Agricultural Technician

Under the general supervision of the Senior Environmental Scientist (Supervisory), the incumbent will assist in entomological or plant disease field and laboratory work.

• Safely operate and maintain State vehicle to travel to designated work areas locally and throughout the State.
• Follow established protocols for visual surveys, pesticide use, eradication and detection/delimitation trapping.
• Service various insect traps, perform visual surveys and insect sweeps, visually inspect for target pest damage on local plant hosts, and conduct eradication treatments (mixing and application of spray materials).
• Inspect for, collect, process and package suspect plant and insect samples that are removed from plants and/or soil using various insect/plant collection tools.
• Must be able to read maps to navigate to multiple locations when performing field activities.
• Must be able to draw maps to show exact geographic locations. Uses GPS technology to site register samples and package samples separately to maintain sample and site integrity.
• Conduct all work activities in compliance with Department policies and procedures, and State laws, rules, and regulations.
• Keep daily reports of work completed, i.e. number of traps serviced, properties treated, acreage surveyed, and samples collected, and other topics as needed.
• Determine preliminary identifications of specimens which resemble target pests, incumbent screens wet and dry traps for target plant and/or insect pests.
• Examine contents of traps, which may contain hundreds of plant samples, insects and debris.
• Once a suspect target pest is preliminarily identified, prescribed action is taken, which may include phone contact and/or return of the suspect target pest to the field office for official identification.
• Carefully document address, host type and location of sample on property or field by drawing a hardcopy map and/or using a GPS unit and/or on a Pest and Damage Record (PDR).

The duties of this position are primarily conducted outdoors. The incumbent works in extremes of weather and temperature. Changes in lighting such as alternating bright sunlight and dark shade are encountered. Noise levels constantly vary. Terrain encountered varies from smooth and stable to irregular and unstable. Incumbent may experience regular exposure to dust, pollen, and moisture. Some trap types use a specific chemical insect lure; some of these lures may contain small amounts of pesticide. The work area can be urban or rural. Incumbent will be provided uniforms and personal protective equipment when using pesticides.

The incumbent will be required to drive, exit, and re-enter the work vehicle numerous times during the workday, must possess a valid CA drivers' license, and must maintain a driving record (A safe driving record is one free from convictions in the past two years for repeated moving violations, or a single serious violation, such as drunk driving or reckless driving) in good standing to operate a state motor vehicle safely and responsibly. Must be able to apply pesticides, work well under extreme time constraints, exercise good judgement, determine priorities, make appropriate well-thought-out decisions, allocate resources to achieve maximum results, maintain focus under conditions of duress, and provide accurate assessment of rapidly changing situations (e.g., Multiple exotic pest detections requiring multiple operations).The incumbent in this position must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted during work; work well under pressure; work independently and in cooperation with other staff members in completing assigned work and meeting required deadlines.

Employee may be required to travel by state vehicle or other public transportation systems to various locations throughout the state may be required. Must be legally able to rent a car. The incumbent may work various shifts (pre-dawn and after 6:00 pm), weekends, overtime, and possibly a split shift. The position may require a background check to be cleared prior to being hired. Some of the work will be conducted at airport facilities, inside and around aircraft. The incumbent will be exposed to warm temperatures and loud noise. They may also work alone inside aircraft for extended periods of time.