FULL-TIME- PERMANENT

FARMER 4

Game Bird Hatchery Operations Supervisor

WILDLIFE PROGRAM

Centralia, WA

Bob Oak Game Farm

Come work outdoors in the production and management of pheasant recreation.

Formerly known as the Lewis County Game Farm, the Bob Oke facility in Centralia, WA. collects nearly 50,000 pheasant eggs per year with the hopes of raising and releasing 40,000 fully grown birds into the wild.

Bring your animal husbandry and farming experience combined with excellent communication and office suite skills and join a team dedicated to preserving, protecting, and perpetuating the state’s fish, wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.

With that in mind, 

You will supervise procedures and compliance for our Hatchery Operations.

The optimal applicant, 

Is professional and communicates clearly with respect and tact when working with the public and co-workers. You will enjoy working alongside and collaborating with volunteers and WDFW area staff.

With your experience, 

You will monitor flock health and outline health checks with your supervisor and work with staff to maintain equipment and facilities.

As our Farmer 4- Supervisor here is some of what you will do,

• Feeds and Feeding
  1. Feeding, tractor and lifting up to 30lb feed buckets repetitively.
  2. Create, implement, and direct feeding schedules with supervisor.
  3. Enter feeding data in a way that can be analyzed for supervisor
  4. Address feeding problems and maintenance brought forward by lower level staff and educate staff on farm plans to achieve feeding schedules.
  5. Collect daily staff assessments and evaluate and identify feed to ensure proper feed is given in correct locations.
  6. Research new ideas and give technical advice on nutrition.
  7. Leads and ensures lower level staff is feeding proper rations and locations. 

• Flock Health
  • Outline health checks with supervisor
  • Identify and diagnose common game bird diseases.  Implement and administer drugs for game bird diseases and find non-drug solutions for flock health.
  • Help create the seasons anti pecking protocol and implement on the facility.
  • Work with supervisor to create the seasons density and release strategy, inform and direct farm staff to achieve.
  • Implement the hatcheries production plan and egg collection
  • Update and monitor the farms biosecurity plan and make recommendations for added protection.
  • Work out on site helping and directing lower level staff with daily health checks, egg collection, specking, and moving birds.
  • Give technical advice on pheasant health and operations.

• Record keeping and public relations
  1. Assists the supervisor with data collection and entry for eggs, mortality, feeds and feeding, release schedule, and allocations.
  2. Works with supervisor to respond to both phone and written questions regarding the pheasant release program.
  3. Attends meetings on the absence or request of the program specialist.
  4. Work and direct volunteers alongside the supervisor to ensure proper volunteer documentation and safety procedures have been followed.
  5. Works with supervisor to complete comprehensive reports, construction project planning, marketing strategies, and farm reviews.
  6. Researches new technologies and practices related to game bird propagation and production and implement changes.
  7. Attends occasional constituent meetings and management meetings.

• Equipment/facilities maintenance
• • Work with supervisor to identify a farm plan to, schedule routine maintenance
  • Work directly with CAMP to achieve husbandry goals.
  • Direct and Work alongside lower level staff on day to day maintenance.
  • Bring ideas and improvements to minimize weather wear and snow damage.
  • Compile and organize pen maintenance plan.

• Transporting pheasants

1. Collect and transport pheasants from flight pen to catch house
2. Loads, drives, and releases pheasants during pre-dawn hours during fall hunting season
3. Wears proper PPE while working in catch house and dusty conditions
4. Work with supervisor to ensure staff follow proper animal welfare, PPE program and transportation safety.
5. Work with supervisor to make pheasant release allocation adjustments and weekly loading schedule.
6. Lead lower level staff so proper allocations and loading schedules are met.
7. Drive long distances with a trailer and livestock during all hours of the day to meet delivery times

• Sanitation and cleaning
  1. Help keep sanitizers and cleaning supplies stocked
  2. Help the supervisor find new LEAN ways to sanitize rearing equipment.
  3. Help lower level staff sanitize and clean
  4. Guide and improve biosecurity programs and implement changes

 WORKING CONDITIONS: 

Work Setting, including hazards:

Work in all weather conditions and sometimes over difficult terrain and surfaces up to 90% of the time.

Walk, bend, and stoop, often on uneven terrain while at times carrying up to 40 pounds.

