Lower Columbia River Chum Biologist - Fish & Wildlife Biologist 2

Join the WDFW Team in Region 5 and be a key part of the Lower Columbia River Chum Biological Opinion Project! In this position, you’ll take ownership of several critical components of the project, from supervising field crews and monitoring salmonid populations to assisting with habitat restoration planning and permitting. In addition, this role involves hiring and supervising scientific technicians, providing the opportunity to mentor and support the next generation of fisheries professionals. If you’re ready to combine fieldwork, data analysis, and project leadership in one meaningful role, this position is a great fit.

What to Expect- Among the varied range of responsibilities held within this role, the Lower Columbia River Chum Biologist will,

Lower Columbia River Chum Biological Opinion Project - Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E): Juvenile Salmonid Out-Migrant Monitoring: Coordinate staff and logistics for juvenile salmonid monitoring, including leading independent field crews, participating in fieldwork, trap installation/removal, and occasionally conducting daily operations of rotary screw traps and fence-panel weirs with live boxes. Adult Chum Salmon Monitoring: Coordinate staff and logistics for adult chum salmon monitoring, including leading independent field crews, conducting adult seining, operating adult traps, performing stream surveys, and supporting live adult and carcass tagging programs. Ensure timely and accurate data entry into standardized WDFW databases, such as the Juvenile Migrant Exchange (JMX) and Trap, Weirs, and Surveys (TWS). Conduct quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) checks and preliminary analyses to generate abundance estimates and other data needed for status and annual reports. Lower Columbia River Chum Biological Opinion Project: Habitat Restoration Projects: Assist the lead biologist scoping, permitting, and tracking implementation of habitat restoration projects. Annual Reporting Requirements: Assist with data summarization, table generation and editing/updating text sections for reports. Contribute to annual reports, including contract deliverable reports (adult and juvenile monitoring activities and enhancement/re-introduction programs) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) permit applications and reports (juvenile monitoring activities). Project Administration, Supervision, and Logistics: Manage staff time entry and approvals, vehicle data in the Vehicle Management Tracking System (VMTS), and state motor pool reporting. Order supplies, complete Order Payment Forms, and process P-card transaction reporting forms. Assist the project lead biologist with recruitments, participate in the hiring process, and perform annual evaluations of direct reports.

WORKING CONDITIONS: Work Setting, including hazards: Work in an office setting 40% of the time and in the field 60% of the time. Fieldwork includes work outdoors under cold, wet slippery conditions, working alone in remote locations, working early and late hours (some in darkness). Regularly lift up to 70lbs, walk streams up to five (5) miles per day under cold, wet slippery conditions, and climbing up and down steep, slippery stream banks. Sample carcasses of dead and rotting salmon with very strong odors. This position may involve working in or near water, including tasks that require navigating, negotiating, and performing duties related to water environments. Climb in and out of boats and snorkel in rivers with fast flowing/whitewater conditions under variable weather conditions for up to three (3) miles per day. Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week. Work hours may be assigned at any time within a 24-hour period and may vary based on operational needs, season, or weather conditions. The standard work schedule includes the potential for occasional evenings or weekends as needed. Travel Requirements: This position will travel to and from field assignments. Tools and Equipment: 18–20-foot jet sled boats, full-sized trucks, 50–200-foot beach seines, rotary screw and fence-panel weir with live box juvenile traps, pontoon rafts, fish tagging tools, hand tools (hammer, saw, screwdriver, etc.), power tools (skill saw, drill, rotary hammer drill, etc.), computers, dissolved oxygen (DO) meters, and flow meters. Customer Interactions: Primarily field-based contacts with landowners and resource users, including anglers.

• Supervising field crews
• Monitoring salmonid populations
• Assisting with habitat restoration planning and permitting
• Hiring and supervising scientific technicians
• Coordinating staff and logistics for juvenile salmonid monitoring
• Leading independent field crews
• Participating in fieldwork
• Trap installation/removal
• Conducting daily operations of rotary screw traps and fence-panel weirs with live boxes
• Coordinating staff and logistics for adult chum salmon monitoring
• Conducting adult seining
• Operating adult traps
• Performing stream surveys
• Supporting live adult and carcass tagging programs
• Ensuring timely and accurate data entry into standardized WDFW databases
• Conducting quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) checks
• Performing preliminary analyses to generate abundance estimates and other data needed for status and annual reports
• Assisting the lead biologist scoping, permitting, and tracking implementation of habitat restoration projects
• Assisting with data summarization, table generation and editing/updating text sections for reports
• Contributing to annual reports, including contract deliverable reports and Endangered Species Act (ESA) permit applications and reports
• Managing staff time entry and approvals
• Managing vehicle data in the Vehicle Management Tracking System (VMTS)
• Managing state motor pool reporting
• Ordering supplies
• Completing Order Payment Forms
• Processing P-card transaction reporting forms
• Assisting the project lead biologist with recruitments
• Participating in the hiring process
• Performing annual evaluations of direct reports

• A Bachelor's degree in fisheries, wildlife management, natural resource science, or environmental science.
• One (1) year of professional experience in fish/ wildlife/ habitat management or research.
• One (1) year of experience supervising and coordinating staff.
• Valid driver's license.
• Basic CPR/First Aid certification, to be obtained as soon as possible after hire.
• Wilderness First Aid certification.
• WDFW snorkel training and certification, renewal expected every two (2) years.
• WDFW Swiftwater training certification
• WDFW Oars training certification
• WDFW MOTC training certification.
• WDFW Coldwater (Inland) training certification.
• Additional trainings identified in the Washington State Learning Center and Power BI Safety Training Tracker.

• Medical (including vision)
• Dental
• Basic life insurance
• Medical flexible spending account
• Long-term disability insurance
• Dependent care assistance
• Auto insurance
• Boat insurance
• Home insurance
• Renter insurance
• Washington State Employee Assistance Program
• Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS)
• Deferred Compensation Program (DCP)
• Social Security
• Medicare
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Paid holidays
• Paid personal holiday
• Sick Leave
• Vacation (Annual Leave)
• Military Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Leave Sharing
• Parental Leave
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Leave Without Pay

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