Olympia Washington is the current duty station, however, depending on the successful candidate, other duty stations may be considered.

 Support the goal of healthy and sustainable wildlife populations by bringing your expertise in both marine species biology and the technical intricacies of data management. 

Primarily working with marine mammals, seabirds, and shorebirds data, be involved in the data management life cycle including data collection and quality control, processing, as well as data use and interpretation.

You will also provide a high level of customer service by providing internal and external customer support for using species data, such as consultation and interpretation, and the creation of custom data and map products.

Marbled Godwits – Credit: Scott Fitkin 

Picture yourself, 

As the data steward and curator, responsible for quality assurance and quality control, management, interpretation, usability, delivery, and support of analyses of marine species data.  

This is an opportunity,

To support marine species surveys by aligning survey protocols with species data requirements, assisting with the development of data collection tools, and participating in species surveys.

With your expert problem-solving skills, 

Coordinate with WDFW staff to determine business needs, identify data gaps and solicit species data from internal and external sources.

We are seeking a candidate, 

Who models WDFW values: Accountability, Service, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, and Empathy (ASPIRE).

Some of what our Marine Species Data Steward will enjoy doing, 

Marine species data stewardship and management, including acquiring, translating, verifying, organizing, distributing, synthesizing, and analyzing spatial and tabular species data:

• Conduct quality control, translation, and processing of species data.
• Incorporate new data and maintain existing species data in WDFW enterprise species databases.
• Use or modify scripts and other automated geo-processing routines for managing data. 
• Write and maintain business rules, metadata, and other documentation for species data management. 

Support marine species surveys and other field data collection: 

• Coordinate with biologists to define survey data collection procedures and protocols and to align survey protocols with species data rules.
• Coordinate with IT staff on the development and testing of surveys apps, tools, and scripts for appropriately collecting, monitoring and quality control of survey data.
• Support field biologists in the use of data collection software and applications.
• Support the use of software and systems for managing data collected from camera traps and other, indirect species data collection surveys such as telemetry, acoustic recordings, or drone imagery.

Support marine species evaluations, assessments, planning, and reporting:

• Compile, standardize and simplify data for use in species evaluations.
• Identify appropriate data and advise staff on proper use and interpretation.
• Create and provide maps, summaries, graphs, and other data derived from species surveys.

Support marine species data requests from external customers, and data sharing or data exchange between WDFW and external entities:

• Identify appropriate data and compile this data, and related maps and species summaries, into request-specific, data sharing packages.
• Distribute custom species data packages and advise requestee on proper use and interpretation.
• Evaluate and ensure compliance with species data sensitivity policies and other data sharing guidelines.
• Provide species data for permitting or compliance-reporting processes.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work Setting, including hazards:
  • This position primarily works in an office setting that includes reading, writing, phone, and computer use. 
  • This position involves occasional participation in surveys and other field activities that require working outdoors in terrestrial and aquatic environments. This may include working under conditions such as 12-hour workdays, inclement weather, walking over rough terrain or riding in rough water conditions and hiking long distances while carrying a light load of (up to 40 pounds) personal and survey equipment including but not limited to a GPS unit, camera, laptop and rangefinder
  • Working in or around boats in marine conditions and environments. Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations.
• Schedule:
  • Typically, Monday – Friday, 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. 
  • May need to adjust the work schedule to meet occasional business needs such as fieldwork. This includes early mornings, evenings, or weekends.
• Travel Requirements:
  • Occasional travel to WDFW offices and WDFW Wildlife Areas, conferences, trainings, or meetings with other agencies and external entities.
  • Occasional travel to field sites for participation in surveys and other outdoor activities.
• Tools and Equipment:
  • Standard office and telework equipment such as a desk, filing cabinet, computer, printer, telephone, copy machine. Occasional use of survey and other field equipment.
• Customer Interactions:
  • Interact and respond to inquiries from professional, external entities, state agencies, and partner organizations as well as members of the public. Communication is by phone, email, or in-person.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

AND 

OR 

Please Note: 

• A Master’s degree in an applicable science discipline will substitute one (1) year of the required experience. 
• A Ph.D. in the applicable science may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience.

Certifications/Licenses: 

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

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

Experience with: 

• GIS desktop software, such as ArcPro, and using this software for data management, geo-processing, and spatial analyses at an intermediate level.
• Microsoft Office software, including Excel and Access databases at an intermediate level, and using this software to query and summarize data.
• Mobile data collection applications and devices.
• Relational databases, such as SQL Server, and using these databases to query and manage data. 
• Cloud-based software platforms such as ArcGIS.com, Amazon Web Services, or Azure and using related applications, such as webmaps and dashboards.
• Managing electronic records of species surveys.
• Scripting languages, such as Python or R, for automating data management.
• Statistical software and understanding of statistical methods for evaluating species, species populations and species-habitat relationships.

Knowledge of: 

Familiarity with: 

• Washington state species, their habitats, ranges and distribution. 
• Field methods and survey protocols for monitoring and recording species and their habitats.

Ability to:

• Identify, organize, and document data for subsequent use in assessments and analyses.
• Learn new technologies and stay current with best practices for data management.

• Accurately read, interpret, and retain information from technical reports, survey protocols, journal articles, maps and graphs. 
• Work in natural environments or remote locations and participate in ground, water or aerial-based surveys.
• Operate electronic field equipment such as Global Position Systems (GPS) units, telemetry equipment, and mobile data collection devices.

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:

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.

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 Elizabeth.Bullard@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 Elizabeth.Bullard@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 at 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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