Overview

The position has vague definitions of responsibilities and tasks. This leaves the employee with the responsibility to communicate with staff and apply their knowledge to find projects at CCAT and assure the effective and safe running of CCAT to the best of their abilities.

It is crucial to understand and appreciate what CCAT does and to support the mission of CCAT as best possible. The position requires that the engineer be a tool and resource for students and employee’s to come to for help. It is clear with the educational goal of CCAT that the engineer is not the fundamental decision maker but more of a technical advisor, mediator and or mentor.

Supporting the educational value of projects while still assuring the functionality and safety of the outcome is a fine line to walk for the engineering technician. Providing answers is not always appropriate where helping those working on the project come to the answer on their own is feasible.

Duties

The position’s tasks are varied. Ideally half of the time is spent working on projects with other employee’s or on your own project. In practice there are times that necessitate much more time spent doing research and calculations over hands on project work. The Engineering Technician will be responsible for monitoring student and employee projects and activities to ensure functionality and safety. The projects to be worked on may be simple structural project, soil and slope stabilization projects, long term planning, educational, maintenance of elements of the house and grounds and more.

Position-Specific Duties

•  Monitor employee and student projects
• Check projects for stability, sound reasoning, and calculations
• Take on projects that need research and engineering
• Evaluate long-term effectiveness of a project
• Take agenda items and set branch meetings for Physical Site
• Technical advisor for student and employee projects
• Ensure functionality of projects
• Know and maintain safety codes
• Make sure project incorporate an educational aspect
• Document, test, and record data on house systems and projects
• Maintain engineer contact lists for faculty and community members with expertise
• Project site selection and appropriateness
• Know HSU engineering or site rules
•  Work with CCAT employees and Co-Directors
• Oversee maintenance, grounds, and garden projects for engineering soundness
• Share contact lists and resources with Internal and External branches
• Assist Co-directors with student volunteers and student projects
• Draft up designs, resources, information for CCAT projects that need engineering designs

General CCAT duties for all employees

• Attend regular employee and branch meetings
• Assist in tabling and outreach efforts
• Assist in the preparation of volunteer and employee meals a few times a semester
• Assist other employees, volunteers, and Co-Directors as necessary

Requirements

• Must be an HSU student during your employment

Helpful Experience

Self education and motivation is needed as the engineer needs to evaluate things that many others won’t see or perhaps understand enough to point issues out to the engineer. A method for approaching work, design, and problem solving and location at CCAT, is to critically question all the assumptions that are made by the CCAT employee’s and volunteer workers as well as ones self.

Realizing when to seek additional help is crucial as the position may not have colleagues at CCAT that can be of help. Professor in the engineering department are especially helpful in many cases but by no means the only resource.

The position of engineer technician at CCAT has made use of the following skills:

• Engineering 
• Ethics 
• Educational Skills 
• Communication, especially explanation 
• Resourcefulness 
• Planning and foresight 
• Self motivation 
• Construction and building knowledge/skills

Schedule and Pay

• 6 hours / week
• $10 / hour $1,680/year
• Flexible scheduling, to be coordinated with Co-Directors and your branch

To Apply

Please visit the application page at:
http://www.ccathsu.com/jobs/

Thank you!