Context Are you keen to join a team that is enthusiastic about the health of our aquatic environment? Do you get satisfaction from creating and contributing to robust and highly valued datasets…..and just enjoy getting stuck in and achieving results?

Our surface water quality field team runs a network of monitoring stations and sites located in our oceans, estuaries, rivers and lakes across the Canterbury region. The data our team collects helps support our science team and informs decision making about the management of Canterbury's surface water resources.

We are looking for two people to join our team, one in Timaru and one in Christchurch. Please state clearly in your application what location/s you wish to be considered for.

About Environment Canterbury Taking action together to shape a thriving and resilient Canterbury, now and for future generations. Environment Canterbury works with partners, stakeholders, and other agencies to protect the health of our environment to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for all of us. When you join us, you'll be empowered to make a difference for the good of your community, while personally benefiting from the results of your work. For more information about us and the work that we do, please visit https://www.ecan.govt.nz/about/your-council/about-us/

You will love our values-based team culture with a focus on wellbeing, wrapped into an environment that is hard working, supportive, friendly, and fun.

About the Role As the successful applicant you will work as part of a highly skilled technical field team, using your initiative and drive to help achieve team outcomes. You will maintain and develop strong relationships with other field teams and scientists to align our work and contribute to the objectives of our Science Strategy. Senior positions will be expected to provide mentoring and training to our technicians, and coordinate monitoring runs.

Your primary responsibility will be to use a variety of methods and equipment to obtain data relating to the water quality and ecology of both freshwater and marine environments. This will include sampling water chemistry and clarity, periphyton and sediment. You will be required to oversee aspects of our programmes, assist with electric and net fishing, and participate in other water quality and ecological investigations. You will also aid with the deployment and maintenance of instrumentation, requiring technical skill, problem solving and common sense. You will undertake quality assurance processes that ensure our data is the best it can be. This includes calibration and validation of instrumentation to verify data accuracy, data upload and processing, assessing datasets for errors and investigating anomalies, and archiving to databases.

About You To be successful in this role you will need to demonstrate:

• A positive and inclusive team attitude
• Good communication and relationship building skills
• Attention to detail and a methodical nature
• Initiative and self-motivation
• Adaptability and resilience
• The ability to identify, investigate and resolve data issues
• The vision to develop and improve processes
• You will have had some previous on the job training or a formal qualification in a relevant field to be considered as a Science Technician, or academic qualifications supported by at least 3 years technical experience to qualify for consideration as a Senior Science Technician.

You will have proven experience in planning field work or overseeing environmental data programmes. Existing knowledge or interest in periphyton would be an advantage.

This position will require overnight stays and some work outside of normal hours. Confidence driving long distances, working alone and around water, and in a variety of weather conditions is essential.