Biologist 1, 2, or 3 (LOSCO

Office of The Secretary – Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office

The Office of the Secretary serves as the department's executive management office. The Secretary is the chief officer of the Department of Conservation & Energy (DCE), in charge of its policy, administration, and operations.

The Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO) was created by state legislature in 1991. This division serves as the single point of contact for programs related to oil spills in Louisiana. LOSCO’s mission is to minimize unauthorized discharges of oil, provide for an effective spill response, compensate the public for damages to the state’s natural resources and services, and assist the public through education, service, and public outreach.

The Biologist 1, 2, or 3 position is located within the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO) of the Office of the Secretary and is domiciled in Baton Rouge, LA. The incumbent in this position is responsible for coordinating with state agencies as well as federal agencies to ensure a prompt and thorough oil spill response, traveling to remote sites to assist in field investigations, site visits, and monitoring events.

Use of a state vehicle is required to perform duties. The individual in this position may participate in weekend response duty. Computer proficiency is required (to access work assignments, communicate with involved parties, and access electronic emails, media, reports, etc.) NIMS 100, 200, 700, 800 series and HAZWOPER training are required and will be provided.

A bachelor’s degree in a biological science, marine science, environmental science, wildlife or fisheries, animal science, forestry, or natural resources.

The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

As a Biologist, you will play a vital role in studying living organisms and ecosystems, conducting research, and analyzing data to support conservation efforts, resource management, and scientific understanding. In this role, you will:

• Required to respond to oil spill incidents during nights and weekends while on an on-call rotation throughout the State of Louisiana.
• Coordinate oil spill cleanup and/or Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) activities with responsible parties, contractors, and other local, state, and federal government agencies to ensure effective oil spill response, clean-up and/or NRDA and restoration actions.
• Able to operate within an Incident Command structure, fulfilling assigned roles and supporting unified oil spill response and/or NRDA efforts for the State of Louisiana as needed.
• Coordinate and collaborate with state agencies to support oil spill emergency response, recovery and/or NRDA and restoration efforts.
• Provide support for the implementation of various LOSCO programs including Oil Spill Planning, Prevention, and Response, NRDA, and RRP.
• Provides guidance and direction in field investigations for oil spill response and/or NRDA activities associated with habitat, fish, and wildlife. This includes data intake, data management, data analysis, and data validation.
• Applies established protocols for collecting, storing, transferring (under chain of custody), and shipping scientific data, and provides support to other field staff as needed.
• Assists in the development of wildlife and habitat oil spill response preparedness and protection plans.
• Assist in the coordination of oil spill preparedness drills.
• Represent and participate in meetings, workshops, symposiums, conferences, and seminars to enhance the development of LOSCO’s NRDA, RRP, and oil spill response, planning, and prevention programs.
• Other duties as assigned.

Appointment Type: Probational

Career Progression: This position may be filled as a Biologist 1, 2, or 3.

Work Schedule: Work hours are flexible.

Compensation: The salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience.

Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities.

Human Resources

Department of Conservation & Energy

PO Box 94396

Baton Rouge, LA

Email: DCE-Recruiting