Fish & Wildlife Biologist 3 – Adult Salmon & Steelhead Stock Assessment Biologist – Perm – *16309-22 – Washington State

Agency

Department of Fish & Wildlife

Location

Burlington, Washington State

Job Category

Full time Positions

Salary

$4,892.00 – $6,419.00 Monthly

Start Date

01/16/2023

Last Date to Apply

12/01/2022

Website

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3800010/fish-wildlife-biologist-3-adult-salmon-steelhead-stock-assessment-biologist

Description

FULL-TIME/PERMANENT
ADULT SALMON AND STEELHEAD STOCK ASSESSMENT BIOLOGIST
FISH & WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST 3

Fish Program
Burlington, Washington – Skagit County

Are you an experienced fisheries biologist looking for an exciting new challenge that will enhance your skills?

As a senior biologist, this position plans, develops, designs, and directs steelhead abundance estimation work in the Samish River and interprets data from a variety of surveys to estimate or predict stock abundance using several statistical methods.

The goal of the Samish River project is to test multiple methods of abundance estimation, and this position will become an expert in all of them. This position coordinates and carries out a variety of tasks such as trapping and marking fish, reviewing sonar footage, conducting redd, snorkel and angling surveys and reviewing video camera footage.

This is an opportunity to lead a team developing expertise in several cutting-edge methods of estimating adult salmon and steelhead.

With your experience, you will run an adult fish trap and lead a team to conduct redd surveys on foot and using rafts on a weekly basis.

You thrive on building collaboration and teamwork, monitoring, mentoring, and evaluating performance of employees to keep employee skills and work quality as high as possible.

We are seeking a candidate to serve as the point of contact with WDFW hatchery staff, regional biologists, WDFW research scientists and resource co-managers.

Duties

Our Adult Salmon and Steelhead Stock Assessment Biologist will,

Operate a fish trap four days a week, including checking the trap, collecting relevant biological data from all fish caught in the trap and PIT tagging target species. Must be available to deal with trap malfunctions that may impact fish passage.
Ensure that video clips of fish passing a ladder are reviewed and biological data is recorded and stored appropriately including species, size, and sex.
Ensure that sonar data is reviewed, and the appropriate data is recorded and stored.
Maintain sonar equipment, including the sonar platform, to ensure it is functioning as much as possible.
Ensure that PIT tag data recorded in the Samish is accurate and uploaded to a WDFW database.
Lead a team to conduct snorkeling, angling and seining surveys in identified reaches, focusing on adult steelhead.
Work with a research scientist to summarize data and write reports estimating adult steelhead abundance and comparing results from different methodologies.
Supervise employees.
Independently plan and assign day to day activities of subordinate employees.
Independently procure equipment and supplies to complete work activities.

WORKING CONDITIONS:
Work Setting, including hazards:
All weather conditions, from dry and hot to extreme cold and snow. Includes snorkeling in cold, fast-flowing/whitewater conditions, walking over rough terrain in varying environmental conditions both in and out of moving water long distances while carrying gear (up to 10 miles daily). Hazards include strains, sprains, breaks, scratches, lacerations, infections, animal encounters and drowning. Office work may consist of long sedentary periods and eye strain from computer screens.
Primarily field work in rivers and streams walking up to 10 miles in rugged terrain in and out of the water, floating in rafts or boats in variable flow and weather conditions and weather.
Includes snorkeling in cold, fast flowing water. Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations.

Schedule:
Generally, Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.
Night, weekend, holiday, and OT hours will at times be required.
Must be able to work highly unpredictable and irregular schedules at times to prosecute monitoring fisheries. For example, be available by phone to staff from 6AM to 10PM to handle emerging situations and act as check-in at the end of the day.
In this role, the incumbent must be able to drive to the work site if the situation warrants it.

Travel Requirements:
Sporadic travel, primarily within Washington State.

Tools and Equipment:
Personal computer with all needed software for the position, smartphone and/or tablet as needed.

Customer Interactions:
This position will interact with tribal co-managers and state biologists and researchers.

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in fisheries (preferred), wildlife management, natural resource science, or environmental science.

AND

Three (3) or more years of professional experience in fish management and/or fish stock assessment.

Experience in:
Three (3) years or more of experience directly supervising and directing subordinate staff.

Proficient in:
Microsoft Excel.
Microsoft Word.

Ability to:
Be comfortable working alone or with a partner in remote and isolated environments in all weather conditions, and in swift moving water for periods up to 14 hours.
Interact and maintain professionalism with colleagues, peers and the public regardless of intensity of interaction.
Work in an office for long periods of time.
Locate, handle, and sample salmonid carcasses regardless of severity of state of decay.
Effectively report and/or present results and resource information in writing or verbally.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Five (5) or more years of professional experience in fish management or research.
Five (5) or more years assessing steelhead or salmon populations.
Experience trapping and marking (PIT tagging) adult fish preferred.
Experience rowing catarafts (pontoon boats) rafts, or drift boats in streams and rivers.
Good watercraft handling and trailering skills and the ability to operate vessels safely in inclement weather in a variety of stream flow conditions.
WDFW snorkel training and certification.
Proficiency with hook and line angling for river salmonids.
Familiarity with differentiating between species of Pacific salmonids.
Proficient in R.
Proficient in GIS software applications.
Experience with SONAR projects.
Ability to work well with a wide variety of people.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:

WDFW requires all employees to be fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. You will be required to provide proof of vaccination as part of the hiring process. Please do not upload your vaccination documentation with your application materials – your vaccination status will be verified by your supervisor before you will be allowed to work. Exemptions may be granted for religious or medical purposes.

Supplemental Information

Please note: Failure to follow the instructions below may lead to disqualification.

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 NOTES:

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:

Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth.

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.

Yes Vets – Say yes to those who served.

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 [email protected].
Subject line should 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 [email protected].
Subject line should 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. For further information, please contact us at [email protected].

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 may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388.

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or [email protected].

Contact Person

Cheri Weld

Contact eMail

[email protected]

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