CAPS Forest Pest Survey Technician (Central, MO)

Temporary Summer Job Opportunity

Job Location: Central Missouri (Based out of Jefferson City)

Why you’ll love this position:

Full time Temporary Summer Job Opportunity; 40 hours a week from mid May - mid August

$15.00 per hour / State vehicle provided

The successful applicant for this position will be responsible for carrying out a series of insect surveys. The employee will be assigned a survey area where they will be responsible for locating suitable trap locations and monitoring the traps throughout the season. The position will be based out of Jefferson City but the survey areas will include central, southwestern, eastern, and western areas of the state. The purpose of this survey is to detect the presence of seven different exotic/invasive insect pests of oak and maple trees. The surveyor will also be placing traps along soybean and corn fields for our field crops survey, looking for invasive moth species. The employee will be responsible for the assembly, placement, monitoring, and collection of samples from approximately 100 traps in the assigned area. Additionally, visual surveys will be conducted on Tree of Heaven and other host plants for spotted lanternfly. The employee will be responsible for navigating to and recording the location of trap locations using GPS units, maps, and data sheets. The employee will follow the required survey and trap monitoring time frames as well as comply with established reporting requirements. The employee is responsible for the return of all department issued equipment and materials.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must have one year college experience in forestry, entomology, biology or a related area of study.
• Applicants must have valid driver’s license with good driving record.
• Due to the critical nature of survey timing, applicants must be available for the entire trapping period.
• Applicants must be able to travel in isolated areas on their own and work outside in Missouri summer weather conditions.
• Must be able to communicate with the public about the survey and represent the Missouri Department of Agriculture in a professional manner.
• Applicants must be able to use maps and GPS units (with training) to navigate to and maintain proper records of trap locations.
• Applicants will need to be able to recognize various tree types such as ash, oak, and maple.
• Applicants will need to be able to identify potential invasive insect species after instruction.
• Applicants must be able to change a flat tire and follow maintenance schedules on assigned vehicle.

Lack of post-secondary education will not be used as the sole basis denying consideration to any applicant.

This is an hourly, temporary, non-benefited position.

For benefited positions, the State of Missouri offers an excellent benefits package that includes a defined pension plan, generous amounts of leave and holiday time, and eligibility for health insurance coverage. Your total compensation is more than the dollars you receive in your paycheck. To help demonstrate the value of working for the State of Missouri, we have created an interactive Total Compensation Calculator. This tool provides a comprehensive view of benefits and more that are offered to prospective employees. The Total Compensation Calculator and other applicant resources can be found here .

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• State of Missouri

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