Wildlife Recovery Biologist

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Posting Date: Dec 3, 2023

Location: Peace River, AB

Company: Government of Alberta

Job Information

Job Title: Wildlife Recovery Biologist 

Job Requisition ID: 42490

Ministry: Environment and Protected Areas

Location: Peace River

Full or Part-Time: Full Time

Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week

Regular/Temporary: Temporary until March 31, 2025

Scope: Open Competition

Closing Date: Open until suitable candidate found

Classification: Natural Resources 8

About Us

The Government of Alberta (GoA) is committed to a diverse and inclusive public service that reflects the population we serve to best meet the needs of Albertans. Consider joining a team where diversity, inclusion and innovation are valued and supported. For more information on diversity and inclusion, please visit: https://www.alberta.ca/diversity-inclusion-policy.aspx

 

To learn more about what our ministry is all about, follow the link at: https://www.alberta.ca/environment-and-protected-areas.aspx

Role

The Wildlife Recovery Biologist will be responsible for the planning and delivery of both field-based operations and desk-based evaluation as well as reporting activities to support assessment of woodland caribou and wood bison population size, recruitment, mortality, movements and pathogens, and to address threats to at-risk wildlife caused by land-use, predation and disease.  This position plays a key role in providing strong professional and operational support, advice and direction to various provincial level tasks, strategies, policies and processes.  

 

Job responsibilities include:

  • Ensuring scientifically credible and relevant population data are available to support woodland caribou and wood bison status reporting and recovery.
  • Evaluate and report woodland caribou and wood bison population data to ensure scientifically credible evidence is available to inform decisions made by government, rights-holders and stakeholders.
  • Lead and support recovery actions for woodland caribou and wood bison to ensure threats are mitigated and population declines are slowed or reversed.
  • Support continued leadership by Alberta in woodland caribou and wood bison assessment and recovery

 

You will join a team of biologists that share responsibility for wildlife program delivery in northern Alberta.  In this role, the incumbent must be equally comfortable collaborating with other biologists and exercising a high degree of independence.  Solid leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving and negotiating skills will serve the incumbent well in dealing with other professionals, Indigenous communities, stakeholders, industry and the public.

Qualifications

 

Requirements:

  • University degree in biology, environmental science, natural resource management or a related field 
  • Four years of directly related wildlife and land use integration experience  
  • A valid Class 5 driver's license or equivalent   
  • Willingness to fly in small aircraft
  • Demonstrated ability in the use of GIS software, data management, modelling and spatial analysis

 

Equivalencies:

  • Equivalencies will be considered on the basis of additional education considered in lieu of experience on a one-for-one basis. E.g. one year of additional education above the minimum requirements may be considered as one year of experience.
  • Candidates with less than 4 years of experience may be considered at a lower classification. 

 

Assets:

  • A postgraduate degree in wildlife science is preferred.  
  • Experience working with woodland caribou or wood bison ecology and management.
  • Experience with wildlife data collection, including aerial surveys, remote cameras, radio-telemetry, and biological sampling.
  • Awareness of wildlife-human conflict mitigation, wildlife diseases (particularly bison), and animal handling/husbandry techniques. 
  • Knowledge of current Alberta policy and regulations as they pertain to woodland caribou and wood bison conservation and management (e.g., Wildlife Act, Master Schedule of Standards and Conditions, Alberta sub-regional planning).
  • Knowledge of Federal Species at Risk legislation, recovery strategies, policies and conservation agreements.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to develop and present both plain language documents and scientific reports.
  • Strong leadership and teamwork skills
  • Knowledge of habitat restoration techniques.
  • Understanding of the forestry and energy sectors in Alberta.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process. 


This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/assets/documents/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf

 

Essential Competencies:
 

Creative Problem Solving: Assess options and implications in new ways to inform decision making and identifying solutions to achieve outcomes.


Agility: Anticipate, assess and readily adapt to changing priorities while maintaining resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
 

Develop Networks:  Establish credibility with integrity by proactively connecting and building trust to function cooperatively and productively with a highly motivated professional and technical team to determine solutions and achieve desired results. Communication skills are required to effectively consult and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders while clearly conveying technical and scientific information.

 

Drive for Results -  Maximize resources to achieve results aligned with the goals of the organization while maintaining accountability to internal and external stakeholders.

Salary

$2,854.12 to $3,686.30 bi-weekly ($74,492 - $96,212/year).

Notes

 

Hours of Work:

Monday to Friday, 36.25 hours per week. 

 

This is a temporary position located in Peace River with an end date of March 31, 2025. This competition may be used to fill future vacancies across the Government of Alberta at equal or lower classification.

 

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can provide the required documents/checks obtained from the province they currently reside in. 

 

Working and Living in Peace River:

55th to 57th parallels retention allowance: This is an annual retention bonus of $6,000.00, less all lawful deductions, the payment will be made in 2 installments per year and shall be pro-rated based on the employee's commencement date.  

 

For more detailed information on this perk check out this link: https://www.alberta.ca/premium-pay-directive.aspx 

 

Work Environment:

Fieldwork for this position will include traveling in a small aircraft (primarily helicopter) to remote locations throughout the year and longer periods of time flying in helicopters during caribou and bison monitoring activities. Adverse weather and environmental conditions should be expected in both winter and summer. Fieldwork will also involve handling and sampling animal carcasses. The position will at times be required to travel throughout the province or region via highway vehicle. Off-road vehicles will also be used periodically. Work over the weekend will occasionally be required. 

 

Instructions for your Resume:

 

For Employment Experience:

  • Please indicate duration of employment (month, year)
  • Please specify employment status (i.e. casual, part-time or full-time)
  • Ex: Youth Worker, Jan 2006 - June 2009, Part-time (three, 8 hour shifts/week)

 

For any Post-Secondary Education:

  • Please specify your major and length of program
  • Please specify the year you graduated
  • Ex: Bachelor of Social Work, 4-year Degree (Graduated 2017)

 

What the GoA has to offer:

How To Apply

Click on the “Apply” button.

 

Candidates are required to apply for a job online. Please visit https://www.alberta.ca/navigating-online-jobs-application.aspx to learn more about creating a candidate profile and other tips for the Government of Alberta’s online application system.

 

If you are not currently an employee with the Government of Alberta, the first step in applying for a job is creating your candidate profile within our online application system, click here to access the main log in page where you are able to ‘Create an account’, reset your password (‘Forgot your password’) or ‘Sign In’ should you already have an account.

 

Existing employees should access the Career tile in 1GX to submit their application in order to be recognized as an internal applicant.

 

Once you have created your candidate profile, visit the Alberta Public Service job site to apply for jobs at https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-jobs.aspx

 

Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience and relevant examples of required competencies.

 

Resources for Applicants:


It is recommended that applicants who have completed post-secondary studies from outside of Canada obtain an evaluation of their credentials from the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) at https://www.alberta.ca/international-qualifications-assessment.aspx or from a recognized Canadian Credential Evaluator. Please visit the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada for more information at https://canalliance.org/en/.

Closing Statement

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies across the Government of Alberta at the same or lower classification level.

 

We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to determine which candidates' qualifications most closely match the advertised requirements. Only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.

 

If you require any further information on this job posting or a copy of the job description, and/or require a disability related accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Jane McEwen, TAS Administrator via email at Jane.Mcewen@gov.ab.ca.

 

If this competition is closed as per the closing date noted above, please continue to check http://www.jobs.alberta.ca for a listing of current career opportunities with the Government of Alberta.