EPA GIS EnviroAtlas Support Associate

Organization
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reference Code
EPA-SSP-0008-6
Description

The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has an immediate openings for an EPA GIS EnviroAtlas Support Associate with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

The Systems Ecology Division (SED) is one of the divisions of the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) under EPA-Office of Research and Development. The Ecological and Human Community Analysis Branch (EHCA) in SED is leading the EnviroAtlas project under the Sustainable and Healthy Communities national program. EnviroAtlas is an online decision support tool that allows users to view and analyze the geographical distribution of ecosystem services supply, demand, and drivers of change at multiple scales across the country.  Explicit relationships between human health and well-being and the provision of services will communicate a full accounting of how decisions affect communities’ progress towards sustainability under different scenarios.

The selected candidate shall provide data management, data curation and data analysis support for the EnviroAtlas project. He/she shall provide database management, file management, data curation and extraction, quality control, as well as performing qualitative and quantitative data analysis. He/she will be a member of a multi-disciplinary research team and shall support the development, maintenance, and analysis of EnviroAtlas data, tools, and web applications for both national and community scale ecosystem service indicators.

Data Development and Analysis responsibilities will include:

  • Developing analysis tools and methods for creating indicators of ecosystem services and human health and well-being,
  • Using python, R, or other EPA approved software to develop scripts used in creating GIS data layers,
  • Conducting quality control of GIS and ancillary data, and
  • Compiling  and  summarizing  data  processing  into  Federal  Geographic  Data  Committee  standard compliant metadata.

Communications-related responsibilities will include:

  • Conducting literature reviews,
  • Documenting code and database development efforts,
  • Documenting the development of spatial data layers in fact sheets, and
  • Presenting poster presentation(s) at scientific conferences.

Location: This job will be located at EPA’s facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Salary: The selected applicants will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $27.72 for hours worked.

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Working Conditions: This position will involve work in an administrative setting and is not expected to involve exposure to hazardous elements.

The selected candidates shall be supervised by a mentor who will provide day-to-day direction, as well as coach, advise and counsel him/her, and review his/her work.  The mentor for this position will be a federal EPA employee. 

Expected Start Date: The position is full time and expected to begin October 2016.  The selected applicant will be temporary employees of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The initial contract period is through May 14, 2017. EPA may elect to renew the contract for an additional three 12-month optional periods.

For more information, contact EPAjobs@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly. 

Qualifications

Eligible applicants must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age and
  • Have earned at least a Master’s Degree (MA or MS) in geography, ecology, environmental science, engineering, geosciences, or a related field of study from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months, and
  • Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.

EPA ORD employees, their spouses, and children are not eligible to participate in this program.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

Successful candidates will have:

  • Demonstrated training and/or experience in geospatial data compilation,
  • Working knowledge of remote sensing and image processing,
  • Demonstrated prior experience with python and R,
  • Working knowledge of spatial analysis,
  • Experience with spread sheet and word processing, and
  • Good verbal and written communication.

How to apply

Submit application and supporting documents by clicking on Apply Now button.

For more information, contact EPAjobs@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly

Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
  • Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 24 month(s).
  • Overall GPA: 2.00
  • Discipline(s):
    • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
    • Engineering (27 )
    • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (45 )
Affirmation

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; a recent graduate with at least a Master’s Degree (MA or MS) in geography, ecology, environmental science, engineering, geosciences, or a related field of study from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months; a citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States of America; and not a current employee of EPA ORD or the spouse or child of an EPA ORD employee.

ORAU is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability); visit the ORAU website for required employment notices.