Entry Level Environmental Science Jobs in Erie, PA

The Environmental/GIS Technician I (SI) position is an entry-level role with primary responsibilities to support project requirements both in the office and, as needed, in the field. This position is primarily field based environmental work with a combination of office-based GIS work. The employee should be prepared to transition between office and field assignments based on project needs, workload demands, and supervisor direction. All tasks and responsibilities are to be performed in accordance with standard industry practices and/or Moody Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These generally include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Adherence to all company and client mandated safety requirements.
• Collection of surface water and groundwater quality data, stream velocity data, groundwater level data, gas composition data, and soil conductivity data using field instrumentation.
• Collection of water, soil, and gas samples in accordance with standard industry practice and/or according to Moody SOPs.
• Documentation of field conditions of media such as soil, groundwater, surface water, bedrock, air quality (gases), stream substrate and biological media.
• Assemble, calibrate, operate, and maintain field instruments and equipment.
• Prepare notes and sketches of observed field conditions.
• Use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or other software for tabulating field and laboratory data.
• Complete entry and quality assurance/quality control tasks with large quantities of data produced from field activities.
• Ability to work after hours and weekends at times.
• Willingness to travel to project sites as required, occasionally work out-of-town, if necessary, in all seasonal weather conditions.
• Responds to written communications/requests from management in a timely manner.

GIS responsibilities (approximately 15-20%) include:

• Knowledge of ESRI's ArcGIS software suite.
• Knowledge of map coordinate systems, projections, and transformations.
• Understand, interpret, and analyze data quickly.
• Experience capturing, converting, creating, editing, manipulating and maintaining digital information in a GIS environment.
• Provide support mapping in accordance with Moody standard operating procedures (SOP).
• Perform quality control (QC) of mapping products, tabular data and attribute information following SOPs.
• Download digital data from various GIS internet data repositories for use in mapping and analysis.
• Prepare GPS units for field data collection and input collected data into appropriate databases.
• Possesses a basic understanding of geology and environmental science.
• Perform additional duties and responsibilities at time, if necessary, to achieve project and/or company goals.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor of Science degree in geology, environmental science, geography, geographic information systems (GIS), or a closely related field is required.
• Coursework or hands-on experience with GIS software, such as ArcGIS or QGIS, is highly preferred.
• Staff are encouraged to pursue applicable certifications or accreditations (e.g., GISP) upon supervisor recommendation.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proficiency with relevant software tools, such as GIS, AutoCAD, or environmental modeling programs.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365.
• Strong technical writing skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work extended hours when needed.
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Collaborative skills with a strong work ethic.
• Be dependable (regular attendance required).
• Must be able to speak & hear detailed information through oral communication.
• Must be able to see clearly and recognize small details.
• Possesses excellent organizational skills and the ability to multi-task.
• Strong commitment to continuing education and professional development in the field.
• A demonstrated ability to follow safety protocols and contribute to a safe work environment.

WORK SCHEDULES:

• Full time weekly schedule with minimum average of 30+ hours per week and overtime as required. The standard work week is 40 hours, unless otherwise approved by your supervisor.
• Schedules are flexible; however, our core office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
• Physical presence in the office is required unless otherwise approved by a supervisor.
• Weekend and evening hours are required periodically. Non-core hours will be communicated in advance when possible.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Employees must be able to lift up to 30 pounds and perform physically demanding tasks while working outdoors in adverse environmental conditions, including rugged terrain, remote locations, hot and cold temperatures, and inclement weather.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to sit for long periods of time when performing office-related tasks and/or while driving for business purposes. Field-related tasks may require hiking long distances while carrying equipment and supplies with frequent walking, kneeling, bending, and lifting. Employees must be able to carry out the physical effort necessary to perform job-related tasks.