Inventory & Assessment Section Manager – Fish & Wildlife Biologist 4 – Permanent – *07778-24

FULL-TIME/PERMANENT
INVENTORY & ASSESSMENT SECTION MANAGER
FISH & WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST 4

Habitat Program – Fish Passage 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.

This is a senior level biologist who focuses on fish passage and screening activities across the State of Washington.

Restore and open fish habitat through the fish passage division while leading the barrier inventory and assessment section.

Manage the finances, supervise staff, develop and implement trainings on fish passage and fish screening, work closely with outside entities collecting barrier inventory data, and foster partnerships through technical assistance on fish passage activities across the State.

With your experience, you will perform project scoping and coordinate with other organizations conducting fish passage activities.

You thrive on building collaboration and teamwork, working closely with staff on continuing to collect high quality data by offering refresher courses on protocols.

You are excited to you lead innovative solutions to increase inventory efficiencies.

Duties:

Here are some things you will do in this role:

Fish passage and screening technical assistance: 

• Provide technical support to the division on inventory activities and facilitating collaboration between database manager and entities collecting barrier data. This may include outreach to landowners that own barriers.

Leads the barrier assessment and inventory section in the fish passage division: 

• Support and provide guidance to the barrier inventory supervisor and staff. Keep inventory protocols and manuals up to date.
• Supervises, trains, and evaluates work performance of subordinate employees.

Develop and implement a statewide fish passage and screening training program: 

• Work with staff to develop and implement an effective and efficient fish barrier and screening inventory training program to support internal staff, the Fish Barrier Removal Board and external partners conducting inventory.
• Work with staff to develop tools to retrieve data for outside sources.

Coordinate with external partners conducting barrier inventories to build strong partnerships and assure high quality data collection: 

• Regularly follow-up and provide technical assistance to external partners to assure high quality data collection. Perform QA/QC on inventory and add information to the central fish passage database. Work closely with the database manager to develop innovative tools and that can assist outside organizations and the public with conducting fish passage projects. Work with the outreach coordinator and IT staff to promote the inventory.
• Coordinates with local governments on barrier inventories and understanding their fish passage barrier activities.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work Setting, including hazards:
  • This position demands a mix of office and field work with some travel requirements. Physical capacity to walk streams and rugged terrain in remote areas for extended periods, often carrying heavy loads (30+lbs) in inclement weather.
  • Office hazards include working under fluorescent light, repetitively entering data into computer, looking at computer monitor for long periods of time, sitting or standing for long periods of time.
  • Must be able to work comfortably and safely along busy roadways.
  • Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations.
• Schedule:
  • Monday – Thursday: 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
  • Friday: 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with every other Friday off.
  • Incumbent may need to adjust the work schedule to meet business needs, including working in the evening or on weekends.
• Travel Requirements:
  • Some overnight trips, rare, but possible weekend work, long days, and possibly on weekends.
  • Must be able to adapt to a flexible work schedule and travel on fairly short notice.
• Tools and Equipment:
  • general biological fields equipment such as electro-fishers, flow meters, aquatic sampling gear.
• Customer Interactions:
  • This position interacts with a variety of internal and external entities. They will work very closely with DOT staff; other state, local, and federal employees; private landowners; lead entities; tribes; legislators; other stakeholders that are interested in fish passage and screening; biologists; mechanics; engineers; and contractors.

Qualifications:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Bachelor’s degree or above with major emphasis in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, landscape architecture, geography, land use or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or closely related field.

And

• Three (3) years of professional experience in natural resource planning, wildlife habitat management, with a focus on habitat concerns, state and federal fish passage requirements, negotiation/dispute resolution, and computer skills.

Please note:

• Closely related qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-by-year basis.

License:

• Valid driver’s license.

 Required Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Familiarity in fish passage protocols, manuals, and design criteria.
• Knowledge of fish and wildlife habitat and life history needs and requirements.
• Additional knowledge of impacts of construction projects on aquatic and riparian habitat and resources, and measures to mitigate those impacts.
• Ability to organize, coordinate, or lead program or process activities.
• Ability to supervise others effectively.
• Demonstrated organization and time management skills to effectively prioritize workload and maximize efficiency.
• Ability to train and mentor others.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following: 

• Experience developing and implementing training and presentations.
• Effectively communicates in individual and group discussions, independently analyzes and weighs the risks verses benefits in decisions and recommendations related to fish and wildlife resources, and habitat issues.
• Builds rapport and partners with WDFW staff, the public, Indian Tribes, and local, state, and federal governmental agencies regarding issues pertaining to fish and wildlife protection.
• Applies negotiation and conflict resolution skills when communicating with difficult people under difficult circumstances.
• Balances quality of work with ability to meet deadlines by making efficient and effective use of available time, equipment, and resources.
• Adapts to stressful or changing situations and priorities.
• Transitions easily between tasks, responding quickly and efficiently to work requests; successfully returns to incomplete tasks and continues work with minimal need to become re-oriented to the task.
• Works accurately and timely with minimal supervision.
• Exhibits self-initiative in developing or upgrading knowledge and skills and applying that new knowledge or skills in the work environment.

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.

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or support@neogov.com.

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