Fish and Wildlife Officer

Role Responsibilities

Are you passionate about conserving and protecting the province’s fish and wildlife?  Do you enjoy educating people and ensuring they understand and comply with the laws that are in place to protect natural resources that are enjoyed by Albertans?  If so, then a Fish and Wildlife Officer may be a great career for you!

This is an opportunity for you to protect Alberta’s fish and wildlife resources. Your daily duties will be varied, often exciting and always meaningful, as you conduct education, prevention, and enforcement activities.

Job duties may include but are not limited to:

• Enforcing federal and provincial laws and regulations relative to fish and wildlife resources and public land.
• Responding to complaints and patrolling a designated district by truck, all-terrain-vehicle, snowmobile, watercraft, and aircraft or on foot.
• Inspecting commercial operations, conducting surveillance, gathering evidence, executing search and arrest warrants, organizing and conducting investigations, interviewing witnesses and suspects, preparing trial briefs and testify in court. 
• Responding to reports of nuisance and dangerous wildlife, investigating livestock predation and crop damage complaints.
• Providing public education about branch programs, including making presentations at schools and community meetings.
• Maintaining regular contact with various stakeholder groups: including sportsmen, Indigenous communities, guides, outfitters, trappers, landowners, industry representatives and other citizens. 

To be successful in this challenging role you will require exceptional communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills; you must be self-motivated and have the ability to lead, build and maintain relationships and work well independently as well as within a team environment.

Being a Fish and Wildlife Officer can involve strenuous physical activity and exposure to extreme environmental conditions. You must be physically capable of performing all duties of the position.  

As part of the Rural Alberta Provincial Integrated Defense (RAPID) Response, Fish and Wildlife Officers are required to provide initial response to priority emergency calls for service when dispatched by the provincial police. Officers will be dispatched to priority one and two emergencies in rural Alberta, based on proximity to location and will be first on scene or back up to the RCMP.

Please click on this link to view the job description.

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/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following competencies:

Creative Problem Solving: Ability to assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.

Agility: Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, manage resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.

Build Collaborative Environments: Leads and contributes to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.

Systems Thinking: The work done within the APS is part of a larger integrated and inter-related environment. It is important to know that work done in one part of the APS impacts a variety of other groups/projects inside and outside the APS. Systems Thinking allows us to keep broader impacts and connections in mind.

Qualifications

A related two-year diploma plus four (4) years of relevant experience; or 

Equivalency: Directly related education or experience considered on basis of:

• 1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or
• 1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

Preferred education includes a Natural Resource Compliance Diploma, Applied Degree in Conservation Law Enforcement or other related Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource programs. Candidates with lesser qualifications may be considered for position at a lower classification.

Law enforcement education and experience may be considered in lieu of conservation law enforcement education and experience; however, preference will be given to candidates that meet or exceed the related standards. 

The following are considered assets:

• Current or previous conservation law enforcement or problem wildlife work experience.
• Experience and training as a conservation law enforcement officer.
• A Western Canada Law Enforcement Academy (WCLEA) certificate.

This position requires candidates to be eligible for an appointment as a Peace Officer, Fishery Officer, and Wildlife Officer.

Candidates may be required to complete the Fish and Wildlife Officer Knowledge Exam.  

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 

Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

We are currently looking to establish an eligibility list and hire multiple positions throughout the province. Successful candidates will be required to reside throughout the province where the positions are vacant. 

This position works 36.25 hours a week and candidates must be able to work shift work including weekends, and standby.

Successful candidates will be required to complete the Enhanced Reliability Screening through the RCMP, but this is not necessary upon application.

For Northern Alberta assignments, you may be eligible for an Attraction Bonus, Northern Allowance and/or Retention Bonus depending on the work location assigned. Please visit the attached link for more details: https://www.alberta.ca/premium-pay-directive.aspx#toc-1.

Candidates who are currently working as full-time conservation law enforcement officers are encouraged to contact Sheriffs Branch, Recruitment and Staffing Unit at PSES.fworecruit@gov.ab.ca to discuss training equivalencies. Experienced officers may not be required to complete the entire 16-week recruit training academy depending on the level of training they have received in their existing jurisdiction.

The following documents will be required from candidates, once they have certified at the interview stage:   

• Valid Standard First Aid and CPR – Level C (Adult, Child, Infant) (must be valid until May 2025)
• Valid Class 5 Driver’s License or equivalent 
• A 10-year commercial driver’s abstract (issued within 3 weeks of scheduled interview) 
• Current Defensive Driving Certificate or equivalency 
• Successful completion of the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (PARE) of 4 minutes and 45 seconds or less NOTE: WCLEA graduation PARE time is 4 minutes or less.
• Criminal Records Check including vulnerability sector check. 
• Minimum Recruitment Standards met (provide educational institution and course name(s) and associated dates.
• Related experience – outline roles and years of experience (years and months. Ex. 3 years 2 months)

You may submit the above documents if you have them, but they are not required at application stage.  You will be required to provide them upon certification of the interview stage.  

A resume must also be included in your application.

Further documentation will be required as you progress through subsequent stages of recruitment:

• Enhanced security clearance
• Personal Disclosure Questionnaire (PDQ)
• Medical Assessment (including physical, audiometric and vision)
• Psychological Assessment

 
Links and information on what the GoA has to offer to prospective employees.

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - About the Alberta Public Service | Alberta.ca
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance
• Leadership and mentorship programs