Position Available: Geospatial Support Specialist — Filled!

This position has been filled!

Help Make a Difference in Polar & Environmental Science

The Polar Geospatial Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is seeking an innovative geospatial professional to join the User Services team. The person in this position will be responsible for managing science project support, coordinating data requests, and providing geospatial expertise for PGC core users. In addition to supervising undergraduate or graduate research assistants, the successful applicant will perform GIS and Remote Sensing analysis per project requests. This position will also play an active role in community outreach, data/software training workshops, and conference exhibitions/presentations.

What You’ll Do

In your first week you will be introduced to the PGC team and PGC’s role in geospatial science. You will learn about our funders, users, and partnerships. You will have dedicated training on internal workflows, data resources, and PGC’s project management system. You will also attend various weekly meetings to learn how PGC operates.

In your first month you will take on the responsibility of managing a portfolio of PGC users as a PGC Point of Contact and help manage incoming requests for geospatial support and data. You will learn how to play an integral role in the user request lifecycle.

In your first year you will become an important member of the User Services team and help manage student projects and workloads. Your expertise in polar science and data specific to the polar regions will grow. Relationships you’ve formed within PGC and with PGC users will become more concrete. You will also help evaluate user feedback and work to improve the PGC user experience and explore education and outreach initiatives that connect PGC to the broader community.

Values

PGC is a science support organization that is built on these values:

• Diversity and Respect: A mix of experiences, ideas, and approaches makes all our work better
• Initiative: The drive to try, learn, or problem solve is inspiring and aids progress
• Outreach: Take what you have learned and return it to the community

Benefits

The Office of Human Resources has a guide to the University’s benefits including the Regent’s Scholarship, Faculty Retirement Plan, Leave, and Medical.

For this job we have funding for a salary range of $50,000 to $60,000.

How to Apply

Ready to apply? Great! Start at the job posting.

Before you start, you should have:

• A resume
  • 1-2 page formatted document
• A cover letter
  • Tell us what excites you about this job, work you’ve done and where you want your career to go
• Names and contact information for three references
  • Mentors, bosses, co-workers, people you study with or talk to at meetups

You can take a break at any point during the application process. Click the Save Draft button and you can return to your application later. When you log back into the job application system, click My Activities and then click on the job title.

If you have any questions while applying, look at the Using the Job Application System page.

Interviews

We use two interviews.

1. A brief phone/Zoom interview to determine qualifications are met and/or clarify details from application
2. A panel interview with User Services team members and PGC leadership

All first round interviews will be conducted in a remote environment. Round two interviews will be determined based on candidates availability.

Answers to Some Common Questions

Is this job remote or in person?

Through August, 2021 we will be fully remote. After August, 2021 we anticipate adopting a hybrid work model with an expectation of 50% time on-campus.

Do I need to be in Minnesota?

You should be within commuting distance of Minneapolis, MN.

Is travel involved or required?

There are opportunities to travel (when safe and approved by the University) for outreach initiatives as well as staffing our office in McMurdo Station, Antarctica during the austral summer months.

How about visas or relocation funds?

Academic Support Resources does not currently:

• sponsor visas
• offer relocation funds
• offer signing bonuses

Desired Qualifications

Master’s degree or higher in Remote Sensing, GIS or similar science/geography field
Proficiency in GIS/Remote Sensing principles, software, and analysis
Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and a strong commitment to provide superior support to the polar science community
Ability to manage and delegate student projects and workload

Advantageous Qualifications

2+ years of experience in remote sensing, imagery analysis, and/or photogrammetry
Previous customer service experience
Expertise in project management
Experience in Python programming language
Ability to create cartographic products for data visualization

About the Polar Geospatial Center

The Polar Geospatial Center provides geospatial support, mapping, and GIS/remote sensing solutions to researchers and logistics groups in the polar science community. Our goal is to introduce new, state-of-the-art techniques from the geospatial field to effectively solve problems in the least mapped places on Earth.

Polar Geospatial Center
R280 Learning and Environmental Sciences 
1954 Buford Ave. 
St. Paul, MN 55108 
612-626-0505

Apply Now!