we still encourage you to apply. It is the policy of the Atlanta Botanical Garden to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.
