Position Announcement
User Services Support Specialist
Polar Geospatial Center, University of Minnesota
Job Open Date: 1/28/2015
Job Close Date: until filled (anticipated start date: 3/16/2015)
Description, Duties and Responsibilities: The Polar Geospatial Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is seeking an experienced geospatial professional to fill a position in the User Services group. The applicant will be responsible for managing science project support, coordinating data requests, and providing geospatial expertise for polar regions. In addition to supervising undergraduate or graduate research assistants, the applicant is expected to perform GIS and Remote Sensing analysis per project requests. The Polar Geospatial Center is also very active in community outreach, data use and software training workshops, and conference exhibitions/presentations. Applicants will be expected to participate and demonstrate experience in presenting at professional events and workshops. The successful candidate must be able to multi-task and work on a variety of GIS/Remote Sensing projects both independently and in collaboration with a variety of users ranging from geospatial support to polar logistics operations. The applicant should possess strong problem-solving skills and the ability to learn quickly. At the Polar Geospatial Center work is fast-paced and constantly changing, so the applicant must have very good organizational skills and the ability to work independently as well as with others. Excellent communication skills are required, and the PGC is committed to ensuring the highest quality service and support for all of our Requesting Parties. The PGC prides itself on establishing long-standing, successful relationships and following research objectives and missions with the polar community.
Required Qualifications:
Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in Remote Sensing, GIS or similar science/geography field
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 research assistants’ workload
Willingness to travel for extended periods and work in harsh environments
Preferred Qualifications:
Previous customer service/user services experience
Expertise in project/program management
Proficiency in GIS/Remote Sensing software with experience in Python programming language
Ability to create basic cartographic products for data visualization
2 years of experience in image analysis or remote sensing
Starting Salary: DOQ; anticipated $45k
About the Polar Geospatial Center: The Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) provides geospatial support, mapping, and GIS/remote sensing solutions to researchers and logistics groups in the polar science community. We collaborate with scientists around the world to complete their research goals in a safe, timely, and efficient manner by providing a service which most groups do not have the resources or expertise to complete. 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. The User Services group within the PGC serves as a portal for the polar community to PGC’s data, geospatial expertise, experience, and problem solving capabilities. User Services members manage internal operations in order to fulfill incoming requests. The Polar Geospatial Center is primarily supported by the National Science Foundation, and plays a key role in the international polar geospatial data network through collaborations with external academic institutions, government contractors and federal facilities. For more information please visit our website: www.pgc.umn.edu
Please submit your resume with a cover letter, 2 references, and any other supporting materials or examples of previous work at:
employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=127398
or
http://employment.umn.edu
Job Requisition Number: 196530
-- Jonathan Pundsack, Managing Director Polar Geospatial Center University of Minnesota R280 Learning & Environmental Sciences 1954 Buford Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108 612-625-6331 direct 612-626-0505 main www.pgc.umn.edu
