Freshwater Ecology Technician - NIWA

NIWA

Hamilton
Permanent
Full-time

7 days ago

About usAt Earth Sciences New Zealand, we're proud of our contribution to science and innovation in Aotearoa. You'll be part of a collaborative and purpose-driven organisation where your work has impact. To deliver the science needed to achieve meaningful change, we are committed to providing the best for our people, strengthening domestic and international collaborations, partnering with Māori, supporting Pacific resilience, leveraging advanced technologies, and investing wisely in essential assets and infrastructure. We also uphold our environmental responsibilities and maintain a strong focus on financial sustainability, ensuring our work continues to make a lasting difference.About the positionIn this position, you will be enhancing the capabilities of our Hamilton-based team by advancing research and practical solutions to address New Zealand's freshwater biodiversity challenges. We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced freshwater ecology technician for a permanent position in our Hamilton office to support a range of largely freshwater projects. The position will mainly provide technical support for research and consultancy work focused on freshwater fish and invertebrate ecology but with the expectation that you would also work across a range of other freshwater and marine areas as required.Key responsibilities include:

Planning and logistics for fieldwork excursions.
Carrying out freshwater fish surveys in New Zealand rivers and lakes.
Performing macroinvertebrate surveys and the processing of samples in our laboratory.
Deployment of in-situ biotelemetry equipment for monitoring of fish migrations and assessment of populations.
Data collation, analysis and archiving

About youWhat we are looking for

Your strong fieldwork skills in freshwater ecology.
Your experience in planning and leading phases of fieldwork deployments.
Your ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, often with others but sometimes on your own.
A good working knowledge and skill in the identification of New Zealand's freshwater fish and macroinvertebrate species.
Your skills in electric fishing and experience in biotelemetry applications. Certified user credentials would be beneficial.

We don't expect perfection in our candidates - if you think you have what it takes, but don't meet every point in the position description, please still get in touch!What you'll bring

A qualification in ecological science or a related field.
Minimum of 2 to 5 years' experience in an ecological science role.
Demonstrated experience in ecological fieldwork and data analysis.
Strong skills in using environmental monitoring instrumentation.
Full NZ driver license is essential

What we offer

Varied, challenging and important work with talented colleagues in an organisation devoted to earth science.
A high performing organisation with a focus on employee development and wellbeing
Generous leave entitlements and employee benefits

Apply nowIf this sounds like the next step in your career, we'd love to hear from you.Job DetailsCrown research institute NIWA
Reference # 59256
Posted on 29 Aug 2025
Closes on 14 Sep 2025 23:55
Location(s) Hamilton
Expertise Biosecurity, Marine & Freshwater Science, Statistics, Environmental management systems, Technical writing, Climate change adaptation
Job level(s) Technician
Work type(s) Permanent
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NIWA

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