Ocean Career: WDFW Fish and Wildlife Biologist Marine Species Data Steward

Marine Species Data Steward

Primarily working with marine mammals, seabirds, and shorebirds data, be involved in the data management life cycle including data collection and quality control, processing, as well as data use and interpretation.

You will also provide a high level of customer service by providing internal and external customer support for using species data, such as consultation and interpretation, and the creation of custom data and map products.

As the data steward and curator, responsible for quality assurance and quality control, management, interpretation, usability, delivery, and support of analyses of marine species data.

This is an opportunity, To support marine species surveys by aligning survey protocols with species data requirements, assisting with the development of data collection tools, and participating in species surveys.

With your expert problem-solving skills, Coordinate with WDFW (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) staff to determine business needs, identify data gaps and solicit species data from internal and external sources.

We are seeking a candidate, Who models WDFW values:
Accountability, Service, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, and Empathy (ASPIRE).

Some of what our Marine Species Data Steward will enjoy doing, Marine species data stewardship and management, including acquiring, translating, verifying, organizing, distributing, synthesizing, and analyzing spatial and tabular species data:

• Conduct quality control, translation, and processing of species data
• Incorporate new data and maintain existing species data in WDFW enterprise species databases
• Use or modify scripts and other automated geo-processing routines for managing data.
• Write and maintain business rules, metadata, and other documentation for species data management.

Support marine species surveys and other field data collection:

• Coordinate with biologists to define survey data collection procedures and protocols and to align survey protocols with species data rules
• Coordinate with IT staff on the development and testing of surveys apps, tools, and scripts for appropriately collecting, monitoring and quality control of survey data
• Support field biologists in the use of data collection software and applications
• Support the use of software and systems for managing data collected from camera traps and other, indirect species data collection surveys such as telemetry, acoustic recordings, or drone imagery

Support marine species evaluations, assessments, planning, and reporting:

• Compile, standardize and simplify data for use in species evaluations
• Identify appropriate data and advise staff on proper use and interpretation
• Create and provide maps, summaries, graphs, and other data derived from species surveys

Support marine species data requests from external customers, and data sharing or data exchange between WDFW and external entities:

• Identify appropriate data and compile this data, and related maps and species summaries, into request-specific, data sharing packages
• Distribute custom species data packages and advise requestee on proper use and interpretation
• Evaluate and ensure compliance with species data sensitivity policies and other data sharing guidelines
• Provide species data for permitting or compliance-reporting processes

Work Setting, including hazards:

• This position primarily works in an office setting that includes reading, writing, phone, and computer use.
• This position involves occasional participation in surveys and other field activities that require working outdoors in terrestrial and aquatic environments. This may include working under conditions such as 12-hour workdays, inclement weather, walking over rough terrain or riding in rough water conditions and hiking long distances while carrying a light load of (up to 40 pounds) personal and survey equipment including but not limited to a GPS unit, camera, laptop and rangefinder.
• Working in or around boats in marine conditions and environments. Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations.

Schedule:

• Typically, Monday – Friday, 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M
• May need to adjust the work schedule to meet occasional…