Senior/intermediate Environmental Monitoring

Are you interested in a great opportunity to be monitoring the ecology of our rivers, streams, and lakes, while being at the forefront of environmental monitoring? Due to internal movement, we are looking for a fisheries scientist at either senior or intermediate level to lead our freshwater fish monitoring programme.

**Mō te tūranga | About the role**

This opportunity will be part of the Aquatic Ecology Monitoring Team at WRC. You will be responsible for measuring, analysing, and reporting on the health of rivers, lakes, streams, and geothermal areas across the Waikato region. Our information is used by WRC scientists, and the government for managing the wellbeing of our people and the environment.

You will be based in our Hamilton office, but our sites cover the whole of the Waikato region - one day you could be in the Coromandel, the next in Taupō, the King Country, or Raglan.

The role involves:

- Planning, organising, and undertaking fisheries surveys using electric fishing and netting techniques.
- Supervising students over summer.
- Collecting, processing, and quality checking freshwater quality data, including data input into databases.
- Working away from home for up to a week during the summer months.
- Driving to remote parts of the region to undertake inspections, collect water samples, and take field measurements.
- Monitoring the ecology of the region’s shallow lakes, including being competent in skippering the council’s boats.
- Having a strong focus on working safely, looking after yourself, and those around you while adhering to Health & Safety policies.
- Environmental Monitoring Scientist: $65,000 - $75,000
- Senior Environmental Monitoring Scientist: $75,000 - $90,000

**Mō ngā pūkenga | Qualifications and experience**
- A tertiary qualification or degree in natural, physical, or environmental sciences or related discipline.
- Minimum 2 years’ experience for intermediate level, or 5 years for senior.
- Drivers license.
- Capable swimmer(competency testing will be undertaken).
- Excellent communication skills - written and verbal.
- For senior level, we are looking for someone who also has:- Broad management skills including people leadership, business acumen and positive business achievements and financial management.
- The ability to scan the internal and external environment for risks and opportunities for the organisation.
- The ability to demonstrate and inspire confidence in leading work, providing advice, making decisions, culminating in the delivery of results

**Mō te tangata | About you**

Although there is a lot of physically demanding fieldwork, all our data needs to be processed and quality checked in the office, so being IT literate is a must along with an aptitude for the environment and science. You will need to process and analyse data in the office to support SOE monitoring. Report writing skills would also be valuable in this role, as you will assist in writing technical reports.

Health and safety is at the forefront of everything we do at WRC, whether working on your own, or as part of a team. You will utilise your field knowledge to collect data safely and offer suggestions to improve the safety and efficiency of our sites.

You will be competent in fish identification, electric fishing and other fish capture methods.

**Mō mātou | About us**

We work hard to care for the mighty Waikato, so current and future generations will benefit from a healthy environment, strong economy, and vibrant communities.

Our mahi is as diverse as the region we care for and the people who share it. Our work helps look after our region's water, soil, air, geothermal areas and coasts - so we can all enjoy these precious resources for generations to come.

If you’d like to understand more about what we do please click here The work we do | Waikato Regional Council.

By partnering with iwi and working with many others in our communities, our collective kaitiakitanga will make the Waikato region even better. Together, we’ll create a sustainable future that will make a positive difference to people’s lives.

**Mō te tuku tono | How to apply