Fish and Wildlife Scientist V - Biological information Manager

About the role

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD) seeks a highly skilled and motivated Biological Information Manager – Fish & Wildlife Scientist V to lead and oversee all aspects of the VFWD Natural Heritage Database System, the most comprehensive source of information on Vermont's natural communities and its rare, threatened and endangered plants and wildlife. This spatial database supports conservation planning, regulatory planning and review, scientific inquiry, and contributes data to regional, national, and international analyses through NatureServe. The position supervises the Zoology Information Manager and seasonal Assistant Ecologist, sits within the Wildlife Diversity Program, and is funded by federal grants and associated match.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Department's Natural Heritage Database System.
• Provide accurate information to stakeholders and conservation organizations to maximize conservation of plants and wildlife, especially rare, threatened and endangered species.
• As Scientist V, serve within the Wildlife Diversity Program while representing the Department at a high level.
• Implement, oversee, and maintain Biotics for tracking data on rare species and significant natural communities, including maintaining and updating the Natural Heritage Database System.
• Use the ArcGIS Platform to deploy mapping content and solutions for wildlife conservation planning and land‑use initiatives.
• Oversee spatial data governance and use ArcGIS Online to share sensitive resource information securely with stakeholders and partners.
• Promote the roles, uses, and values of the Database System through outreach and initiatives that enhance its conservation impact.
• Provide, interpret, and explain complex natural community and species information; advocate for protection under various scenarios.
• Provide training and conduct presentations to foster understanding of the Database and related GIS for VFWD, Agency of Natural Resources staff, foresters, and partners.
• Seek external promotion opportunities: conferences, partner events, VFWD events, newsletter articles, web presence, social media, technical reports, and professional journal submissions.
• Foster staff, partner, and public awareness and appreciation of the Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI).
• Collaborate proactively with the Agency of Digital Services (ADS) to design, enhance, and modernize GIS tools, enterprise spatial layers, and mobile data collection workflows.
• Innovate and deploy user‑centric applications (e.g., ArcGIS Survey123) to improve data entry and management for staff biologists and volunteer networks.
• Regularly collaborate with professionals across diverse interests and expertise.
• Lead, support, and oversee Department zoologists, botanists, ecologists, and wildlife biologists in using information tracking systems: maintain taxonomic and distribution data, update element ranking, and follow frameworks for adding rare species and natural community occurrence data.
• Lead local methodology discussions and develop data improvement projects.
• Serve as principal investigator on grants supporting database management, inventories, and outreach; develop proposals, manage budgets, and report accomplishments.
• Seek new funding opportunities to remain budget‑neutral or increase capacity for inventory/database advances, including exploring fee‑based information services.
• Respond to data and interpretation requests from local, state, and regional government organizations, land trusts, NGOs, and landowners developing conservation plans.
• Develop and oversee data use guidelines and agreements with NGOs, consultants, government agencies, researchers, and other partners.
• Develop and maintain standard and custom data products; assist staff biologists with complex public mapping inquiries; engage with municipal planners.
• Provide guidance to planners (e.g., municipalities, Natural Resource Conservation Districts) for