Salary: $2,957.00 – $3,915.00 Monthly
Location: Jefferson County – Port Townsend, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Permanent
Department: Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
Job Number: 2023-03641
Closing: 3/26/2023 11:59 PM Pacific

Provide key support to the agency’s Shellfish and Seaweed Health and Biosecurity Unit under the Puget Sound Shellfish Program.

Perform inspections and surveys related to the management of pest and disease risks to shellfish and seaweed for the state of Washington and provide key permitting and stakeholder engagement support.

These field projects are critical for ensuring shellfish and seaweed biosecurity and conservation objectives are met and support commercial and recreational fisheries management. Collect, enter, and summarize field data for supervisory biologists and agency managers, and support development of education and outreach tools.

This is an opportunity to participate in shellfish and seaweed disease and pest risk management.

In this dynamic role you will also serve as a herring surveyor to quantify spawn deposition, extent, and abundance.

With your experience you will support stock assessment, harvest effort and catch assessment, test fishery, enhancement, restoration, and other Puget Sound Shellfish Program fieldwork.

You are excited to support Puget Sound Shellfish Program and related agency program fieldwork.

Duties
Our Shellfish & Seaweed Technician,

• Engages with stakeholders including but not limited to shellfish farmers, researchers, tribes, aquariums, the seafood industry, and the general public throughout Washington.
• Conducts on-site facility, farm, and tideland inspections and surveys.
• Collects and enters data from inspections and surveys that are used to support facility compliance, develop biosecurity plans, and inform management designed to limit the spread of marine diseases and pests. Surveys beaches to evaluate harmful pest status.
• Collects samples to support assessment of disease and genetic risks.
• Professionally engages with stakeholders to gather data, answer questions, and explain shellfish regulations and department objectives.
• Travels throughout (primarily) western Washington.
• Assists with receiving, organizing, and preparing incoming information and data related to permitting, field surveys, and compliance work.
• Communicates with stakeholders to assist in permitting processes, including ensuring complete applications.
• Assists with development of protocols, methods, standards, and manuals involved in permitting.
• Conducts data entry and QA/QC of data in databases using ArcGIS, MS Access, and MS Excel.
• Provides progress reports and updates to WDFW biologists.
• Conducts seasonal (Winter) sampling for abundance and distribution of forage fish using established protocols at index stations throughout Puget Sound.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work Setting, including hazards:
  1. Work occurs both in the field and in indoor environments.
  2. Field work includes indoors (such as inspecting facilities) and outdoors (inspecting facilities, survey work) and occurs approximately 60% of the time. Outdoor field work may involve working in uneven terrain and adverse weather, and occasionally aboard or operating various vessels in marine waters – including the 38-foot WDFW Vessel #699 research vessel and smaller boats (small outboard motorboats, inflatable rafts, and 24’ to 34’ agency vessels). Must be able to safely and effectively work aboard agency vessels in marine waters.
  3. May also include work from aboard fixed wing aircraft for several hours.  
  4. Requires the ability to lift and carry up to 60 lbs. on a periodic and infrequent basis, including over rough terrain such as slippery rocks, sticky mud and steep banks, and to sit for extended periods of time over an 8-hour workday.
  5. Must be able to dig holes in rough terrain and perform extended stoop labor (up to 4 hours per day).
  6. Work will also occur on floating docks, at boat ramps, at beach access sites, on tidelands, in lagoons, and in freshwater habitats.
  7. Indoor work includes various aquaculture, seafood, and research facilities, laboratories, and an office setting.
  8. Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations.
• Schedule:
  1. Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week.
  2. Flexibility is required, including sometimes irregular workweeks, and end times, and occasional weekends to fulfill program needs.
• Travel Requirements:
  1. Frequent in-state and infrequent overnight travel is required.
• Tools and Equipment:
  1. Laptop computer, GPS units, iPads, cellphones, motor vehicles, navigation systems, depth sounders, marine radios, outboard boats and engines, rafts, chest waders, knives, scales, calipers, microscopes, and cameras.
• Customer Interactions:
  1. Requires clearly and regularly communicating with customers and the public, especially as a regulator.
  2. Direct engagement with the shellfish aquaculture and seafood industries, aquarium industry, educators, researchers, tribes, sister agencies, pet dealers, and other stakeholders related to the mission of managing shellfish disease risk.
  3. Required to work independently with minimal supervision and constructively participate in internal and external groups, teams and meetings.

Qualifications
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
College course work involving major study in biology, zoology, fisheries, chemistry, natural sciences, or closely allied field may substitute year-for-year for experience, provided the course work includes at least six semester or nine quarter hours of natural science classes.

And

License:

• Valid driver’s license.

Training:

• Successful completion of agency training and/or certification for assigned watercraft dependent on supervisory direction, position need, and training availability.
• Requires completion of both “basic flight” and “water ditching and survival” training before working aboard small aircraft.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated experience conducting sometime strenuous biological field work and data collection in sometimes challenging conditions; experience working on-board vessels in marine waters; experience towing, deploying, and operating small vessels safely. 
• Familiarity with geography of Puget Sound and Hood Canal region. Experience in crustacean, molluscan, and finfish species identification and handling. 
• Knowledge of shellfish biology and shellfish disease ecology; familiarity with invasive species management.
• Experience in interacting with stakeholders as a regulator in a natural resource management setting; experience interacting with the shellfish aquaculture industry. 
• Willingness to travel.
• Experience or familiarity with aquaculture systems. 
• Experience using a GPS to collect waypoints, electronic scales, and calipers for biological data collection; and experience using electronic data collection tools.
• Experience using computers, including Microsoft-based applications like Word, Excel, Teams, and Access.
• Proficiency with Geographic Information Systems in the management, presentation, and analysis of data and the production of high-quality maps. 
• Creativity and skills or experience in developing information products designed to educate and inform a variety of audiences. 
• Experience utilizing scientific survey methods in a natural resource setting; experience with data collection and management. 
• Spanish language proficiency.

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. 

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3955814/shellfish-seaweed-technician-scientific-technician-2-permanent-03641-23

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 
JOIN THE WDFW TEAM: Learn about our agency and the perks of working for WDFW!

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 RecruitmentTeam@dfw.wa.gov.
• 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 RecruitmentTeam@dfw.wa.gov.  
• 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 RecruitmentTeam@df 

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 support@neogov.com.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3955814/shellfish-seaweed-technician-scientific-technician-2-permanent-03641-23