Time for a new job? This week's most intriguing openings

The US economy lost 467,000 jobs in June, and Americans with jobs are now working the lowest average number of hours in 45 years of record keeping.

In an effort to turn these employment losses around, Monitor staffers each week comb the job listings in search of interesting places to work. The most intriguing jobs we found this week are in Sacramento, Calif.; College Park, Md.; West Point, Miss.; Terminal Island, Calif.; Sausalito, Calif.; Lexington, Ky.; Fort Worth, Texas; Valley City, N.D.; Lake Tahoe, Calif; and Madison, Wisc.

1. Airport environmental planner
Employer: Sequence Systems
Wages/salary: $85,000 to $120,000
Details: Manage a portfolio of airport development/Federal Aviation Administration compliance projects for an airport and aviation planning consulting firm. (For more information click here.)
Location: Sacramento, Calif. (pop. 407,018; median family income $42,051) is where celebrity watchers hope to catch a glimpse of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of the local restaurants. If nothing else, people who tour the Capitol can take a picture of the nameplate above his office entrance, since he’s the first California governor with his name on the door.

2. “Town/gown” housing partnerships coordinator
Employer: University of Maryland
Wages/salary: Not listed
Details: Represent the university’s Department of Resident Life staff in leasing efforts with the company that manages apartment communities which house approximately 2,900 undergraduate students. (For more information click here.)
Location: College Park, Md. (pop. 24,657; median family income $62,759) hosts each year an “If I Were Mayor” essay contest for elementary schoolchildren. This year’s winners suggested the city recycle water used at car washes and ask companies to make “green” toys so kids could play and protect the environment at the same time.

3. Baking scientist
Employer: Del Monte
Wages/salary: Not listed
Details: Develop and apply milling, oven design, cereal chemistry, and dough technologies as they relate to new product lines or the improvement of current products. (For more information click here.)
Location: Terminal Island, Calif. (pop. 1,467; median family income not listed) is a 4.46-square-mile artificial island located between Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors. It serves as a major container terminal.

4. Hazard crew foreperson
Employer: Asplundh Tree Expert Company
Wages/salary: $18.95 to $21 an hour
Details: Supervise the removal of large hazardous trees from power lines. (For more details click here.)
Location: Lake Tahoe, Calif. (pop. 23,609; median family income $40,572) is known as a vacation haven on the California/Nevada border, where in winter nearly 400 inches of snow guarantee great skiing.

5. Heavy diesel instructor
Employer: Technical Training Inc.
Wages/salary: $55,000
Details: Conduct training programs on diesel trucks, engines, and electrical systems. (For more information click here.)
Location: West Point, Miss. (pop. 11,372; median family income $32,943) for 30 years has hosted the annual Prairie Arts Festival, which includes fine arts, southern cooking, and live music and draws crowds over 40,000.

6. Drift collection worker
Employer: Army Corps of Engineers
Wages/salary: $24 to $28 an hour
Details: Serve as a crew member on drift collection boats equipped to remove and dispose of floating debris and other navigational hazards from the waters of San Francisco Bay. (For more information click here.)
Location: Sausalito, Calif. (pop. 7,330; median family income $123,467) enjoys a spectacular view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge a short ferry ride from the city. The location and Mediterranean flair make this one of priciest places to live in a very pricey metropolitan area.

7. Railroad track inspector
Employer: RJ Corman Railroad Company
Wages/salary: Not listed
Details: Detect, locate, and evaluate deviations in cross-level, gauge, and profile of track, as called for by the Federal Railroad Administration. Determine the best means of correcting defects. (For more information click here.)
Location: Lexington, Ky. (pop. 260,512; median family income $53,264) calls itself the “Horse Capital of the World” because of the numerous thoroughbred horse farms in the area.

8. Landfill engineer
Employer: AppleOne, Inc.
Wages/salary: Not listed
Details: Design landfills in partnership with a medium-sized engineering firm. (For more information click here.)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas (pop. 534,694; median family income $42,939) began as an Army outpost overlooking the Trinity River in the mid-1800s.

9. Airbrush tattoo artist
Employer: Thomas Face Painting
Wages/salary: $20 an hour
Details: Apply temporary tattoo designs at parties, corporate events, street fairs, etc. Must be willing to travel out of state for three days at a time. (For more information click here.)
Location: Valley City, N.D. (pop. 6,826; median family income $41,604) calls itself the “City of Bridges” because of the 11 historic spans over the winding Sheyenne River.

10. Meat laboratory manager
Employer: University of Wisconsin
Wages/salary: $47,000
Details: Direct and conduct daily activities of a state-inspected meat lab, including harvest, fabrication, and further processing of red meat and poultry. Hire and train student employees. (For more information click here.)
Location: Madison, Wisc. (pop. 219,843; median family income $71,596) boasts one of the country’s lowest unemployment rates, which is one factor in its traditionally high “livability” ranking.

For last week's offbeat listings click here.