Substitute Research Assistant

 

 

Substitute Status

Substitute-Status Research Assistants are hired on an as-needed basis to provide short-term or intermittent support when work is available. This role does not have a guaranteed schedule or set number of hours, and work assignments may vary based on organizational needs, timing, or conditions such as weather. Substitute-status positions are hourly and non-exempt and do not automatically convert to regular staff roles. This position is best suited for individuals who value flexible work, can respond to variable scheduling, and are able to step in reliably when called upon.

How You’d Fit In + Stand Out

The Substitute Research Assistant will assist with research activities, including planting, harvesting, weeding, threshing, plant tissue collection, data entry, dishwashing, and other research support tasks. They will be expected to be able to work indoors and outdoors, doing manual, repetitive tasks for hours at a time. This hourly position allows for flexible scheduling that may be dependent on weather and labor availability. This position does not have supervisory responsibilities. The Land Institute believes each employee makes a significant contribution to our success. Those contributions may be outside of regular duties. It is our expectation that each employee will offer his or her services in a courteous, cooperative, and helpful manner, with a positive attitude and in the spirit of teamwork to ensure the success of our company. 

 

Primary Responsibilities + Expectations

• Help researchers conduct field and lab work, which may sometimes involve repetitive tasks or sitting/standing for long periods of time, as well as working in extreme heat.
• Follow field and lab safety procedures and voice any safety concerns when warranted
• Complete manual, repetitive tasks.
• Perform fieldwork, including but not limited to collecting data, threshing, weeding, planting, etc

Organizational Competencies 

• Mission Driven: You are passionate about the mission of The Land Institute and are interested in aligning your skills and personal genius to benefit this work.
• Courageous: You do not retreat or shy away from hard things. You face challenges and conflict with professionalism, grace, and resolve.
• A Boundary Spanner: You bring an interdisciplinary skill set and you model self-awareness in your own preferences. You are motivated to always be learning and you adapt to span boundaries with people across a range of different perspectives.
• Inspiring and Inspired: You are inspired by the people around you, finding and harnessing the genius in your colleagues to meet the organizational objectives, and you are inspiring to others through example and your own genius applied.
• Growth Mindset: You have the vulnerability to know what you don’t know, admit your flaws, and learn from others to grow and develop yourself and the organization.
• A Creative Collaborator: You believe in the power of a diverse collective to generate ideas and solutions. You excel at strategic thinking, being open to new perspectives, and managing innovation. You bring a playful and positive approach to the work, enjoying meeting new people and deepening connections with those you already know.
• Excited by change: You embrace nascent and evolving situations and enjoy engaging new people, ideas, and possibilities. You think about change holistically: internal, external, organizational, and cultural. You like iterating systems, building efficiency, and operationalizing design.  You are willing to jump in and contribute to new projects as needed. 

Who You Are

• Must be at least 16 years of age at the start of the position
• Minimum education and experience required: none
• Minimum licensure or registration required: none
• Minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required:
• Ability to develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with others and maintain them over time.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where some guidance and standardization exist.  
• Ability to follow instructions, including written safety warnings.
• Legible handwriting and accurate labeling are required skills.
• Ability and willingness to provide and/or diligently use provided personal health and protective equipment or supplies, including drinking water, sunscreen, shade hat, insect repellent, and shoes and clothing appropriate for fieldwork. 
• Demonstrate accuracy and thoroughness; look for ways to improve and promote quality
• Prioritize and plan work activities; use time effectively
• Consistently arrive at work on time; ensure that work responsibilities are covered when absent

Environmental + Working Conditions

Tasks involve the regular and sustained performance of moderately physically demanding work, often involving some combination of climbing ladders, bending, reaching, standing, operating equipment, working on uneven terrain, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling, and which involves the lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of moderately heavy objects and materials (up to 60 pounds) and occasionally heavy items (up to 100 pounds).

 

Hours

This hourly position allows for flexible scheduling that may be dependent on weather and labor availability. Generally available to work primarily from 8 am to 5 pm Central Time on weekdays when most of our staff and collaborators are working. Some evening and weekend working hours, depending on the needs of the organization.

 

Location + Travel

This role is primarily based in and around Salina, KS, with some travel possible to field stations within Kansas.

Compensation and Benefits: 

The hourly rate pay band for this non-exempt position is $14.00 - $18.00. 

 

The Land Institute is an equal opportunity employer and embraces the opportunity to provide employment to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. We are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.