A varied technical and operational role working across land, forests and ecosystem restoration.
Groundtruth is looking for someone to join our team working on practical land, forest and ecosystem management projects across Aotearoa New Zealand.
This is a hands-on and varied role for someone who enjoys combining technical thinking with practical work in the field. One day you might be planning a native forest establishment project or working with GIS and monitoring data, and another you might be in the field monitoring forest performance, installing environmental sensors, meeting with a landowner, or overseeing restoration work.
About Groundtruth
Groundtruth is a New Zealand company working at the intersection of science, technology and practical land management.
We work with landowners, communities, iwi, councils, businesses and other organisations to improve the management of forests, farms and natural ecosystems. Our aim is to achieve practical outcomes that strengthen both productive landscapes and the environment.
Our work includes native forest establishment, forestry, biodiversity and ecosystem restoration, integrated land management, environmental monitoring and the development and use of technology to support better decision-making.
A key part of our approach is technology transfer: taking good science, knowledge and technology and making it useful on the ground. This ranges from GIS, environmental monitoring and remote data capture through to practical systems for establishing and managing forests and wetlands.
We are a collaborative team and enjoy developing new approaches, testing ideas and finding practical ways to achieve better results.
What you’ll be doing
The Land, Forest & Ecosystem Operations role sits between technical planning and practical project delivery. The work you will be doing includes:
- planning and helping deliver land, forest and ecosystem projects
- undertaking forest, vegetation and biodiversity monitoring
- installing and maintaining environmental and remote monitoring equipment
- supervising and carrying out quality control of field operations
- working with contractors and project teams to ensure work is completed effectively
- using GIS, spreadsheets and other technical tools for planning and analysis
- analysing monitoring and project data
- preparing maps, reports and other project information
- meeting and working with landowners, community groups, iwi, councils, agencies and other project partners
- contributing ideas and helping develop new tools, systems and approaches that improve the way we work.
Who we’re looking for
We are looking for someone practical, curious and comfortable taking responsibility.
You don’t need to know everything when you start. More important is an ability to understand a problem, work out what needs to happen, communicate well with others and follow a project through.
You will ideally:
- enjoy working outdoors and be fit and comfortable working independently in rural and forest environments
- be confident working with a wide range of people
- be organised and able to plan and coordinate practical work
- communicate clearly, both in person and in writing
- be comfortable working with data and technical information
- have an interest in using technology to improve environmental and land-management outcomes
- enjoy working as part of a small collaborative team and sharing ideas and knowledge
- be willing to learn and take on new challenges.
Qualifications and experience
We expect the successful person will bring a combination of relevant qualifications, practical experience and personal capability.
Useful experience could include:
- a tertiary qualification in forestry, agriculture, ecology, environmental science, applied science, natural resource management or a related field
- two or more years of experience in a technical, environmental, forestry, agricultural or operational role
- experience with forest establishment, restoration, biodiversity monitoring, pest management or other field operations
- experience using GIS and mapping tools
- confidence with spreadsheets, data and digital tools, including Google Workspace and/or Microsoft Office
- experience preparing technical reports or communicating project results.
Experience working with Māori in land and resource management would be valuable. An understanding of concepts and perspectives within te ao Māori is desirable, along with a willingness to continue learning and developing this understanding.
What makes this role different
This isn’t a purely office-based technical role, and it isn’t purely a field operations role.
It is an opportunity to be involved in the whole process: understanding a landscape or problem, developing an approach, planning the work, helping deliver it on the ground, monitoring the results and using what we learn to improve the next project.
For someone interested in forests, land management, ecology and technology, there is considerable scope to develop the role around your strengths and interests.
You’ll be joining a small team that values practical thinking, collaboration, innovation and getting good work done on the ground.