Data Coordinator

South Dakota State University (SDSU) is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as a data management coordinator for a recently awarded five-year USDA-NRCS Climate Smart Commodities grant. This project is focused on grazing beef and bison commodities and involves a large team of personnel from academia and industry and also includes a high level of producer participation. The successful candidate will join the team of faculty at the West River and Extension site from the departments of Animal Science, Natural Resource Management, and Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Sciences that are leading the grant project. This position is located in Rapid City, SD, and is a 12-month, full-time, benefit-eligible position that is fully funded for the five-year life of the grant. SDSU West River Research and Extension in Rapid City is the western front door to SDSU and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. It is here that academics, research, Extension, and professionalism come together to provide South Dakota, especially western South Dakota, with the agricultural resources and expertise that can give rise to personal, professional, and community success.  South Dakota State University promotes access to and opportunities for all to receive the benefit of and participate in education, research, and service and is especially interested in candidates that can contribute to this land-grant mission of access. Must be authorized to work in the U.S.  Sponsorship is not available for this position. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:The purpose of this position is to oversee management of data intake for this large-scale project. Data will be generated from a multitude of sources, including intensive research sites and producer (beef and bison) operations. The successful candidate is expected to perform quality assurance and quality control checks and create metadata standards for all project data. This position will also generate reports on soil carbon and methane emissions data to track project progress. In addition, this position will support quarterly reporting efforts for the grant by compiling and organizing data and generating data summaries. Producer participation is key to the success of this project. Producers will be provided incentives for implementing climate-smart practices. This position will organize producer and climate-smart practice enrollment data to ensure practice compliance. The successful candidate will also compile and generate reports of data associated with producer surveys and practice scoring rubrics. BENEFITS:South Dakota State University offers a wide range of excellent benefits including medical, dental, and flexible benefits, retirement plans, compensation packages, paid holidays, and vacation leave.  Employees also have access to internal and state-sponsored training as well as reduced tuition for state-supported courses at all State of South Dakota academic institutions.   We offer a generous retirement plan that includes 6% matching, 10 hours of annual leave each month, 9.34 hours of sick leave each month, and eleven paid holidays.  Relocation benefits are available per university’s guidelines.   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:Master’s degree in Agriculture, Data Science or related field including but not limited to Animal Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Data Science, Statistics and Computer Science completed by start date;At least one year of experience working with large/complex data sets;Valid driver’s license or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire.   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:Ph.D. in Agriculture, Data Science or related field including but not limited to Animal Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Data Science, Statistics and Computer Science;Demonstrated experience preparing and submitting reports;Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail;Understanding of production agriculture. APPLICATION PROCESS:This system will guide you through the electronic application form. This employment site will also require the attachment of a cover letter, which should specifically address how the candidate meets the qualifications as outlined in the advertisement, resume, and a reference page with the contact information for three professional references.  Email applications will not be accepted.  Please contact SDSU Human Resources at (605) 688-4128 if you require assistance with this process.   Any offer of employment is contingent on the university’s verification of credentials and other information required by law and/or university policies, including but not limited to, successful completion of a criminal background check.    South Dakota State University is a tobacco free environment.   It is the policy of the University to maintain a drug-free environment and to thereby establish, promote, and maintain a safe and healthy working and learning environment for employees and students.  This position is subject to South Dakota State University’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy 4:14.