Research Assistant II

Research Assistant II

This position is located at the MSU Eastern Agricultural Research Center, in Sidney, MT. MSUEARC has a nice research facility with modern research labs, greenhouses, and irrigated and dryland research farms. The research farms are equipped with three linear irrigation systems and modern planting and harvesting equipment, conducting agronomic and plant pathology research on cereal, pulse, and oilseed crops. This position is to support the field, greenhouse, and lab research activities for cereal variety trials and other projects as needed.

Position Number - 4M0879

Department - AES EARC

Division - College of Agriculture/MAES

Appointment Type - Classified

Contract Term - Fiscal Year

Semester

FLSA - Exempt

Union Affiliation - FOCUS-MFPE

FTE - 1.0

Benefits Eligible - Eligible

Salary - $20.00 per hour, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications.

Recruitment Type - Open

General Statement - This position is under the supervision of the superintendent to support the variety testing team on the on- and off-station cereal and pulse variety trials and other duties as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities - Job duties include but not limit to: Packaging and organizing seeds; Planting field plots (driving tractor or operating planter); Applying fertilizer and controlling weeds; Collecting soil and plant samples; Processing soil and plant samples in the lab; Measuring grain quality parameters in the lab; Recording and entering data into a computer. This person will also clean and maintain EARC ground and facilities and help in other projects as needed.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills - High school diploma or B.S. in related fields. Knowledge and experience in organizing field and greenhouse experiments. Knowledge and experience in processing soil and plant samples in the lab. Experience in using Microsoft Word and Excel.

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills - Knowledge in statistical analysis. Experience in operating small farm equipment.

The Successful Candidate Will - Have great communication skills. Work as part of a team. Exercise initiative and independent judgement in day to day activities. Have the ability to prioritize duties, and possess time management skills.

Position Special Requirements/Additional Information - Occasional in and out of state overnight travels are required. This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University's rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Physical Demands - Ability to work in Montana's climate and field environment. Occasional moving of seeds and samples in bags weighing up to 50 pounds, ability to tolerate dust, insects, fungus, stationary position for extended periods of time and excellent manual dexterity. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

This position has supervisory duties? - No

Number of Vacancies - 1

Screening of applications will begin on October 13, 2026; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law. In compliance with the Montana Veteran's Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran's preference, please complete the veteran's preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter