Senior Wildlife Biologist

Job

Agency:
Game Fish & Parks

Pay Grade: K

Closing Date: 07/16/2026

South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks is seeking a dynamic, relationship‑driven wildlife professional as a Senior Wildlife Biologist to lead the state’s white‑tailed and mule deer management program. The Deer Program Leader provides comprehensive oversight of deer management, research, and monitoring efforts statewide. The candidate combines strong scientific expertise with exceptional interpersonal skills to guide strategy, build partnerships, and communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

• Coordinate statewide deer management – serve as the department’s primary expert guiding deer management plans, habitat and research priorities, monitoring objectives, and hunting season recommendations.
• Build strong working relationships – collaborate with wildlife managers, tribal and federal government partners, biologists, landowners, hunters, and other stakeholders to strengthen information‑based approaches to deer management.
• Collaborative team contributor – step into both supporting and leadership roles, fostering a positive, cooperative, and high‑performing work environment.
• Communicate complex information – clearly convey deer management strategies, research findings, and recommendations to internal staff, the public, partner agencies, and decision makers.
• Provide analytical leadership – oversee survey design, monitoring, and interpretation of deer hunter, harvest, and population trends, as well as landowner opinion and other stakeholder trends.
• Advance innovation – lead the adoption of new technologies and analytical tools to improve program efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness.
• Produce and review scientific work – author, coauthor, or review technical reports and scientific publications in collaboration with project leaders and staff.
• Stay current in the field – review scientific literature and participate in professional conferences, meetings, and training at multiple levels.

Bachelor of Science degree preferred.

Preferred experience would be an individual with an M.S. or Ph.D. in wildlife management or a related degree supplemented by several years of experience with a wildlife management agency responsible for developing hunting season regulations.

• Deer management, habitat requirements, harvest and population dynamics, and wildlife disease ecology.
• Social science, public engagement practices, and legal frameworks that shape deer management and regulatory authority, including the roles and rights of tribal, federal, state, and private entities.
• Deer population modeling, abundance estimation, and demographic analysis.
• Public trust principles and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

• Apply advanced computer skills using database management and analysis software including Program R and ArcGIS Pro.
• Analyze and interpret scientific data and documents.
• Manage large, complex datasets with accuracy and efficiency.

• Communicate effectively through public speaking, stakeholder engagement, and technical writing.
• Provide strong leadership and guide team priorities and workloads.
• Represent and promote departmental priorities with professionalism and credibility.
• Conduct applied wildlife research independently or collaboratively.
• Organize work, manage multiple responsibilities, and meet deadlines.
• Follow detailed sampling protocols with precision.
• Maintain exceptional attention to detail in field notes, reports, and publications.

To be considered, please attach your CV.

This position is eligible for Veterans' Preference per ARSD 55:10:02:08.

The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas for new or existing employees. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete an Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I‑9. The State of South Dakota, as an employer, will be using E‑Verify to complete employment eligibility verification upon hire.

The State of South Dakota offers a $0 premium employee health insurance option plus eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits. This position is a member of Class A retirement under SDRS.

This is a full‑time, 40‑hour weekly position. Workplace conditions are primarily an office environment, but may include adverse weather conditions and low‑flying aircraft. The role may involve handling sick and diseased wildlife, chemical immobilization drugs, and capture/restraint of wild animals.