Job Opportunity: Restoration-focused positions at the LBJ Wildflower Center, TX

[Sean Griffin]

The Department of Science and Conservation at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (https://www.wildflower.org/; University of Texas at Austin) is hiring two positions to oversee ongoing, restoration-focused research: 1) Science and Conservation Lab Manager and 2) Lead Technician for the UT Pollinator Restoration Project. 

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has a long legacy of impactful, conservation-oriented research, and for the past 20 years has managed a 70-acre study of the effects of climate and land management on grassland habitats. The Department of Science and Conservation works with UT faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and volunteers to examine the effects of key restoration actions on a diverse set of organisms including native plants, insects, and soil microbes.  

1) The Science and Conservation Lab Manager will work directly with staff, students, and UT faculty to coordinate research activities on-site at the Wildflower Center. Responsibilities include varied fieldwork tasks such as plant identification, pollinator collection, soil collection, and maintenance of experimental plots, as well as lab-based activities such as data management, lab maintenance, and processing of biological samples. The Lab Manager will occasionally oversee small groups of student researchers and technicians, and will have the opportunity to develop their own research projects on-site.  

2) The Lead Technician will oversee the UT Pollinator Restoration Project, an ongoing study created in 2017 to examine the effects of land management, including prescribed burning and seeding, on communities of plant and pollinators across the Cross Timbers ecoregion of north-central Texas and southern Oklahoma. This position will work closely with our team, including faculty from UT Austin, University of North Texas, and Oklahoma State University, to lead fieldwork, organize land management actions, and manage our long-term data. Responsibilities include managing a team of field researchers, overseeing lab work, organizing data, communicating with a diverse set of landowners, and coordinating prescribed burns. 

Qualifications for both positions include leadership experience, record of fieldwork under challenging conditions, experience with plant and/or insect identification, attention to detail, organizational skills, and experience with data management. Land management experience, including prescribed fire, is preferred but not necessary.  

Both positions are full time (40 hrs/week) with an ideal start date of June 1^st 2022. Both are 1-year positions with the possibility of renewal up to 3 years or more depending on work performance. Yearly salary is $40-45k, depending on experience, with full benefits offered through the University of Texas at Austin. 

If you are interested in joining our team, please use the online portal to submit a letter of interest, current CV, and the contact information for three professional references. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment to employees from diverse backgrounds. 

Apply here: 

Lab manager: https://utaustin.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UTstaff/job/AUSTIN-TX/Science-and-Conservation-Lab-Manager_R_00019977

Lead technician: https://utaustin.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UTstaff/job/AUSTIN-TX/Lead-Technician-for-the-UT-Pollinator-Project_R_00019949

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