Data Technician - Water Rights

DATA TECHNICIAN – WATER RIGHTS

STATUS: Temporary, part-time

REPORTS TO: Land Steward

LOCATION: Grand Junction or Montrose CO | Telecommute negotiable, employee must reside in the State of Colorado

SCHEDULE: Flexible | 10-30 hours per week | Project is estimated to be 300 hours total

TRAVEL: Occasional travel to Grand Junction or Montrose CO may be required

BENEFITS: Not eligible for benefits other than those required by law. Statutory leaves include jury duty, voting, military duty, civil air patrol mission, and emergency volunteer service. Per Colorado law sick time will accrue at the rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.

Colorado West Land Trust (CWLT) is the leading Land Trust in western Colorado, serving a seven-county region from Grand Junction south to Ouray and Gunnison west into Grand County, Utah. CWLT has conserved over 120,000 acres through more than 600 conservation agreements over its 40-year history. CWLT is a private, charitable non-profit organization, accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and governed by an active Board of Directors. CWLT has offices in Grand Junction and Montrose, Colorado.

Mission: To protect and enhance agricultural land, wildlife habitat and scenic lands in western Colorado to benefit the community at large, enrich lives, provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, and ensure our connection to the land for generations to come. CWLT’s professional staff are flexible, solutions-oriented, collaborative workers who have a passion to fulfil the organization’s mission.

JOB SUMMARY

The Data Technician (Water Rights) advances the mission of CWLT by assisting the organization to complete the development of the Salesforce LOCATE Land Conservation Software to better understand and manage the Water Rights encumbrances held in its portfolio of 600 conservation easements. This work will enable CWLT to develop and implement strategies and tools that will make the natural systems and agricultural communities of Western Colorado more resilient in the face of a warmer, dryer climate and shrinking water supplies.

The Data Technician will be responsible for Water Rights data entry and ensuring the integrity of the information entered. The successful candidate will be detail oriented, have experience with database applications and data entry, and be adept at creating data management processes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Conservation Easement Water Encumbrance Data

Working with and under the direction of the Land Steward:

• Input information and data on Water Rights from conservation easement catalogue into Salesforce based LOCATEWaterways extension.
• Link Water Rights, conservation easements, and water delivery entity data within LOCATE module.
• Investigate Water Rights using the Colorado Decision Support System, other water data repositories, or direct contact with water delivery entity to verify accuracy of information entered in the LOCATE Waterways extension.
• As assigned, research information related to Water Rights and water use. Topics may include Water Rights of local irrigation entities, historical uses of water on conserved properties, and may require conversing with other land trusts or agencies to discuss water encumbrances and the relative priorities of Water Rights in local geographic areas.

Professionalism and teamwork

• Build and maintain positive collegial relationships within the Conservation Team and CWLT staff at large.
• Communicate professionally, courteously, and effectively.
• Demonstrate problem solving skills. Proactively develop and recommend solutions as needed.
• Accept feedback in the spirit of growth and continuous improvement.
• Maintain productivity when working remotely and in an office setting.

Other responsibilities

• Participate in project related meetings as directed.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrated understanding of Colorado Water Rights.
• Technological proficiency with the ability to research Water Rights information from state and federal agencies, online data repositories, and other resources.
• Attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Publisher).

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience in data entry/records administration; Salesforce preferred.
• Education or experience related to Colorado agriculture or water law.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods at a desk and working on a computer.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• An office is available for use in Grand Junction or Montrose as needed.
• The environment for office work is temperature controlled.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Employee must provide computer and high-speed internet access. CWLT will provide software licensing.