The Klamath Network Inventory and Monitoring Program (KLMN) collects and provides relevant scientific information on the status and trends of Vital Signs, or indicators of park ecosystem health, in order to support park managers in protecting the parks’ natural resources. The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the National Park Service Klamath Network Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) program, is recruiting a Data Scientist/Data Management Assistant to facilitate data usage and improve workflow for all phases of the data life cycle for multiple Vital Signs, with emphasis on Wadeable Streams and Cave Community monitoring.

Data collected as part of the Wadeable Streams monitoring program are intended to provide decision-makers with information to assess ecological integrity of aquatic communities. This dataset includes over a decade of quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) data. The incumbent will use QA/QC data to quantify variance in wadeable streams metrics and recommend modifications to data collection techniques that will increase data quality and efficiency of collection. The incumbent will work with the Network Aquatic Ecologist to produce recommendations and summary reports.

Data collected as part of the Cave Entrance Community monitoring program include discrete, continuous, and spatial data. The incumbent will review these different types of data and their associated collection methods and develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to improve data quality, streamline procedures for storing and accessing these data, and facilitate analysis and reporting. The incumbent will work with the Network Data Manager towards these objectives.

Duties include, but are not limited to: identifying anomalous data, evaluating observer bias and measurement error, identifying novel data management workflows, improving existing data management methodologies, recommending improvements to data collection methods, revising workflows to improve data quality and facilitate data analysis and summarization, and preparing written documentation on findings and recommendations. Occasional travel will be required, including overnight stays of 2-4 nights at field locations to familiarize with data collection methods and workflow.

The incumbent will also work on additional projects with other Inventory and Monitoring Networks. While the specific Vital Signs and project objectives may vary, the duties and required skillset are the same.

KLMN comprises six national park units located within the Klamath region of Northern California and Southern Oregon: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Redwood National and State Parks, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Across these park units, KLMN I&M monitors the health and quality of lakes, ponds, vegetation, whitebark pine, land bird, and rocky intertidal communities among other vital signs.

Job Qualifications:

• Education: Undergraduate degree in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Data Science, Statistics, or similar fields;

Required Skills and Experience (be sure to document experience in your application):

• Experience in collecting ecological field data
• Conducting routine statistical analyses of continuous and discrete data using analytical software or programming languages;
• R programming for basic data summarizations, QA/QC checks, and statistical analyses;
• Evaluating and assessing quality of large datasets;
• Researching and synthesizing scientific literature;
• Scientific writing for documenting methods and preparing reports and/or peer-reviewed publications;
• Ability to work independently to accomplish goals;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with team members;
• Good organizational skills;
• Strong problem solving skills

Desirable Education, Skills, and Experience:

• Graduate degree in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Data Science, Statistics, or similar fields;
• Data entry and data management
• Writing R scripts to automate repetitive tasks
• Using tools for spatial analysis (e.g., ArcGIS, etc.)
• Collecting data on aquatic communities and water quality
• Collecting and managing continuous environmental data such as temperature and humidity
• Must be motivated, self-directed, organized, detail oriented, and able to balance multiple tasks simultaneously
• Willingness and ability to consistently enact high performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the mission of GBI and the goals of the KLMN I&M Program