Description

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is dedicated to preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish, wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable recreational and commercial opportunities dependent on viable fish and wildlife populations.  Each day, WDFW employees facilitate fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities for millions of residents and visitors.  WDFW’s employees–field and laboratory biologists, geneticists, research scientists, hatchery professionals, policy experts, fully commissioned law enforcement officers, land stewards, lab technicians, property acquisition specialists, customer service representatives and others work throughout the state.  WDFW employees protect and restore critical habitat, strive to facilitate species recovery when necessary, and manage hundreds of fish and wildlife species.  WDFW employees maintain nearly a million acres of public wildlife lands. They interpret, apply and enforce state and federal laws and collaborate with stakeholders to protect fish and wildlife resources. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has some of the most talented people in the natural resource field.  Find out more about us and the important work we are a part of at www.wdfw.wa.gov

The recruitment is one (1) 6-month non-permanent full-time Fish Biologist 2 in the Fish Program, Region 4, Fish Management. The duty station is the La Connor Field Office located at 111 Sherman St, La Conner, WA.  The anticipated start date January 6, 2020.

This position will administer monitoring of the 2020 Skagit winter steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) sport fishery creel.  The sport fishery is well known and attracts anglers from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond.  Supervising a crew of scientific technicians, the temporary Biologist 2 will monitor the fishery for impacts to wild steelhead to minimize negative effects to the health of the spawning population of Skagit steelhead.   DutiesEstimate and report, fishery impacts to wild steelhead, encounters of other species, and fishery monitoring activities and results.
Tasks include:
Travel to, or coordinate to frequently collect data entry forms from the creel, this may include driving into the fishery area or to employee duty stations or homes to collect the sheets; enter creel data to Excel spreadsheet or Access database; QA/QC own work or assign task to available staff; have estimated number of wild winter steelhead impacts from beginning of fishery to a recent date (usually end of each week, but yet to be determined) ready for distribution by a fixed set day each week (day to be determined); prepare catch estimates of all other fish species encountered during the fishery; prepare estimates of catch by anglers employing different gear methods, estimate angler effort during the fishery including parsing out effort and catch by angler type or gear type; prepare periodic reports of fishery monitoring activities and notable events when requested; write a season end report in scientific report format (Title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion) and following AFS style guidelines.

Directly supervise creel staff
Tasks include:
Schedule staff hours; review and approve or deny leave requests; review staff time sheets for accuracy and coordinate corrections or approvals as needed within payroll cut-off times; ensure fishery creel tasks are completed by changing schedules, repositioning staff throughout the workday, reassigning staff, or calling in staff as needed; regularly review data sheets from staff for completeness, accuracy, and legibility and take corrective action quickly as necessary, regularly review any data entered to electronic data storage systems; establish a procedure and conduct proofing of electronic data; diplomatically handle staff feedback, concerns, or complaints while following all HR policies and procedures including what incidents require reporting to supervisor and/or HR; ensure staff respectfully interacts with the public and each other; be available to staff during their work hours to field calls or texts (this will necessitate signing on and off work as needed to take calls), or establish an alternate point of contact for creel staff, if an alternate is not able to be coordinated position must cover this task; ensure evening staff have checked-in or are accounted for at the end of their shift (between 9 and 11pm some nights); activate 911 or other emergency services if deemed necessary from information reported from staff.

Prepare and acquire equipment and associations for creel, maintain equipment during creel
Tasks include:
Complete steps necessary to acquire an agency purchasing card, establish a list of equipment and vendors or contractors needed to successfully conduct the creel; review equipment needs with supervisory staff; following purchasing policies and guidelines acquire equipment through appropriate vendors; research and establish working relationships with authorized contractors needed to complete any components of the creel that cannot be performed by WDFW and communicate what work will be needed from them while understanding what they (vendor/contractor) will need in terms of logistics and preplanning in order to best complete the desired work; communicate information about the fishery with stake holders in the fishery area, including reaching out to allow stakeholders to prepare for increased area activity (e.g. managers of Federal, State [including WDFW], and County public use/access areas within or near the fishery boundaries); learn and put together a list of law enforcement contacts that can be distributed to agency staff, contacts should include area WDFW police personnel, Sauk Suiattle Indian Tribe police, United State Forest Service forest protection officer, Washington State Patrol, and County and local police; reviews, revises or updates data forms from 2019 season and prints them on weather resistant paper for 2020 season; prepares spreadsheets and or databases for 2020 season; acquires mobile communication devices for scientific technicians including cell phones or satellite communication devices as appropriate; determine transportation needs for staff and arrange short term vehicle leases through motor pool with WDFW motor pool liaison; make arrangements to pick up vehicles (likely from Olympia area) prior to the beginning of fishery and to return vehicles after the fishery has concluded and before position end; service vehicles as needed or directed, repair or replace equipment or gear used to perform creel as needed and promptly.

