Technician – Temporary Metropolitan Council

As a Technician I for the Water Resources department, you will have the opportunity to canoe, boat, conduct water quality sampling and gain exposure to a broad spectrum of water resources work performed by our unit ranging from monitoring and assessment, to planning and policy. You will work closely with Survey
123 application and the WISKI database in this position managing the data being collected in the field.

This role is ideal for someone interested in continuing in the water resources field. Familiarity to equipment used and methods to professionally conduct monitoring will be an asset to future job applications. Additionally, you will be part of a full planning cycle here at the Council. You can see how monitoring data turns into information from assessments, which informs planning efforts and measures success of our policies.

• 2-3 days a week conducting lake/river boat monitoring as part of a 2-person boat operator crew
• Lake program support: equipment kit prep and delivery in the Spring to our ~30 partners, sample pickup/processing for lab submittal for 150-200 sites per year
• Other monitoring support as needed: stream/river biological monitoring, continuous river monitoring site cleaning and calibration, routine or event stream/river grab sampling backup

• Winter grab sampling with rivers/streams which require 2-person crews for ice safety
• Historical database migration projects working with Excel files and formatting for import into WISKI database
• Logistical support for Subregional Workgroup meetings led by planning staff (task examples could include meeting equipment setup, tear-down, note capturing/entry)

Any of the following combinations of education and relevant experience:

• Completion of technical/vocational laboratory technician training program OR completion of two (2) semesters of college-level chemistry, hydrology, biology, or environmental studies
• High school diploma/GED and two (2) years of experience in associated sciences or scientific analytical procedures.

What additional skills and experience would be helpful in this job (desired qualifications):

• Experience with safe canoeing, motorboat operation, and watercraft launching/trailering (training will be provided on the job)
• Experience conducting field work in outdoor environments
• Experience operating, maintaining, and calibrating water quality meters/sensors for data collection
• Ability to seek out other perspectives, engage and collaborate with our internal MCES teams, state/federal agencies, watershed organizations, and local community partners in water resource monitoring and assessment activities.