Green River & Nisqually Biologist - Fish & Wildlife Biologist 3 - Permanent *05942-24
FULL-TIME/PERMANENT
GREEN RIVER & NISQUALLY BIOLOGIST
FISH & WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST 3
Fish Program – Science Division
Olympia, Washington – Thurston County
This position may be eligible for telework. The default assigned work location for this position is in Olympia, Washington. Frequency of onsite work will vary based on business and operational needs.
Serve as our juvenile monitoring specialist to design, plan, and execute rotary screw trap projects intended to estimate juvenile salmon abundance, assess salmon population status, and examine factors affecting salmon productivity and life history diversity.
Provide science support to WDFW and tribal biologists conducting adult salmon monitoring and forecasting activities. Pursue interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists towards the goal of understanding the ecological processes affecting salmon survival in both freshwater and marine environments.
In this dynamic role, you will provide analysis, assessment, and interpretation of project results inform key agency decisions on topics including salmon recovery actions, harvest management, and hatchery operations.
With your experience, you will lead project data analysis and reporting, providing information to salmon managers as well as the scientific community.
You thrive on building collaboration and teamwork, working with WDFW and external biologists to synthesize multiple sources of information towards a better understanding of salmon population abundance, productivity, diversity and spatial structure.
Duties:
Here are some things you will do in this role:
Lead Green River and Nisqually River juvenile salmon monitoring projects:
- Plan project objectives and develop study designs for estimating salmonid abundance.
- Hire, train, and supervise technical staff to achieve project objectives. Ensure staff meet unit objectives and agency expectations.
- Plan, schedule and execute all aspects of juvenile trapping operations.
- Maintain quality working relationships with project partners and funders, including applying for grants supporting monitoring projects and providing periodic project updates.
Apply salmon population monitoring data to conservation and management issues confronting salmon and steelhead in the Green and Nisqually rivers:
- Provide science support to WDFW district/area and tribal co-manager biologists, including adult salmonid abundance estimation, productivity assessments, and forecasting.
- Pursue interdisciplinary collaborations with academic and government agency scientists to examine factors affecting salmonid abundance, productivity, spatial structure, and diversity. Consider fluvial geomorphology, climate, marine environment, and predation, among other topics.
- Consider, explore, and (when appropriate) pursue improvements to salmon population monitoring methods.
- Communicate research results in agency reports, peer reviewed literature, and oral presentations.
Support Wild Salmon Production Evaluation Unit team and agency activities:
- Assist with field work led by co-workers.
- Participate in WDFW, Fish Program, and Science Division science forums and workplace initiatives.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
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Work Setting, including hazards:
- Field work consists of rotary screw traps deployed in large Puget Sound rivers. Traps have minimal cover, are exposed to inclement weather (including rain, wind, icy conditions, etc.), and are subject to highly variable river flows. Traps have moving parts, including winches for raising, lowering, and adjusting trap positions. Moving parts include trap cone and winches to raise, lower and re-position trap. Ability to use this equipment and constant awareness is necessary to avoid injury.
- Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations.
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Schedule:
- Typically, five (5) days per week, 40 hours per week.
- Position also includes long periods of field activity and includes some night and weekend work.
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Travel Requirements:
- Infrequent travel to professional conferences, meetings, and workshops primarily within Washington State.
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Tools and Equipment:
- Fish-capture gear, primarily rotary screw traps, but potentially smolt fences and seines as well. Power tools, chain saw, generators, pumps, and hand tools. Large trucks, boats, and trailers.
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Customer Interactions:
- Green River project partners include Tacoma Water, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, King County, and a variety of public and private groups representing WRIA 8. Nisqually River project partners include the Nisqually Indian Tribe and NOAA Fisheries.
Qualifications:
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- A Bachelor's degree in fisheries, wildlife management, natural resource science, or environmental science.
And
- Three (3) years of professional experience in fish management or fish research, wildlife management or wildlife research, or habitat management or habitat research.
Or
- An equivalent combination of education and experience.
Please note:
- Closely related qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-by-year basis.
- Each year of full-time academic work toward completion of an advanced graduate degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in a relevant science field may substitute for the required work experience.
License:
- Valid driver’s license.
Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:
- Complete CPR/First Aid training within 6 months of initial appointment.
- Successful completion of agency training and/or certification for assigned watercraft is dependent on supervisory direction, position need, and training availability.