Field work
Tasks include:
Perform total effort counts by helicopter, fly the entire fishery area approximately twice weekly at previously selected random times and days to count all anglers, boats, and boat anglers in fishery area (aerial effort counts will occur on weekdays and weekends and may occur on holidays, throughout any open fishery hours when it is safe to fly as determined by pilot and biologist);  Fill in for scientific technician creel staff when needed (e.g. employee sick); drive the fishery area searching for anglers and follow paths and trails to the river to interview anglers about fishing effort and catch; sit in vehicle at one of several boat ramps and wait for anglers to return to ramp where they can be interviewed about effort and catch; conduct total effort counts by driving predetermined route and counting angler vehicles and boat trailers; coordinate creel coverage with other creelers working during same shift; conduct access reconnaissance of leads on new areas of the river anglers have found a way into, and share the information with supervisor and staff; follow work-alone policy for self and staff including ensuring all staff have checked with the designated contact before signing off for the day. 

Budgeting
Tasks include:
Complete monthly purchasing card remittance and submit to supervisor for approval following fiscal office procedures and timelines; maintain a ledger of purchases and stay within budget allocation (to be determined); be prepared to report expenditures to supervisor or regional management staff if requested.

Working with HR, recruit, hire and train a crew of scientific technicians
Tasks include:
Writes position descriptions; writes job announcements; reviews applicants; plans, coordinates, and conducts interviews of applicants; performs reference checks, hires (recommends), schedules first day; follows first day procedures and policies including accurately completing new employee paperwork and submitting to HR and payroll for processing.  Trains new employees; reviews agency policies and procedures, teaches the work area to new employees by leading tours as needed, discusses how to successfully perform creel interviews when encountering a variety of personality types; trains on how to complete data forms, how to safely care for and store data, and how data will be delivered to the field office for data entry; trains new employees on using motor pool vehicles including mileage reporting, fueling, maintenance procedures, vehicle accidence response; trains new employees on agency owned mobile device policies and procedures; discusses work schedules, work hazards, work environment, and agency work alone policy and daily check-in safety procedures.

Other duties as assigned
Tasks include:
May include but is not limited to, entering data from spawning ground or other surveys, reviewing, categorizing, and entering to electronic format historic data, scanning historic data, performing spawning ground surveys, shuttling staff that are performing spawning ground surveys, assisting supervisor, assisting district biologist, attend meetings, attend trainings.

Working Conditions:
Prior to the beginning of the fishery and after the conclusion of the fishery the employee will work core business hours, MF 8-5.  However during the fishery the employee will work as needed to complete all tasks outlined above.  This will include working split schedules throughout each day the employee has staff in the field so that staff has resources for issues that arise throughout the day, and to ensure staff is accounted for at the end of the evening shifts.  There will be weeks where the position works more than 40 hours and the position will be compensated per rules in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

This position will spend approximately 75% of their time in an office environment and 25% in the field.  Office space will be in a regional WDFW office or employee’s home office.  If the employee is to work mostly from their home they should expect to travel to a regional WDFW office or facility as requested including at anytime throughout a work day during core business hours if needed.  Office setting hazards are primarily paper cuts, repetitive motion injuries, and tripping.  There may be some meetings scheduled throughout the region that the employee will be required to attend.  These meetings will be in public spaces reserved for the event and attendees from the public have been known to at times be surly and combative/hostile with WDFW staff.  The employee will likely experience some stress in these situations and may be asked to address some questions from those in attendance.

