Agriculture Research Specialist - Animal Science Farm

West Virginia University's Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design (WVU DCANRD) is seeking applications for an Agricultural Research Specialist.

About the Opportunity

This position contributes to the integrity of research, demonstration, and teaching initiatives conducted by faculty of WVU DCANRD and the WVU Experiment Station Center. This position will provide labor and knowledge to ensure the highest quality of operation of the DCANRD Research, Education and Outreach Centers (REOC's). The incumbent will provide support to faculty who are conducting classes and demonstrations at research and teaching locations. This position requires the incumbent be willing to work holidays, weekends, and after core business hours.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 15 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

Animal Care and Husbandry

• Feeds food stuffs and commercial feed types to specific animals such as sheep, goats, beef cattle, llamas, and chickens daily and as needed.
• Follows protocols, policies, Standard Operating Procedures, and requirements as directed, under light supervision.
• Receives newly arrived animals and provides clean animal housing, handling facilities, food, and water.
• Handles, restrains, and identifies specific animals as required and assists in treatment under supervision or independently as directed from veterinarian staff or researchers (i.e. Soundness exam, weighing, cleaning housing facilities, relocating pastures, etc.).
• Tags, numbers, or otherwise marks animals for identification.
• Transfers animals to clean housing.
• Observes any irregularities in animal groups such as abnormal food and water consumption, deaths, abnormal stool, unusual behavior, injury, or distress and reports irregularities to supervisor, veterinarian, and/or Research Principal Investigator (PI).
• Performs other technical duties as required for animal care and husbandry to meet and exceed Institutional Animal Care and Use

Committee (IACUC) Expectations and Guidelines

• Cleans, sweeps, scrubs, and sanitizes animal housing and working facilities. Provides clean bedding, fresh food and fresh water daily or as needed to ensure proper animal care and compliance with Standard Operating Procedures.
• Following standardized procedures, disposes of animal carcasses and other waste.
• Operates standard transmission and automatic University trucks, tractors, and equipment needed to complete tasks.
• Plants and harvests products for animal consumption to meet optimal growth and capacity.
• Restocks supplies and maintains all animal inventories. Unloads, stores feed/bedding upon delivery or transfer, and maintains accurate records, reports, and statistics.
• Reviews and updates Standard Operating Procedures in their area, as required.
• Maintains established department policies, procedures, objectives, quality assurance. Attends required meetings, seminars and classes.
• Other relevant duties necessary to fulfill the mission of the REOC's.

Research and Education

• Assists REOC management in the oversight of research activities to include production, maintenance, collection, and collating of resources.
• Responsible for collecting research data and/or samples for the farm manager. Assists in organizing and collating data for statistical analyses and interpretation.
• Observes and records appropriate data and checks for completeness and accuracy in support of research projects. Prepares data for input in computer and assists in the processing of information generated from analyses.
• Maintains all required records, reports, statistics, etc. as mandated by Federal or State Laws and/or institutional policies and procedures.
• Maintains established departmental policies, procedures, objectives, and quality assurance, safety, and environmental controls.
• Assists PI's in the development and evaluation of new analytical procedures and techniques
• Performs data collection in field research plots to include measuring, harvesting, weighing, and preparing for storage of plant materials. Assists researchers in laying out replicated plots or replicated animal treatment groups. Requires an understanding of the research process and attention to detail.
• Coordinates pest scouting in research plots and indoor growing facilities at the REOC's.
• Assists management and/or PI with the management of animals in research trials including feeding, moving, handling, weighing, and the collection of samples.
• Assists faculty who are conducting class demonstrations and techniques in seedbed preparation, plot layout, planting, cultivation, management and plot harvesting. Demonstrates techniques for students such as shearing, feeding, mixing feed, animal handling, vaccination techniques, egg grading, etc.
• Demonstrate techniques for sample collection from animals and provide training and monitoring of students in the program for analyzing feeds, mixing feed rations, etc.
• Assists faculty and PI with laboratory experiments in Davis College programs. Instructs student workers in laboratories on the operation of lab equipment.
• Maintains an inventory of all supplies and restocks and expands, as needed. Heavy Equipment Operation
• Conducts visual inspection of all equipment to insure safe and efficient operation.
• Assists REOC management and/or trade specialists in performing routine equipment maintenance such as oil, filter and fuel filter changes, monitoring and maintaining fluid levels, and lubricating tractors and other equipment.
• Operates a wide range of large agricultural and construction equipment such as tractors, sprayers, front loaders, scrapers, silo fillers, balers, haybines, combines, brush cutters, etc. to complete varied tasks associated with the maintenance and operation of the REOC's, including operations in support of research projects.
• Operates a truck weighing 26,000 lbs. GVW or less to haul logs, posts, fertilizer, lime, produce, livestock, equipment, hay and other REOC products and supplies.

