Per CCR 249.3, this job control may be used to fill subsequent vacancies.
Under the direction of the Agricultural Pest Control Supervisor and/or Agriculture Program Supervisor I, the Agricultural Technician III independently performs the most complex, varied, and responsible field, laboratory, and staff support of insect production and quality control duties associated with the rearing and release of sterile fruit flies.
• Plan, organize, direct the work of a medium-size crew or multiple small crews of seasonal employees to receive, process, and release sterile fruit flies.
• Cut and restack trays of cooled diet material and roll carts of stacked trays to the pupae preparation trailers.
• Feed empty pupae maturation trays into a pupae loading machine. Dispense pupae onto trays. Cut fly diet material, place onto trays, and stack trays on rolling carts to build “towers”, typically comprised of around 46-56 trays. Add circulation fans and particulate filters and push completed towers to climate-controlled incubation trailers.
• Remove towers containing adult flies from incubation trailers and push them to refrigeration trailers, pre-chilled to 38°F. Remove and replace circulation fans.
• Clean, sanitize, and maintain the orderly condition of facility grounds, offices, warehouse space, storage rooms, refrigeration trailers, pupae preparation areas, incubation spaces, and fly quality assessment rooms.
• Breakdown and clean insect incubation, processing, release, and testing equipment and prepare for reuse.
• Feed dirty trays into the tray washer. Remove clean trays from washers and load them onto drying racks. Stack clean trays onto carts and push towers to trailers for reuse.
• Conduct weekly supply inventories, dispense supplies, and submit supply requests to lead or supervisor as requested.
• Train seasonal, limited term, and permanent employees on all aspects of receiving, processing, and releasing sterile fruit flies.
Candidates may perform these essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.
The duties of this position are primarily conducted outdoors or in indoor areas open to the outdoors, where the incumbent may be exposed to extreme temperatures and weather, uneven terrain, and various noise and light levels. The incumbent may experience regular exposure to dust, Day-Glo Dye, pollen, moisture, and flying insects. The work can be in urban or rural environments.
The Medfly PRP offices are housed in modular trailers and furnished with a variety of office equipment, which consists of desks, tables, chairs, filing cabinets, storage cabinets, filing bins, computers, computer peripherals, phones, answering machines, and multifunction photocopiers. The incumbent’s work area includes office trailers, insect preparation, incubation, and testing rooms, refrigeration trailers, outdoor wash areas, residential and commercial properties, fruit growing areas, warehouses, and motor vehicles. The work site at Los Alamitos is multi-leveled and made up of a black top, raised decking with numerous ramps, and gravel parking lots. The incumbent in this position is part of a team that works closely together. The work is physically demanding and includes lifting and carrying up to 60 lbs., standing, walking, bending, twisting, kneeling, reaching, climbing, pushing, pulling, sitting, driving for extended periods and distances, and other activities as needed. The incumbent may be required to wear personal protective equipment including gloves, hearing protection, safety glasses, boots, face covering, and/or a helmet.
The incumbent will be required to drive and must have a valid driver license and a safe driving record as documented by the Department of Motor Vehicles. (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.) The incumbent will be required to drive, exit, and re-enter the work vehicle numerous times during the workday and maintain a safe driving record.
The incumbent must be able to work well under extreme time constraints, exercise good judgment, determine priorities, make appropriate well-thought-out decisions, allocate resources to achieve maximum results, maintain focus under conditions of duress, and provide an accurate assessment of rapidly changing situations (ex: multiple exotic pest detections requiring multiple operations). The incumbent must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted during the course of work, cooperate with other staff members and leads in completing assigned work, communicate effectively verbally and in writing, with other agencies and the public, understand and follow written and verbal instructions; analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action; work well both independently and with others; adapt to changing work demands; meet required deadlines; observe and report conditions; prepare clear and accurate reports; complete and maintain appropriate field notes, forms, and other documentation; keep written and digital records; orient oneself and navigate using digital and printed maps; operate standard office equipment (computers, copiers, phones, etc.) and mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, GPS units, etc.); and perform simple arithmetic calculations.
Work schedules vary and the incumbent will likely be assigned days off other than Saturday and Sunday. The incumbent will be required to work weekends, holidays, and overtime when necessary, and may be required to travel statewide for extended periods with little notice.
Travel to various locations throughout the State to attend meetings or training related to pest detection and/or treatment and to assist other offices with detection and/or treatment efforts that may be required. This may be accomplished by riding in a state vehicle or other public transportation system.
