The Riverscapes Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) lab at Utah State University, a founding member of The Riverscapes Consortium (https://riverscapes.net), is seeking a dynamic, empathetic, and innovative problem solver to join our team. This role is dedicated to empowering individuals to effectively utilize the applications, models, and datasets produced by the Riverscapes Consortium.

The ideal candidate will have a genuine passion for river health and a commitment to supporting those striving to enhance, understand, and steward their riverscapes and watersheds. Your primary responsibility will be to facilitate access to the resources offered by the Riverscapes Consortium, catering to a diverse audience that includes researchers, practitioners, resource managers, policymakers, students, and community members.

Key aspects of the role include curating and maintaining website content and online documentation resources, ensuring they are user-friendly and informative. Additionally, you will respond to user inquiries with patience and clarity, primarily through our help desk software. As the first point of contact for users seeking to leverage our products or contribute to our efforts to improve riverscape health, you will play a crucial role in fostering engagement and understanding.

Joining our large and diverse team of internationally recognized researchers, restoration practitioners, and resource managers will enable you to help us reach and serve an even broader community dedicated to enhancing riverscape health.

Technical Writer, Documentation & Instructor - 60%: 

• Maintaining and authoring technical resources for the Riverscapes Consortium apps, models, and datasets (https://www.riverscapes.net/page/discover). This includes the recording of how-to videos, tutorials, and authoring online documentation and knowledge base articles.
• Work with our software developers, research staff, graduate students and GIS technicians to populate and complete useful and engaging content. 
• Become proficient in consuming and interpreting these tools and datasets and eventually in authoring the technical resources that support the Riverscapes Consortium apps models, and datasets.
• Lead in person and remote teaching sessions, webinars and workshops.

Helpdesk Agent - 25%: 

• Act as the primary contact for inquiries from researchers, practitioners, policy makers and the general public about Riverscape Consortium apps , models, websites, and datasets. This will primarily be through issue tracking in our help desk software (https://riverscapes.freshdesk.com).

Developer Liaison - 15%: 

• Liaising with Riverscapes Consortium model and tool developers to help them make their models “riverscapes compliant” and/or get their datasets curated and in the Riverscapes Data Exchange.
• Regular, in-person coordination via team meetings in Logan, Utah is expected.
• The position will involve occasional travel for field work and to participate in workshops, field trips, meetings and training with community members.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field plus two years of related experience; OR a master’s degree; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  Experience in customer service, retail, sales, or similar (ability to empathize with end users).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proficient in GIS and geospatial analysis.
• Strong aesthetic intuition with graphical design and/or web design skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience writing technical documentation, recording tutorial videos, preparing learning resources and authoring web ‘help’ pages.
• Some programming or scripting experience and/or aptitude (e.g., Python, MarkDown, CSS, XML, SQL, JS)
• Experience moderating user forums, discussion boards and providing online, video and phone technical support.
• Experience with any of the following technologies we regularly work with (training will be provided): GitHub, databases (e.g. SQLite), XML, MapBox, QGIS, ArcGIS.
• Teaching , mentoring or tutoring experience.
• Understanding of riverscapes from fluvial geomorphology, hydraulics, hydrology, aquatic ecology, riparian ecology, restoration ecology and management perspectives.
  Appreciation of concepts of riverscape health, resilience, sustainability.
• Familiarity or experience with any of the Riverscapes Consortium apps, models and data products.
• Degree(s) and/or certificate(s) and coursework demonstrating interdisciplinary training in watershed sciences, geology, geosciences, ecology, geography, computer science, information technology, GIS, remote sensing, civil engineering, visual arts, communications, marketing or related fields.

Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”
2. Writing samples to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
3. Cover letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes. The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.

The S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources is nationally and internationally recognized for its research, extension, and teaching on natural and socio-environmental ecosystems. It is a high-impact college at Utah State University with over $15M in research funding annually, 55 tenure-track faculty in three departments, and close partnerships with federal and state natural resource agencies.  

The Department of Watershed Sciences in QCNR is a powerhouse in the science of ‘wet’ ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, and the watersheds that feed them. Faculty are committed to making science useful for planning, management and restoration efforts, and are well-positioned to study and solve complex, interdisciplinary problems with a cadre of ecologists, hydrologists, geomorphologists, biogeochemists, and others. 

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion, empowering people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. Utah State provides high-quality education to 27,500-plus students locations throughout the state, including at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online educates students from all 50 states and 55 countries. For over 25 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns in all of Utah’s counties. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and scholarly activities, providing a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price.

Utah State is committed to cultivating a community of inclusive excellence where all perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU. 

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or hr@usu.edu. 

About the Region

U.S. News and World Report ranked Utah first for its strong economy, fiscal stability, education, and health care. Outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities abound throughout the state, including five national parks, 43 state parks and recreation areas, and 15 alpine ski resorts. The home of USU’s main campus, Logan, is a city of 54,000-plus people in a picturesque mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Logan metro area claimed the top spot in the Milken Institute’s 2022 ranking for best-performing small cities in the nation. 

*updated 04/2024

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Cody Carmichael, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

*updated 09/2023