Plant Ecologist

Job Responsibilities: We are seeking a plant ecologist with strong plant identification skills to serve in a Wildlife Biologist 2 position for the Wildlife Conservation Section (WCS). This Wildlife Biologist 2 will work with the WCS botany team on conservation of rare plant species and habitats prioritized in Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan. The primary goals of the position are: to coordinate and consult on habitat restoration and monitoring where botanical expertise is required; and to inventory and map Georgia’s highest priority small-scale habitats for Georgia’s rare species database.

This Wildlife Biologist 2 will work with internal and external partners, including the WCS habitat restoration team and the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, to execute conservation actions. The WB2 will implement an adaptive management framework to coordinate habitat restoration and monitoring. Restoration planning will include habitat mapping using the NVC vegetation classification system. Restoration techniques will primarily include vegetation management and prescribed fire. Monitoring will include protocol design and implementation, data analysis, and communication of results.

Other responsibilities include environmental review of projects impacting rare plants and habitats, grant reporting, writing management plans for state conservation lands, and providing outreach and technical support to landowners, the general public and conservation partners.

This position requires strong workplace organizational skills. Teamwork is critical for success, and effective written and verbal communication are required.

The duty station for this position will be in our Social Circle office with field work state-wide.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Masters degree in Biology or a related field from an accredited college or university;
• OR Bachelor’s degree in Biology or a related field from an accredited college or university AND one year of related experience; OR one year of experience required at the lower level Wildlife Biologist 1 (NRP060) or position equivalent

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Demonstrated plant taxonomy skills and familiarity with the flora and habitats of the Southeastern U.S., including the National Vegetation Classification system
• Proficiency in plant community and population monitoring protocol design, data management, and familiarity with GIS and statistical analyses and software
• Experience and training with rare plant and habitat conservation techniques including prescribed fire, herbicide application, and plant safeguarding
• Coursework or experience in principals of plant conservation ecology, conservation genetics, pollination ecology, population ecology, and disturbance ecology
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to complete projects on time.
• Prior employment experience with GA DNR/Wildlife Resources Division