In the field the employee will be required to work in all weather conditions and in and around swift water.  Hazards include tripping, falling, sprains, strains, contusions, broken bones, scrapes, bumps, lacerations, insect bites, animal bites, distress from cold or heat exposure, and drowning.  Because this position will also be required to perform work from a contracted helicopter, there is also the risk of injury or death due to not following safety protocols when in or around the aircraft, or from an aircraft crash.  There is little or no cell phone reception in approximately half of the fishery area so the employee should be comfortable working alone without cell phone capability.

Required to travel as needed to fulfill duties of the position.  This may include but is not limited to; travel to Olympia area for picking up vehicles or attending meetings, travel to a yet to be determined location in Washington to attend aircraft safety training, traveling to offices in Region 4, and possibly daily travel to and from the fishery area.   Candidate must be willing and able to perform low altitude surveys in a helicopter up to several times a week throughout the duration of the position.  The flights follow the course of sections of the Skagit and Sauk Rivers and the employee will be tasked with watching the ground to count anglers and boats.  This task induces motion sickness in many people.  Applicants considering this position should consider if their physiology is suitable for this position, it is not for everyone.  Candidate also must accept that during the fishery they will have highly irregular hours and must make themselves available to their crew when their crew is working, for the safety of the crew and the protection of the resource.  

Equipment :  Vehicle, computer, mobile device, GPS, GPS satellite communication device, flight helmet, flight communication system, flight suit, exposure and safety gear (including personal flotation device), computer software Outlook, Word, Excel, Access

Union:
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.

QualificationsRequired Qualifications:
Education and experience: Three years of professional experience in fish/ wildlife/ habitat management or research.  Professional in this statement is defined as working for an environmental agency or organization full time (not a volunteer) or working on an academic project (i.e. work leading to a Master’s degree of Ph.D.)

Competencies

• Listens carefully and responds to questions: provides clear and accurate information, explains processes or procedures.
• Uses data and information in a clear and rational thought process to assess and understand issues: evaluate options, forms accurate conclusions, and makes decisions.
• Resourcefulness in problem Solving: Uses intelligence, common sense, hard work and tenacity to solve particularly difficult or complicated challenges
• Self-knowledge, development and continued learning: Demonstrates an ongoing commitment to learning and self-improvement
• Adaptability/Flexibility: Adapts easily to rapidly changing work needs, conditions and responsibilities.  Adapts approach, goals and methods to achieve successful solutions and results in dynamic situations when working with a wide variety of personality types.
• Creative and innovative thinking: Develops innovative ideas that provide solutions to all types of workplace challenges.
• Emotional control: MUST be able to remain calm and levelheaded in interactions with members of the public.  Some individuals get visibly emotional, usually angry, when discussing fish management topics.  The employee should be able to remove themselves from these situations without being drawn into an argument or making the situation worse by making the individual more upset.

Preferred Experience:
Three or more seasons (one season will refer to a period of at least 3 continuous months of full time work on the same project) of professional experience managing a project with emphasis on creel surveys for a river sport fishery or similar.
Previous experience (at least one season) performing natural resource surveys from aircraft (helicopter or fixed wing).  This is not required but due to motion sickness issues it’s highly advisable candidates are familiar with their personal motion sickness threshold.  Inability to perform this task could lead to dismissal from the position.
Previous experience writing professional scientific reports
Comfortable and proficient with Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook (there will be questions or demonstrations required during candidate interviews to support proficiency claims).  GIS application proficiency is also preferred.
Ability to identify river and ocean stage salmonids to species. Supplemental InformationTo 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 competencies and preferred qualifications of this position (generic cover letter will not be accepted)
• A current resume
• Three professional references (personal references do not count as professional)
• Complete supplemental questionnaire

Please note:  Failure to follow the above application instructions may lead to disqualification.  E-mailed documents will not be accepted in lieu of attaching your documents to the online profile.
Upon submission of your online application, you will immediately receive a confirming e-mail.  You will then be notified via e-mail of your status during the process.  In addition to the e-mail notifications, you can check the status of your application at any time by visiting your online profile at www.careers.wa.gov.
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 (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 (Example:#10155 Biologist 1 – MS)
• Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov

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 may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388.