GIS Specialist I (Part Time) (Biotech)

Work Where it Matters

Akima Systems Engineering (ASE), an Akima company, is not just another federal systems support contractor. As an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), our mission and purpose extend beyond our exciting federal projects as we support our shareholder communities in Alaska.

At ASE, the work you do every day makes a difference in the lives of our 15,000 Iñupiat shareholders, a group of Alaska natives from one of the most remote and harshest environments in the United States.

For our shareholders, ASE provides support and employment opportunities and contributes to the survival of a culture that has thrived above the Arctic Circle for more than 10,000 years.

For our government customers, ASE delivers solutions in maritime IT, systems engineering, and integration across the Department of Defense and stands ready to help improve operational performance at a reasonable and sustainable cost.

As an ASE employee, you will be surrounded by a challenging, yet supportive work environment that is committed to innovation and diversity, two of our most important values. You will also have access to our comprehensive benefits and competitive pay in addition to growth opportunities and excellent retirement options.

Job Summary:

Akima Systems Engineering is looking for someone to support aquatic environmental research, including project development and quantitative investigation into two- and three-dimensional methods for spatial and temporal assessment of aquatic habitat factors (flow, substrate, depth, water quality) and their influence on algal bloom occurrence, density, and/or abundance, and potential exposures and risk using geospatial and statistical tools. These tasks are to support investigations of potentially toxic algal blooms in recreational areas on federal lands.

The mission of the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, Leetown Research Laboratory (formerly USGS Leetown Science Center, Aquatic Ecology Branch) is to excel in aquatic and natural resource science, providing the information, scientific understanding and technologies needed to support the sound management and conservation of the nation's biological resources.

The focus of  EESC-LRL mission and vision for the future is to continue its dynamic international, national, and regional leadership in aquatic, landscape, and genetics research by generating, interpreting, evaluating, and transmitting the scientific information needed to better address the pressing problems of managing our nation's biological resources, especially those under the stewardship of the Department of the Interior, and other Federal and non-Federal partners.  The primary means of gathering this information is through the use of scientific methods applied to monitoring resources, conducting experiments, and using modeling tools to understand environmental phenomena.

The EESC-LRL is currently supporting the USGS Environmental Health Program Toxins Integrated Science Team investigations into harmful algal blooms and potential human and wildlife exposures. This work includes a priority focus on identifying sampling locations, understanding bloom dynamics and risk, and assessing potential exposure pathways on public and federal lands.

Job Responsibilities: 

• Utilize spatial data to identify and prioritize sampling locations on lakes within National Park Service (NPS) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) managed lands.

• Continual development of tools for prediction and evaluation of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in lakes and rivers on public lands.

• Work collaboratively with other researchers to conduct spatial evaluations of HABs-related factors.

• Work with other researchers to conduct a joint USGS/FWS/NPS HABs prioritization assessment pilot project.

• Assist in write-up and publication of research methods and results.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Successful completion of a master's degree from an accredited college or Bachelor's Degree and 2 years of equivalent experience implementing Geographic Information Systems in environmental science, quantitative ecology, eco-hydrology, geography, geomorphology, and/or biology.

• Experience in scripting for GIS and/or statistical analysis (R, Python).

• Experience assessing and compiling factors related to and potentially influencing the formation of algal blooms in different surface waters.

• Experience working with diverse research groups, Federal and State agencies, NGO's and the public for the purposes of compiling data and presenting research results desired.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender or gender-identity, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis prohibited by law.  If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us at job-assist@akima.com or 571-353-7053 (information about job applications status is not available at this contact information).