Job Description

Position Information

This is a part-time or temporary non-benefited position.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the position may be filled prior to the last date to apply.

Description & Details:

Seeking summer technicians for the following purposes:

  • Collect range and grassland data that is oriented to ecological studies with an emphasis in plant community composition change over time

  • Collect range and grassland data oriented towards ecological studies and emphasizing in plant community composition response to environmental disturbance

  • Assist with research related to rangeland management strategies in working landscape research projects

  • Assist with research projects focused on woody encroachment and fire-return intervals in mixed-grass prairie ecosystems

  • Specific tasks may include:

  • Assist in the collection of field data (vegetation)

  • Bird surveys and identification

  • Process laboratory samples

  • Identifying and counting flowering plant species

  • Conducting cover class vegetation surveys to species

  • Collecting vegetation structure data

  • Prescribed burn preparation

  • Assisting on small-scale prescribed burns

  • Data entry and management

  • Work Schedule:

    Workweek is typically 40-50 hours. Overtime is available. For some positions, housing and transportation to the field is provided.

    Advertised Pay:

    $15-$18/hr, depending on experience and knowledge

    Minimum Qualifications:

    Undergraduate or graduate students in range or other natural resource fields. Students should be familiar or very familiar with common grassland plant identification, computer spreadsheets, and some knowledge of GIS. Students must be capable of hiking in hot, humid, unpredictable weather. Must be able to lift/pack up to 30 lbs and be able to squat/kneel for extended periods of time for sample collection. Must have valid driver's license

    Preferred Qualifications:

    The most competitive applicants will have experience conducting or assisting with scientific field research. 

    To Apply - Applications must include the following materials:

    Please include within application if you are currently or have in the past 12 months been employed with NDSU, the North Dakota University System or any other North Dakota State agency. If so, include which agency/department, as well as your how many hours you work a week and in the past 12 months.

    Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the position may be filled prior to the last date to apply.

    About Us:

    North Dakota State University is distinctive as a student focused, land-grant, research university. We educate leaders who solve national and global challenges by providing affordable access to an excellent education that combines teaching and research in a rich learning environment.

    NDSU is in the highest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, R1, granted to the top research institutions in the country.

    NDSU has offices across the state of North Dakota, and the main campus is in Fargo, on the Minnesota border. Along with Moorhead, Minnesota, Fargo forms one of the largest metropolitan centers between Minneapolis and Seattle. The community is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live.

    Employment Eligibility:

    NDSU determines employment eligibility through the E-Verify system: What is E-Verify? New employees to NDSU must present specific identification to determine their employment eligibility no later than their first day of work. To view the identification required, please see the . You will be required to have one item from List A OR one item from List B and List C.

    No Smoking Notice:

    As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 23-12-10.

    EO/AA Statement:

    North Dakota State University is an Equal Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable.

    Diversity Statement:

    NDSU strives to be a community of belonging, recognizing unique differences as strengths of our university. We seek to recruit and retain a diverse workforce that supports a community in which diverse populations and perspectives will know and learn from one another. NDSU values candidates who are committed to our core values of respect, inclusivity, community, creativity, excellence, impact, innovation, integrity, resilience, responsiveness, and transformation. Successful candidates will be committed to and help advance our strategic goal to create and maintain an open and respectful environment to promote inclusivity and diversity as a cornerstone of education, research, and outreach.

    Veteran’s Preference Notice:

    This position is subject to North Dakota Veteran’s Preference requirements.

    Reasonable Accommodation Information


    Land Acknowledgement

    We collectively acknowledge that NDSU, a land grant institution, on the traditional lands of the Oceti Sakowin (Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda) and Anishinaabe Peoples in addition to many diverse Indigenous Peoples still connected to these lands. We honor with gratitude Mother Earth and the Indigenous Peoples who have walked with her throughout generations. We will continue to learn how to live in unity with Mother Earth and build strong, mutually beneficial, trusting relationships with Indigenous Peoples of our region. (see ).

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