Headwater Stream Habitat Science Biologist - Fish & Wildlife Biologist - Project

Working Title- Headwater Stream Habitat Science Biologist

Classification- Fish & Wildlife Biologist 2

Job Status- Full-Time/Project

Appointment Length- 3.6 years

Anticipated Project Length: April 20, 2026 – November 30, 2029

WDFW Program- Habitat Program – Science Division

Duty Station- Olympia, Washington – Thurston County

While this position may be eligible to telework some days, the successful candidate must be available to report to the duty station as needed. Fieldwork, including overnight travel, is required during the field season (primarily May through October).

Learn more about being a member of Team WDFW!

Photo Caption – Olympic Torrent Salamander – Photo Credit: WDFW

Are you passionate about preserving and protecting fish, wildlife, and ecosystems within Washington?

This is an opportunity to conduct biological monitoring for research projects and coordinate study implementation.

We are seeking a candidate to primarily support implementation of a field study and assist report development that evaluates headwater stream habitats and stream-associated amphibians in managed timberlands for WADNR’s Forest Practices Adaptive Management Program.

This position requires extensive overnight travel within western Washington during the field season of May-October. Among the varied range of responsibilities held within this role, this position:

Plans, coordinates and implements data collection and data management in support of habitat and wildlife research projects.

• Track project progress and prioritize tasks to achieve project objectives.
• Deploy instream water temperature loggers.
• Collect transect measurements (wetted and bankfull widths/depths, substrate, depth, canopy cover measurements and mapping surface water extent).
• Conduct stream-associated amphibian surveys to assess occupancy/abundance.
• Collect spatial data and reference photographs.
• Support site selection using GIS and coordinate study site access with landowners.
• Utilization of a GPS to navigate (logging roads and off-trail) to study sites through dense vegetation and downed trees, which sometimes includes hiking up and down steep slopes or within very steep and/or slippery stream channels comprised of loose gravels, cobbles, boulders, bedrock, mud, and/or sand,.

QA/QCs, summarize and interpret data.

• Ensure regular and complete download of data into databases.
• Ensure data quality through checks of completeness and assessment of data.
• Develop summaries of data for interpretation and analysis.
• Analyze and interpret data using established research procedures.
• Draft technical report sections for review by Principal Investigator.

Supervise field staff (up to
5) hired annually during the field season (June-September).

• Plan and organize interviews.
• Identify and hire staff.
• Onboard staff.
• Provide supervision and direction, identify priorities, hold staff accountable.
• Identify safety trainings and ensure staff are up to date on all trainings.
• Identify and assign tasks, including daily and weekly assignments, tracking of accomplishments, troubleshooting issues as they arise, and making independent judgment calls in the absence of the Principal Investigator.

Lead field staff in project implementation/field data collection.

• Lead staff in field data collection.
• Organize work schedules and communicate plan to staff.
• Be available to solve technical and field work problems for field staff as they arise.
• Train staff in field methodologies.
• Ensure staff are collecting data in a manner that is consistent with study design and research methods.
• Ensure staff follow established safety guidelines. Respond to safety and emergency situations if they occur.
• Maintain access/landowner agreements, communicate with landowners about access and conditions.

Work setting: The working environment is a composite of field and office work. Up to 90% of the time will be spent in the field or preparing to go in the field during the focal field season, approximately May – October annually. While in the field, hiking off-trail through vegetation that may be extremely dense and up and down steep slopes will be required.

Navigating along and within steep shallow streams is…