Pay Grade: 13

• Associate's degree in an agricultural related field or a high school diploma/GED with at least 2 years of relevant work experience in the required fields (animal or plant research facility including working with layout).
• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• A minimum of six (6) months of experience in the following:
• Experience handling/ feeding livestock.
• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Data collection and management.
• Experience in instructing/educating students preferred.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of agricultural and plant science and practices (e.g. production practices of livestock and plants).
• Proven ability to gather or assist in collecting research data, handling and preparation of labs.
• Ability to learn, understand, and follow WVU, Davis College and Division lab policies and procedures.
• Ability to utilize Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) to maintain data for research, samples, safety, etc.
• Ability to operate tillage, feeding, and other REOC equipment with a high degree of accuracy for small plot and animal research needs.
• Understanding of basic experimental design, including replication, plots and sub-plots, consistency of data collection.
• Understanding of both precision and accuracy in record collection and the need for research protocol adherence.
• Ability to effectively utilize data sheets and spreadsheets to collect and organize data.
• Ability to use and comprehend record keeping software such as Cattlemax, HerdManager, and FarmWorks.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to interact with students, faculty, and the general public.
• Effective organizational, task management, and computational skills.
• Ability to understand simple to complex instructions, both written and oral.
• Demonstrated ability to walk/run in rough field conditions and terrain when herding animals.
• Demonstrated ability to physically restrain and handle animals and provide hands-on treatment of livestock.
• Proven ability to administer medications and vaccinations to animals.
• Ability to apply pesticides - may require obtaining license and wearing protective clothing and apparatus.
• Ability to lift, bend, stoop, walk, reach, sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to perform basic mathematical calculations.
• Ability to lift, carry, load and unload supplies and materials.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, write coherently and concisely, and use appropriate grammar and spelling.
• Demonstrated ability to operate normal REOC equipment such as tractors, posthole diggers, spray equipment, balers, mixers, shearing equipment, brooder stoves, heaters, milking machines, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to work in barns spreading hay, shoveling manure, feeding animals and providing daily care.
• Ability to follow safety precautions and guidelines (e.g. wearing required clothing, masks, equipment, etc.).
• Ability to understand and carry out Organic Pasture Management and Forage Production Practices.
• Ability to learn and understand the IACUC protocols and Standard Operating Procedures for animal care, health, and comfort.
• Ability to travel, with occasional overnight stays.
• Ability to obtain State P-Card.
• Ability to work on holidays, weekends, and after core business hours.
• Willingness to work on a rotating schedule.

Physical Demands & Physical Coordination

• Ability to carry out tasks in rough field conditions and terrain.
• Ability to bend, stoop, walk, reach, sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Work occurs in barns, field plots and field site areas with exposure to wide-ranging weather conditions, hay, manure, livestock, dust, molds, pollen, allergens, insects etc. commonly encountered in agricultural settings.
• Ability to lift, push, pull or carry 50 pounds or more
• Hand/eye coordination and manual dexterity