Local recruitment: Freshwater Scientist

Who we are: The Freshwater Trust (TFT) is a non-profit leader in watershed analysis, restoration/ conservation program design, and implementation. Our team members are building tools and creating and testing new solutions that will help to create resiliency in our rivers. With a mission of preserving and restoring freshwater ecosystems, our approach is driven by science, data, and results (see our Core Values). TFT is a systems change-focused nonprofit that builds and deploys technical, financial, and policy tools to enable large-scale solutions that bolster watershed resiliency.

With headquarters in Portland, OR, TFT employs ~50 team members. We currently have three physical offices in Portland and Ashland, OR and Sacramento, CA. Our team members represent a wide range in background and skillset; teams include restoration, science and analytics, philanthropy and fundraising, communications, legal, finance, and administrative and systems support.

Overview: As a Freshwater Scientist at TFT you join the Science and Analytics Team to perform quantitative analyses to support the restoration of freshwater ecosystems and water conservation. At TFT we strive to build and apply data-driven conservation solutions, and the Science and Analytics team is the core of that work. Everyone on our team, including you, plays a key role in developing the analytical insight needed to identify prioritized conservation actions that result in watershed-scale improvements in freshwater systems. You will bring new perspectives to our team to help grow our analytical tools to support larger, multi-dimensional conservation efforts. If you have strong research and analytical skills, an interest in natural resource conservation, and a passion for using data and evidence to drive change – we want to hear from you.

In your first year, you will…

• Work with a team to design quantitative analyses using Python, R, SQL and/or geospatial tools to enable on the ground river restoration actions.
• Develop an understanding of the complexities of watershed-scale work to guide analytics and inform scientific strategies.
• Take leading roles to organize analytical work to influence freshwater conservation strategies.
• Contribute to analytical deliverables and visual representation of work products.
• Provide analytical support to monitoring and field work.
• Collaborate with team members across North America using tools such as Slack, Zoom, Jira, and GitHub.
• Be a teacher and student within the Science and Analytics Team to help us continue to learn and improve.
• Have opportunities to contribute to peer reviewed publications.

Minimum requirements

• D. in environmental, hydrological, agricultural science or engineering or related field.
• OR Master’s degree and at least 1 – 3 years’ work experience in an equivalent field.
• OR Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 – 5 years’ work experience in an equivalent field.

Ideally, you have…

• Experience in data collection and analysis, statistics, using Python and GIS software to automate scientific analysis and visualize spatial data.
• Knowledge of freshwater ecosystems including research or experience with limiting factors related to water quantity and/or quality.
• Online geospatial visualization experience such as ESRI webmaps, or R Shiny apps.
• Experience taking lead roles in project tasks and deliverables.
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Enthusiasm for finding creative solutions to complex ecological problems.
• Strong time-management skills and flexibility to be responsive to changing task priorities.

Bonus points if you have…

• Experience designing water temperature or flow analyses using spatial datasets.
• Knowledge of agricultural practices and drainage systems, and their impact on water quality/quantity.
• Experience with machine learning (e.g., geospatial classification and/or image segmentation).
• An understanding of movement of sediments and nutrients in watersheds.
• Experience using remote sensing data products and analysis methods (e.g. satellite imagery, LiDAR data, Google Earth Engine).
• Experience building, calibrating, and running reservoir models.

You will love it here because…

• We are a flexible team of research-curious ag, water and environmental problem solvers. We care a lot about how our hypothesis and analytics will apply in the real-world.
• We have flexible work schedules, with hybrid and fully remote options.
• We strive to provide opportunities for our employees to learn, grow and thrive.
• We understand that we will make mistakes, and we work as a team to learn from them.
• We put collaboration first and view success as a combined effort.
• We hold each other accountable, understanding that we are all doing our best.
• We promote each other’s ideas and share credit for the work we do within TFT and externally.

We know research shows that marginalized groups of people may not apply for jobs unless they meet 100% of the requirements. We also know that there are many paths to becoming a skilled scientist and programmer that may not be “conventional”. We value the unique perspectives that come from all the different ways we arrived at the Science and Analytics team at TFT. If you don’t feel like you “check all the boxes” as you read this job description, but you feel like you can see yourself in this role, we hope you apply: you may be just who we are looking for!

Benefits and Compensation: 

• TFT believes in investing in our employees, their health, and future through our benefits offerings. Our total rewards package includes health and dental coverage, automatic 5% retirement employer contributions, and internet/cell phone reimbursement. We support our staff with 5 weeks of paid time off plus over 12 paid holidays per year. More details on this page

Application Instructions:

• Supply a Cover Letter, Resume, and a list of 3 References into a single PDF not to exceed 5MB.
• Submit required information and documentation here. https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/a32c560c36c54d73bc27abe9f092c7ff

Interested candidates from historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply. The Freshwater Trust is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection of candidates for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, military service, family medical history, legal source of income, gender identity, political affiliation, or family leave obligations. ADA accommodations will be provided upon request