Job Classification: Regular, Exempt    

Benefits:  Learn more about our employee benefits here.  

Minimum Hours: 36 Hours Per Week  

Supervisor: Chief Scientist  

Location: Hybrid remote and in person Portland, Oregon. Regular travel and on-location fieldwork required for this position.   

Application Due Date: 5:00 PM PT, Monday October 28, 2024 

Position Information 

The Estuary Partnership seeks a Research Scientist III to join our Monitoring Team to implement our Ecosystem and Action Effectiveness Monitoring Programs as well as water quality and carbon-methane flux research. The Estuary Partnership has multiple well-established monitoring programs that track trends in ecosystem conditions, effectiveness of restoration projects, and the potential of using our restoration projects as natural climate solutions via our carbon-methane flux research. This position supports these programs by collecting, managing, and analyzing field data, and reporting results in written reports, refereed publications, and public presentations. The position will assist with project and contract management for multiple projects, collaborating with monitoring subcontractors to compile data, provide quality assurance of the data collected, and coordinate dissemination and reporting of results. This position also supports data collection using remote sensing (i.e., UAVs), processing UAV imagery and rectification in ArcSuite, and soil and water biogeochemistry data analysis for our carbon-methane flux research that includes eddy covariance flux towers and soil chambers. 

Employees in this position work with a fair degree of independence and maintain regular communication with their supervisor and members of the Science Team. The Research Scientist III is the highest level of Research Scientist with the Estuary Partnership, with four or more years of professional experience and demonstrated ability to manage projects with a high degree of independence and assist with project management, contract writing, grant applications, and new project development. A master’s degree or equivalent high level research experience in a related field is required.  A degree in biogeochemistry or botany is preferred. GIS experience is also preferred.  

We place a priority on applications from candidates who come from or have experience with diverse populations and underserved communities, including communities of color and low-income communities.  

Work Environment 

This position is based with the Estuary Partnership out of our Portland, Oregon office. The work will regularly take place in a field setting that requires regular travel throughout the Estuary Partnership study area between Bonneville Dam and the Pacific Ocean along both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River. It often requires early morning starts and occasional weekends. Fieldwork occurs in wetlands or on the river, in various weather conditions, and includes navigating difficult terrain on foot and carrying field gear to monitoring sites. Flexibility, adaptability, and understanding that field work is often fluid and occasionally challenging is a must.  

The position requires a valid driver’s license. 

Regular collegial collaboration and coordination with our multiple research, restoration, and resource management partners is a critical and central role of the Estuary Partnership. The position requires strong collaborative and communication skills for building long-term trust and effective, collegial research partnerships. 

Please find the full job description here.  

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Affirmation   

Our goal is to create and maintain an environment in which everyone feels respected and accepted. The Estuary Partnership embraces diverse points of view and backgrounds, treats all individuals fairly, justly, and impartially, and fosters an inclusive work culture.  

The National Estuary Program is community-based; it is local people solving local problems in local water bodies. We achieve this best by creating equity and honoring diversity by continually adapting our programs to be inclusive of, and responsive to, the needs of community members. Diverse perspectives expand our understanding of each other and our community; our work caring for the lower Columbia River is enriched by our different cultural backgrounds, experiences, and needs. The Estuary Partnership is engaged in an ongoing process to identify and address inequities in our organization and our programs. We build equity across our entire organization: in our programs, workforce, policies, partnerships, and organizational culture. It is important that our organizational ‘table’ includes all voices of the lower river. The more and better we work together, the better the river will be for us and future generations.   

All employees and members of the Board of Directors join in this commitment. 

Non-Discrimination Statement   

The Estuary Partnership is an equal opportunity employer. The purpose of our EEO Policy is to communicate the Estuary Partnership’s commitment to creating and maintaining an environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination, harassment (including unwelcome sexual conduct), and retaliation and to encourage employees to come forward when they believe they have experienced or witnessed potential violations of this policy.   

We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex, race, religion, creed, color, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, application for workers’ compensation benefits, use of statutory protected leave, or any other characteristic or status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.    

All employees and applicants for employment are extended equal employment opportunities without regard to considerations unrelated to qualifications or performance, including any of the characteristics above. The Estuary Partnership administers employment decisions in a non-discriminatory manner and requires all employees to strictly follow anti-discrimination laws. This anti-discrimination policy applies to recruitment or recruitment advertising, hiring, promotion/demotion, transfer, training, evaluating performance, compensation and benefits, layoff, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.   

Employment and promotion decisions will be based on merit and the principle of furthering equal opportunity. The requirements we impose in filling a position will be those that validly relate to the job and the performance required. The Estuary Partnership strictly prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee.