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The Role
Manages and develops an ecosystem services laboratory performing soil, plant, and water analyses. Responsibilities include laboratory operations, equipment maintenance, budgeting, purchasing, safety, technician supervision, sample processing, ecological data analysis, reporting, grant writing, stakeholder engagement, business planning, certification maintenance, and occasional fieldwork and travel. The role also supports laboratory marketing, partnerships, and translating scientific findings into practical guidance for ranchers, agencies, and other land stewards.
Summary Generated by Built In
About the Organization:
Working Lands Conservation is a small, research-based non-profit located in Logan, UT. Our goal is to improve land management by bringing science to collaborative partnerships, while also supporting communities and livelihoods. Through our work, we are creating resilient Western landscapes and a resilient future for communities that utilize and value these working landscapes.
We are a team of field ecologists and communicators. We draw on our extensive experience designing ecological studies, collecting data, and analyzing information to understand how land management contributes to landscape health and stakeholder stewardship objectives.
We are a partner-oriented organization. We realize that trust, learning, and change happen when science is shared in conversation and as stories. We thus spend as much time building relationships as we do collecting data. We strongly believe that partnerships of diverse stakeholders lead to innovative management ideas, and that producers are the foundational stewards of working landscapes. We work closely with producers, state agencies, federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and university researchers to fulfill our mission, share ideas, and inspire innovative management.
Position Summary:
The Laboratory Manager will contribute to Working Land Conservation’s mission by guiding the development of our new Ecosystem Services Laboratory and spearheading its operation. Over the past year, WLC opened its not-for-profit Laboratory that provides ranchers and other stakeholders with cost-effective soil, water, and plant testing so that land stewards have information to adaptively manage their landscapes. The laboratory contains state-of-the-art equipment including an elemental analyzer, mid-infrared spectrometer, and plate reader. Duties will include managing laboratory logistics and budgets, supervising technicians, conducting analyses, delivering high-quality science in service of working landscapes, and working with WLC’s Executive Director and Lead Soil Scientist to create and execute a laboratory business plan.
Primary Responsibilities
Laboratory Development Roles
- Work with WLCs Executive Director and Lead Soil Scientist to develop and execute a business plan for the Ecosystems Services Laboratory, including developing analysis packages based on stakeholder demand and determining pricing;
- Spearhead development of NRCS partnership;
- Network with potential clients and maintain these relationships, ensuring WLC is responsive to client needs;
- Develop marketing strategy and materials for the laboratory and its services;
- Maintain NAPT/PAP certification for the Ecosystems Services Laboratory;
- Travel as needed to promote the Ecosystem Services Laboratory.
Project Development Roles
- Develop and write grant proposals to support laboratory operations independently and with the WLC team.
Scientific Roles:
- Receive and prepare soil samples for analysis for WLC’s research projects and external contracts;
- Run and maintain laboratory equipment;
- Meet with clients (ranchers, agency managers, etc) to understand their goals for soil analyses, and to learn how to best translate analyses into digestible information that can be used by clients for management;
- Develop reports to effectively share laboratory results with stakeholders;
- Conduct field work to collect data as needed.
Management Roles:
- Manage WLC's Ecosystem Service Laboratory including purchasing, inventory, safety, and machine upkeep;
- Hire, train, and manage technicians.
General Roles:
- Collaboratively work with the WLC team to further WLC’s mission;
- Dedicate time to professional development of organizational and management skills;
- Contribute to a healthy and inclusive culture at WLC.
- Other duties that are reasonable and consistent with this position.
The Ideal Candidate
You are a scientist who loves providing quality soil, plant, and water data to stakeholders managing diverse ecosystems in the US West. At this point in your career, you possess the skill set to communicate effectively with land stewards of all types, and have a wide network of partners. You believe that coupling relationship-building with smart ecological data interpretation is the magic sauce that can break down barriers to innovative stewardship of Western landscapes.
You love working in a laboratory setting and have years of experience doing so in labs that have processed soils. This includes managing laboratory logistics such as placing orders, upkeeping lab safety requirements, and managing and training staff. You’re well versed in many types of soil tests including organic carbon analysis, nutrient analysis, and soil microbial biomass and activity.
You love working in a laboratory setting and have years of experience doing so in labs that have processed soils. This includes managing laboratory logistics such as placing orders, upkeeping lab safety requirements, and managing and training staff. You’re well versed in many types of soil tests including organic carbon analysis, nutrient analysis, and soil microbial biomass and activity.
You enjoy sharing complex results in simple terms because you believe that well-explained data can empower ranchers and farmers to make informed management decisions. You are willing to share your expertise and enthusiasm with technicians you will mentor and WLC staff within various projects.
