Job Description

Job Location: Parks Office Building - The Woodlands, TX 77381
Position Type: Seasonal
Salary Range: $16.15 - $16.15 Hourly

Job Category: Entry LevelSeasonal position working an average of 25 hours per week from the mid-May through the end of November; can accommodate students returning to college in August.

Summary of Duties: Under the direct supervision of the Entomology Education Coordinator, the Mosquito Surveillance Technician is responsible for conducting mosquito surveillance operations for disease carrying and nuisance mosquitoes in both field and laboratory settings. This is a temporary seasonal position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Set active and passive traps to collect mosquito samples throughout The Woodlands, including driving a truck for 4 hours at a time 2-4 days a week.
- Prepare and maintain equipment and supplies, including minor equipment repair and utility vehicle and/or truck maintenance as needed.
- Identify adult mosquito species and prepare specimens for pooling and testing.
- Conduct in-house mosquito testing using Rapid Analyte Measurement Platform (RAMP).
- Conduct site inspections throughout the Township, accurately identify mosquito larvae, categorize findings, and apply source reduction measures as appropriate.
- Provide general clerical support including typing, filing and copying.
- Compile and troubleshoot detailed forms, verify data, and keep accurate records.
- Represent the Township at public outreach events regarding surveillance activities, personal protection measures, mosquito prevention, sustainable yard care, water conservation, solid waste services, and other Department topics.
- Assist the Environmental Services department in conducting environmental education on a variety of topics at events such as Woodlands Landscaping Solutions, Public Safety Open Houses and others.
- Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No supervisory responsibilities.
This role has a high requirement for presence in the field to complete necessary work, and respond to service requests. One can expect the following demands from April to November.

QualificationsMinimum

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Knowledge of: General biology and/or mosquitoes is an asset.
Ability to: Work independently in both field and office setting.
Education: High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED).

Experience: No previous experience required.
Licenses and Certifications:
- Must possess a Texas driver's license and meet the driver safety policy requirements.
Age Requirement: Must be 18 years of age or older.
Pre-employment Requirements: Must pass pre-employment drug screen, background check, and Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) check.
Computer Skills: Data entry, Microsoft Office, and ArcGIS experience is preferred.
Language Skills: Confident and effective public speaker. Excellent writing skills essential. Ability to read and interpret documents such as contracts, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
Mathematical Skills: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply such concepts to practical situations.
Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Human Collaboration Skills: Decisions regarding implementation of policies may be made. Contact may involve support of controversial positions or the negotiation sensitive issues or important presentations. Contacts may involve stressful, negative interactions with the public requiring high levels of tact and the ability to respond to aggressive interpersonal interactions.
Freedom to Act: The employee normally performs the duty assignment after receiving detailed instructions as to methods, procedures, and desired end results with little room for deviation. The immediate supervisor may, at times, provide close and constant review.
Technical Skills: Work requires practical knowledge of technical field with use of analytical judgement and decision-making abilities appropriate to the work environment of the organization.
Budget Responsibility: Has no budgetary/fiscal responsibility.
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, and interpret. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and frequently lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
This role has a high requirement for presence in the field to complete necessary work and respond to service requests. One can expect the following demands for duration of employment.
Trapping Days:
- 1 – 2 hours of gathering and loading equipment in a truck for 24 traps, some equipment up to 40 lbs.
- 4 hours of driving to sites and walking over rough terrain, squatting/kneeling, reaching, lifting/carrying 15 lbs of equipment to 24 trap sites, getting in and out of a truck.
- This occurs a minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 days a week depending on operations.
- 1 – 2 hours of unloading and storing equipment.
Inspections Days:
- 3 – 5 hours of walking, sometimes over rough terrain, kneeling/squatting, reaching, lifting/carrying.
- 1 – 2 hours of loading/unloading equipment.
Work Conditions: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, often exposed to the elements for multiple hours at a time under medium physical exertion.
While working events, employee may be required to stand for long periods of time, unload and load event equipment, and be exposed to the elements for multiple hours at a time.
Frequent exposure to unpleasant environmental conditions and/or hazards. Majority of work performed outside or with exposure to risk.
The noise level in the work environment is usually high.
Safety-Sensitive: This position is a safety sensitive position and is subject to random drug testing.
The Woodlands Township is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of its workforce.