Our Pinniped Biologist,

• Leads and/or assists team with capture and lethal removal of California and Steller sea lions. Captures may occur on land, in bodies of water, or on floating structures accessible by boat. Safely transport animals from place of capture to necropsy location.
• Supervises staff as funding allows. Trains or oversees the training of permanent and non-permanent staff. Assigns, supervises, and evaluates the day-to-day duties staff are to perform. Conducts recruitment for vacancies, reviews candidate application materials, conducts interviews, performs reference checks, and makes recommendations for hiring.
• Conducts necropsies of euthanized pinnipeds, ensures proper tissue collection and biosampling, storage, and the dissemination of tissue samples to research partners.
• Works with staff at partner agencies including Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to plan and coordinate capture and monitoring activities.
• Records morphometrics and condition of captured animals.
• Assists the on-site veterinarian with the euthanasia process.
• Takes measures to ensure the safety of all personnel working on the project and monitors to ensure that all staff are following safety protocols.
• Performs sample processing, including extraction of teeth for age estimation, and diet reconstruction analyses of gastrointestinal tracts.
• Captures pinnipeds for marking and release as part of research studies.
• Operates heavy equipment necessary for the capture and transport of pinnipeds, such as 15-32’ motorboats, floating traps, barges, cages, forklifts, pickup trucks, and trailers.
• Performs data compilation and analysis, and annual report writing summarizing management activities.
• Helps write permit applications and renewals, project proposals, and progress and final reports for state and federal funding sources.
• Ensures project activities comply with applicable permits and legal authority.
• Obtains and uses agency P-card for small purchases.
• Maintains inventories of supplies on hand at field sites, and orders more when necessary.
• Tracks and receives shipments, and ensures items are transported to their final place off need.
• Makes sure all boats and vehicles have needed and up-to-date safety equipment.
• Constructs, modifies, and maintains trapping equipment such as floating traps, barges, and cages.
• Designs and/or builds new equipment solutions, which may include modification of current equipment.
• Maintains electronic equipment exposed to the elements, such as automated trail cameras, trap door sensors and release triggers, and drones.
• Ensures boats, vehicles and trailers receive regularly scheduled maintenance.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work Setting, including hazards:
  • High percent of time (50-70%) is in the field working on or around the water and weather conditions which can include rain, wind, and snow. Works regularly on small to mid-sized boats.
  • Field work may include inclement weather, rough water, slippery surfaces, noise, odors, repetitive movements of hands, finger manipulations, long periods of sitting, squatting, walking, operating a boat with outboard motor, climbing in and out of boats and onto floating platforms, carrying, bending, kneeling, lifting, working and standing in a confined space. Use of knives, scalpels, needles, and other sharp implements.
  • Working in close proximity to large, potentially dangerous wild animals. Performing animal necropsies, which includes exposure to blood and other fluids, handling animal tissue samples, and potential exposure to zoonotic diseases. Working in close proximity to the use of potentially dangerous veterinary drugs.
  • Responsible for the safe towing, launching, and operation of a multitude of research vessels up to 32’ in length daily.
  • Work is sometimes conducted in severe weather and wind conditions, often at night in the dark.
  • Lift, carry and load equipment up to 50 lbs.
  • Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations
• Schedule:
  • Primarily Monday-Friday, 40 hours per week. Occasional weekends required, and workweeks beyond 40 hours during peak workload periods.
  • During field seasons, a four 10-hour days, Monday - Thursday, schedule may be required.
  • Field work is typically conducted early in the morning, often 3:00 am – 1:00 pm.
• Travel Requirements:
  • This position is a field biologist position that splits time between field work, working in the Region 5 office, and teleworking. The percentage of time spent in each is highly variable depending on field seasons, staffing needs, and project objectives.
  • Travel and overnight stays (mostly 3-4 nights weekly) are required during March – May and September-November timeframes, but may occur at any time of year.
  • Most travel will be along the lower Columbia River (Astoria to Bonneville), but trips to Puget Sound or outer coast locations will also occur.
  • This position requires frequent out of state travel to counties in Oregon that border the Columbia River.
• Tools and Equipment:
  • Vehicles, trailers, power boats, outboard engines, traps, barges, squeeze cages, transfer cages, platform scales, nets, ladders, VHF radios, laptops, cell phones, tablets, GPS devices, cameras, automated trail cameras, night vision goggles, binoculars, spotting scopes, drones, basic hand tools, power tools, winches, pulleys and blocks, lifting straps, tie-down straps, knives, laboratory equipment, forklifts, winches, gantry cranes, immobilization darts, dart projectors, telemetry receivers, branding irons, propane forge, tagging pliers. Use of agency vehicles including pickup trucks.
• Customer Interactions:
  • Regular interactions with federal, state, and tribal partner agencies and personnel.
  • Occasional interactions with landowners and members of the public.

• Valid driver’s license.

• Be involved in the safe and ethical euthanasia of pinnipeds and willing to participate in this task as a central part of daily work.
• Ability to work in high pressure situations.

• Successful completion of agency training and/or certification upon hire for assigned watercraft dependent on supervisory direction, position need, and training availability.
• Successful completion upon hire of yearly project training covering safe and humane practices for animal handling and euthanasia.
• Obtain First Aid Certification within 6 months of hire, with renewal every two years.
• Obtain forklift operator’s certification within 6 months of hire, with renewal every three years.
• IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) training annually.
• Requires completion of both “basic flight” and “water ditching and survival” training upon hire before working aboard small aircraft.

• Supervisory or lead role.
• Capturing or handling pinnipeds.
• Marine mammal surveys.
• Data analysis and summary.
• Conducting marine mammal necropsies and collecting biological samples.
• Inventory and purchasing of supplies and equipment.
• Carpentry, electrical, welding, and/or light construction.

• Salmon life histories.
• Pinniped-fisheries interactions.
• Handling procedures and reporting requirements for Federally protected species covered under the ESA and Marine Mammal Protection Act.
• Geography and river conditions of the lower Columbia River and its tributaries.
• WDFW administrative procedures.

• Operating 15-32’ long motorboats (both jet-pump and propeller driven) in marine and freshwater environments.
• Spreadsheet and database data entry and QA/QC.
• Using MS Word and Excel.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.