You are excited about joining a small, dynamic team of scientists and communicators who are mission-driven and outcome-focused. You believe that blending academic-grade experimental design with kitchen-table relationship building grounds projects in community and leads to adaptive management with lasting impacts.
You know that to thrive in a small non-profit requires nimbleness. You are flexible, are not deterred when plans change, and can draw on your problem-solving skills to move projects forward. You have superb interpersonal and communication skills through which to share your vision and excitement with all those you work with. You are also grounded, having experience with project management and business systems that facilitate organization, efficiency, and communication.
You are dedicated to contributing and fostering a workplace centered on teamwork, a commitment to excellence, and mutual respect. The ideal candidate will be a person of integrity, humor, enthusiasm, and optimism.
Specific Experience Requested:
We recognize that each applicant for this role will bring unique skills, knowledge, experiences, and background to this position, lending their flair to the trajectory of the Laboratory Manager role. We welcome diverse experiences and perspectives in our applicant pool, and will be looking for candidates who possess many, but not necessarily all, of the following qualifications and experience:
- M.S. or Ph.D. in: soil science, conservation ecology, restoration ecology, rangeland ecology or other related science-based field;
- Experience working in a soil biogeochemistry laboratory, carrying out relevant protocols, managing lab safety and using the following laboratory equipment: elemental analyzer, mid-infrared spectrometer, and plate reader;
- Experience training and managing lab technicians;
- Experience working with diverse stakeholders such as ranchers, agency managers, and academic scientists;
- Experience developing and executing business plans;
- Proficiency with statistical analyses of ecological data;
- Experience sharing results in easy-to-digest reports;
- Strong interpersonal skills including working with multiple, diverse, stakeholder groups;
- Valid driver’s license.
Workplace, Compensation
- Working Lands Conservation has a dedicated office and laboratory in Logan, UT, which serves as a hub for team members. All team members have a dedicated workspace in the office. This position includes primarily on-site work due to the requirements of laboratory work. We also value flexibility, and team members have the option to work from home offices when practical.
- This position requires occasional overnight travel to undertake field research and laboratory promotion in the Western U.S. (up to 35% time). Team members are also required to travel to day-long or multi-day conferences and workshops annually.
- Compensation: This position is full-time, salaried, exempt. Multiplier provides a comprehensive compensation package, including competitive salary ($65,000), excellent medical and dental benefits, retirement savings, and generous vacation and sick leave policy.
- Multiplier and WLC are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable, and accessible application process for all candidates. We recognize that the traditional hiring process can create barriers. If we can support your participation in the job application or interview process by providing specific assistance or accommodation, please reach out to [email protected]. Requests for accommodations are confidential and will not impact your candidacy.
- Working Lands Conservation is an independent operating project of the nonprofit umbrella organization, Multiplier, a nationally recognized nonprofit with a growing portfolio of innovative initiatives that conserve and protect a sustainable and resilient world (www.multiplier.org).
About
Multiplier accelerates impact for innovative projects focused on protecting and fostering a healthy, sustainable, resilient and equitable world. At Multiplier, program teams can turn game-changing ideas into planet-saving impact, and they can do it faster and better than they otherwise could.Multiplier celebrates diversity and is committed to building teams and partnerships that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Multiplier is also committed to providing an environment of mutual respect that is free from discrimination and harassment. Multiplier prohibits discrimination in its governance, programs, and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, marital status, amnesty, status as a covered veteran, because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from public assistance, or for any other factor that is not based on merit.
Skills Required
- M.S. or Ph.D. in soil science, conservation ecology, restoration ecology, rangeland ecology, or a related science-based field
- Experience working in a soil biogeochemistry laboratory and carrying out relevant protocols
- Experience managing laboratory safety and using elemental analyzers, mid-infrared spectrometers, and plate readers
- Experience training and managing laboratory technicians
- Experience working with ranchers, agency managers, academic scientists, and other diverse stakeholders
- Experience developing and executing business plans
- Proficiency with statistical analyses of ecological data
- Experience sharing scientific results in accessible reports
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with diverse stakeholder groups
- Valid driver's license
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The Company
What We Do
FieldKit is an open-source software and hardware platform (environmental sensors, app, and FieldKit.org website) that allows individuals and organizations to collect and share field-based research data and tell stories through interactive visualizations. Designed to be easy to deploy customizable, FieldKit can be adapted to meet the needs of diverse research teams, from biology and ecology to marine and environmental sciences, from post-doc researchers to elementary school students. FieldKit offers a simple platform for enabling live data expeditions, and for the creation and deployment of environmental sensor networks or in situ monitoring. The aim is to bring open source scientific monitoring capabilities to anyone who wants it. FieldKit has been funded by the National Geographic Society and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. It is currently being deployed with UCLA in the Congo Basin, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Florida International University in the Amazon rainforest, throughout the American Prairie Reserve in Montana, and a number of other locations.