- Complete Swiftwater Training within 12 months of initial appointment.
- Complete Wilderness First Aid Training within 12 months of initial appointment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:
- Ability to evaluate multiple sources of information, including data generated by the incumbent and the scientific literature, in order to synthesize a narrative that builds biological knowledge.
- Ability to clearly articulate scientific concepts and facts, both orally and in writing.
- Experience presenting research findings at scientific conferences and to general audiences.
- Ability to clearly describe research plans to project collaborators, coordinate activities among multiple collaborators, and provide project status updates.
- Experience training personnel, assigning work, evaluating performance, and providing feedback.
- Commitment to mentorship, creating a positive work environment and fostering a productive team-oriented research culture.
- Ability to set clear project objectives, develop a work plan and meet deadlines.
- Ability to plan research expenditures and track budgets.
- Experience with fisheries sampling techniques in rivers and streams, including electrofishing, rotary screw traps, redd surveys, PIT tags, angling, snorkeling, rafting, and wading.
- Experience handling, identifying, and sampling adult and juvenile salmonids.
- Comfortable working in large, dynamic river systems during challenging conditions (rain, cold, high river flow); ability to identify, avoid, and mitigate potential hazards in such environments.
- Ability to develop and execute analytical approaches to address scientific questions, and ultimately draw conclusions from biological data based on facts and evidence.
- Experience with descriptive, comparative, and advanced statistical approaches.
- Knowledge of statistical programming languages and/or platforms such as R.
- Experience entering, organizing, and querying large data sets using database software such as Microsoft Access.
- Knowledge of salmonid behavior, life history, ecology, and population dynamics.
- Experience coordinating activities of multiple entities and collaborators.
Supplemental Information:
Please note: Failure to follow the instructions below may lead to disqualification.
Experience and education selected, listed, and detailed in the Supplemental Questions must be verifiable in the application.
In order to successfully apply for this position, you MUST complete your profile at www.careers.wa.gov and attach the following to your profile before completing the online application:
- A cover letter describing how you meet the qualifications of this position (Generic cover letter will not be accepted).
- A current resume.
- Three professional references.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All new employees must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) on their first day of work. If hired for this or any position at WDFW, you will be required to provide documentation proving you are eligible to work in the United States. For a list of acceptable documents, please use the following link: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
JOIN THE WDFW TEAM:
Learn about our agency and the perks of working for WDFW!
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has some of the most talented people in the natural resource field. We celebrate and value diversity, appreciating that a workforce composed of those from different backgrounds and experiences creates an inclusive environment, strengthens positive relationships with the local community, and brings new perspectives and approaches to fulfilling the agency’s mission. We value demonstrated skill in living WDFW values of Accountability, Service, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, and Empathy (ASPIRE).
WDFW employees may be eligible for the following Benefits:
Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave types.
Eleven (11) Paid Holidays per year and one (1) personal holiday if the employee is scheduled to be, or has been, continuously employed by the State of Washington for at least four (4) months.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), and an Employee Assistance Program.
UNION - WAFWP:
This position is in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Association of Fish & Wildlife Professionals and is subject to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the State of Washington, Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Washington Association of Fish & Wildlife Professionals.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer
VETERAN PREFERENCE NOTICE:
To take advantage of veteran preference, please do the following:
- Email a copy of your DD214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22 or USDVA signed verification of service letter to Cheri.Weld@dfw.wa.gov.
- Subject line must include recruitment number, position, and Vet (for example: #10155 Biologist 1 – Veteran)
- Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.
MILITARY SPOUSE PREFERENCE NOTICE:
To take advantage of military spouse preference, please do the following:
- Notify us of your military spouse status by email at Cheri.Weld@dfw.wa.gov.
- Subject line must include recruitment number, position, and MS (for example: #10155 Biologist 1 – MS)
- Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.
Note: Please blackout any PII (personally identifiable information) data such as social security numbers.
As part of WDFW’s efforts to advance respectful and inclusive work environments, the Agency expects inclusivity as part of our professional interactions and communications. Therefore, we want to ensure that all individuals feel welcome, are treated fairly and respectfully. All staff are empowered to fully contribute to serving their work unit, Agency, and the citizens of Washington.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, disabled, and Vietnam era veterans and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.
Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format please contact Jayme Chase by phone 360-902-2278 or email Jayme.Chase@dfw.wa.gov, or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at 800-833-6388.
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