Posting Title: Agrivoltaics and Energy-Water-Land Nexus Researcher I/II
Location: CO – Golden
Position Type: Regular
Hours Per Week: 40
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Job Description
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Strategic Energy Analysis Center is seeking a Researcher who is familiar with agrivoltaic systems and energy-land-water nexus tradeoffs.
A Researcher I/Researcher II position is available in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Strategic Energy Analysis Center in our Golden, Colorado office. NREL is the nation’s primary laboratory for research, development and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. The analyst will join the Impacts Analysis Group in NREL’s Strategic Energy Analysis Center (www.nrel.gov/analysis) and work closely with researchers who assess tradeoffs and synergies of agricultural and solar energy generation systems through the Department of Energy’s InSPIRE project (https://openei.org/wiki/InSPIRE).
The analyst will support project tasks related to tracking agrivoltaic projects across the country; identifying and contributing to research priorities; collecting data and performing analyses related to agrivoltaic project performance and costs; agrivoltaic model development; facilitating conversations across diverse sets of stakeholders; performing fieldwork and research at agrivoltaics sites; and conducting outreach to a wide array of audiences.
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Basic Qualifications
For Researcher II: Relevant Master’s Degree . Or, relevant Bachelor’s Degree and 2 or more years of experience . Working knowledge of laws, regulations, principles, procedures and practices related to specific field. Skilled in problem solving, written and verbal communication. Ability to use various computer software programs.
For Researcher I: Relevant Bachelor’s Degree . Limited use and application of engineering principles, theories and concepts. Good written and verbal communication skills. Ability to use various computer software programs.
* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
Additional Required Qualifications
Researcher I: Additional Required Qualifications:
- Demonstrated skill and experience with analyses of agricultural, energy, and/or hydrology data sets.
- Excellent oral and written communication and recordkeeping skills.
- Self-motivated learner with demonstrated ability to grasp new concepts quickly and to develop new skills as needed.
- Passion for finding solutions that are beneficial to potentially conflicting perspectives.
- Good interpersonal and communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Able to work independently and within a team environment.
Researcher II: In addition to the qualifications outlined above, a successful Researcher II in this position must possess the following skills or abilities.
- Experience with fieldwork, preferably at an agrivoltaics site(s).
- Proven abilities to develop informative papers and presentations and manage work to meet deadlines.
Preferred Qualifications
Researcher I: Preferred Qualifications:
- Preference will be given to candidates who have worked on or performed analysis on agrivoltaic projects in the past, with consideration towards how the work of this project could contribute toward career and program growth.
- Previous experience with agricultural policy, energy policy, water policy, and energy development.
- Interdisciplinary curiosity and resourcefulness, including desire to broaden skills.
Researcher II: In addition to the qualifications outlined above, a successful Researcher II in this position should be able to speak to the following preferred qualifications.
- Knowledge of statistical methods, agricultural practices, agricultural decarbonization approaches, agrivoltaics implementation and research, solar energy development, technoeconomic assessment, lifecycle analysis, ecosystem services, and GIS capabilities.
- Familiarity with federal and state agriculture, energy, and water data sets
- Fluency in programming languages (e.g., Python, R, etc.) and/or a background in optimization modeling
- A strong publication record in a technical discipline, as compared to peers at similar levels of education and career experience
Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile: Researcher II / Annual Salary Range: $71,300 – $117,600Job Profile: Researcher I / Annual Salary Range: $62,000 – $102,300
NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.
Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement*. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.
* Based on eligibility rules
Submission Guidelines
Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.
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