Load and transport equipment and gear.

Sit for long periods in front of a computer or on the telephone.  Must attend meetings and site visits when applicable.  When working closely with pheasants in confined space, a respirator and PPE are required.  Need to pass a respirator fit test and health screening.

Schedule (i.e., hours and days): 8 Hour, 5 days a week. 2 days off and may vary during high workload periods. Work hours outside of the regular hours of 8:00 am-5:00 pm including weekends.

Travel Requirements: 

• Travel between wildlife areas to complete job tasks.
• Travel may include daily round trips of up to 300 miles. Must travel up to 10 hours once a week during the months of September through November.
• Must attend periodic off-site meetings; some training and conference attendance will require day and overnight travel.
• Tools and Equipment: 
• Tractor and implements, ATV, pressure washer, driving standard pickup trucks. Use of hand tools and small power tools. Welding equipment.
• Computer hardware and software, general office equipment, printer/fax.
•  Operates hatching and rearing equipment that is either electrical or gas.

Customer Interactions: 

• Interacts with the public while at the access sites: Fishermen, dog walkers, hikers, river floaters, and hunters.
• Works with county and other state agency workers occasionally.
• Interacts with private businesses, large and small, during the purchase of materials for access area improvements.  May occasionally work with WDFW wildlife managers and enforcement officers.

Other: The position requires self – direction and priorities are set independently. Ability to accomplish regular workload of skilled labor with emergent and sometimes conflicting demands depending on seasonal fluctuations. Maintain routine services while addressing complaints, problems, and priority projects. Public health and safety issues dictate priorities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Valid Washington State Driver’s License. Critical for transporting pheasants to release destinations.

  2-year college or vocational degree in natural resources or closely related field. 

OR

Two years of experience in farm work or maintaining livestock may be substituted for the education requirement.

AND

One (1) Year of experience in life cycle poultry or game bird farm operations.

Resume and application must reflect this experience.

AND

Must be able to use an ATV and tractor, safely utilize hand and power tools.

Required Competencies:

• Software:  Advanced skills in Microsoft Office 365 Suite 2010 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Program Support:  Manages and accepts continual interruptions and multiple projects or requests with competing deadlines to provide management and program staff with accessible and consistent support.
• Verbal Communications:  Effectively conveys ideas and information through the spoken word using language that is appropriate to both the complexity of the topic and the knowledge and understanding of the audience
• Written Communications:  Must have knowledge of proper grammar usage, spelling, and punctuation. Must be able to create and edit professional documents for public dissemination.
• Ability to work independently and safely in remote locations.
• Safely operate small and large equipment including trucks, tractors, mini-excavators, and ATVs.
• Respectful and tactful with/to coworkers and the public.
• Safely operate hand and power tools and equipment.
• Communicate effectively and professionally with WDFW staff, other agencies, private landowners, and the general public.
• Repair barbed wire fences and netting including gates, H-braces and rock jacks.
• Use and maintain vehicles, equipment and tools including hand tools, chainsaws, drills, welders, grinders, saws, pumps, sprayers, mowers, pickup trucks, pull and maneuver trailers, ATV’s, and heavy equipment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

•        Ability to communicate in public forums both verbally and in written form.

•        High level of understanding of computing resources and operation.

•        Ability to maintain a high level of one-on-one and group conversation.

•        Ability to understand and act on verbal and written direction.

•        Work independently and as part of a team.

•        Experience on a tractor, All-terrain vehicle and full-size pick-up trucks.

•        6 months experience of full-time animal husbandry.

•        Repairs on farm machinery, hand tools, and other equipment.

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 NOTE: 

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Department of Fish and Wildlife’s priority during the Covid-19 health crisis is to keep our staff, candidates, and the public safe.  We are hiring and encourage you to apply to open positions. We have transitioned to a virtual recruitment process, to include web-based interviews.

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 professionalism, accountability, empathy, integrity, service, and respect.

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:

• 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@dfw.wa.gov.

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.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status and 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.

This recruitment is essential Maintain animal husbandry, hatchery operations for fish/animal welfare and associated testing/vet response etc.

*(Images shown are Pre-COVID, WDFW Staff follow current COVID Safety Protocol including the use of face masks)

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.