Job Details

Niwot Ridge LTER Vegetation Technician

Position Number: 6987973
Location: Boulder, CO
Position Type: Agriculture - Environmental Science, Ecology & Forestry

Niwot Ridge LTER Vegetation Technician

Requisition Number: 70282
Location: Boulder Colorado
Employment Type: Research Faculty
Schedule: Part Time
Posting Close Date: 24-Mar-2026
Date Posted:

Job Summary

The Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research group is hiring a summer vegetation technician!
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Niwot Ridge LTER is an integrated research project with the goal of understanding ecological processes in high-elevation mountain ecosystems. Mountain ecosystems - where high topographic relief means habitat can vary greatly over short distances, and seemingly small changes in temperature will transform snowfall into rain - are among those most vulnerable to changes in environmental conditions. The Niwot Ridge LTER seeks to better understand how environmental change leads to ecological change.

The Niwot Ridge LTER is a part of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. As the University's oldest institute, INSTAAR has a long history of responding to pressing environmental issues including climate change. Our traditional focus has been on alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic regions, where effects of global change are especially pronounced. In recent decades, our research has broadened to include environmental challenges that span local, regional, and global scales. INSTAAR's research activities integrate field studies, state-of-the-art laboratory experiments, sample analysis, and numerical and laboratory modeling. Our field sites are located across all seven continents and the world's oceans.

Our expertise across disciplines helps us generate influential science that can inform public and policy decisions and move us toward a more sustainable society. INSTAAR's national and international research leadership is augmented by exceptional strength in graduate education and bringing undergraduates into the research process.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

The vegetation technician will assist with vegetation surveys, plant biomass harvests and general plot maintenance in long-term experimental plots in the alpine tundra at our research site on Niwot Ridge. Most of the work will be done outdoors, in the alpine tundra, and will require accurate plant species identification in plots from a range of long-term projects established to detect and document changes in alpine vegetation in response to environmental changes. Some work will also be done in the laboratory and include entering data. Driving the fieldwork Suburban between CU Boulder and the Mountain Research Station in Nederland-including on 4WD Forest Service roads-may be part of the position.

What You Should Know

This is a 10-week position that will start on June 15th and run through August 21st.
The position is based at the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station, north of Nederland, CO at 818 County Road 116.
Field sites range in elevation from 9,500 feet at the Mountain Research Station, to over 12,000 feet at some of our higher elevation sites.
Transportation via a shared university vehicle may be available from Boulder to the Mountain Research Station.
Work will be primarily outdoors for 36-40 hrs per week.
After August, there will be the opportunity to continue temporary work on data entry.

What We Can Offer

The salary range for this position is $21/hour - $23/hour.

Benefits

Temporary positions at the University of Colorado are not benefits-eligible, however, all positions are eligible for paid sick leave.

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be groundbreaking. Be Boulder.

What We Require

A high-school diploma and progress toward an Associate Degree or Bachelor's Degree.

What You Will Need

A strong interest in plant identification and botany, plant ecology or similar plant fields.
Strong attention to detail.
Desire to be and work in an outdoor setting all day.
The ability to hike two to eight miles during the day at high elevation (10,000 to 12,000 feet) with a full backpack over rough and changing terrain.
The desire to work as part of a team to achieve goals even in challenging conditions (rain, wind, cold temperatures).

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

Resume or CV.
A cover letter which includes answers to the application questions below. Applications which do not include answers to these questions in their cover letter will not be considered. Application questions:

Why are you interested in this position? Why do you think you would be a good fit for this job? What will you bring to the job that other applicants may not?
Describe any relevant experience you have through previous jobs, volunteering, course work, outdoor recreation, etc., as well as any safety certifications you have (wilderness first aid, CPR, etc.).
Are you capable of performing a physically demanding job and working outdoors at a high elevation in an environment where there is a lot of sun exposure and often cold, windy, stormy weather?
Are you available to work June 15th through August 21st?
Would you be interested in continuing to work part-time after August 21st on entering data?
Are you able to drive the Suburban-type shuttle vehicle between CU Boulder and the Mountain Research Station in Nederland at least two days a week?
Where did you hear about this job?

**Please note that while this position details both required and desired skills and experience, applicants do not need to have the desired skills and experience to be considered. If you meet the minimum qualifications, have passion for the work and some experience in a related field, you are encouraged to apply. We provide on-the-job training for skills and knowledge relevant to the position.

For consideration, please apply by 11:59pm on March 24, 2026.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

To apply, visit https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/Niwot-Ridge-LTER-Vegetation-Technician/70282