Cowlitz Monitoring & Evaluation Unit Lead - Fish & Wildlife Biologist 4 - Permanent - 2026-04270

About the role

The Cowlitz Monitoring & Evaluation Unit Lead - Fish & Wildlife Biologist 4 position is responsible for overseeing and implementing WDFW Cowlitz River monitoring and evaluation projects, providing oversight of Cowlitz downstream passage projects, and participating in various committees and workgroups.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and implement the WDFW Cowlitz River monitoring and evaluation projects
• Provide oversight and auditing of Cowlitz downstream passage projects
• Coordinate with Science Unit staff to provide an independent annual estimate of production and collection efficiency estimates for the Cowlitz Falls Fish Facility (CFFF)
• Collaborate with Science Unit staff to provide an independent annual estimate of production and collection efficiency estimates for the Cowlitz Falls Fish Facility (CFFF)
• Use statistical principles to estimate adult and juvenile population abundances, migration timing, size distributions, age structure, and other project outcomes from these studies
• Summarize data requested for the Cowlitz Annual Program Review (APR) and participate in APR meetings with Tacoma Power and Public
• Supervise technical and professional staff
• Participate as WDFW technical support for the Cowlitz Fish Technical Committee (FTC), FTC Downstream Fish Passage Technical Work Group (TWG), and Cowlitz Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Requirements

• Required Qualifications:
• A Bachelor's degree in fisheries, wildlife management, natural resource science, or environmental science or related field
• And five (5) years of professional experience in fish management or fish research, wildlife management or wildlife research or habitat management or habitat research
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Knowledge of: Basic skills in the use of hand and power tools, Advanced use of Microsoft Excel and Access, Salmonid life histories, Adult fish population estimation methods and assumptions, WinBUGS, R, R Studio, and other programming languages software, Cowlitz Basin Fisheries and Hatchery Management Plan (FHMP) and related documents
• Experience with: Conducting spawning ground surveys via foot and/or pontoon raft for Pacific Salmon, Installing, maintaining, operating, and removing resistance board weirs, Handling and tagging adult salmonids including methods such as floy, carcass, opercle, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging, Project management including supervising and coordinating field staff, Adult and juvenile salmon identification, Permit applications and processes from various government entities needed to operate adult and juvenile fish traps and net pens, Species re-introduction projects, Conducting quality analysis/control on large, complex datasets, Communicating technical and scientific information to decision makers, stakeholders, and the public, Participating in large multi-stakeholder technical and/or policy forums

Qualifications

• A completed online application showcasing how your qualifications align with the job requirements
• An up-to-date resume
• A cover letter detailing your interest in the position, your relevant skills and experience, and why you are the ideal candidate
• At least three professional references with current contact information

Benefits

Click the “Benefits” tab at the top of this announcement to learn more about the benefits available to WDFW employees.