Requisition No: 807535
Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Working Title: OPS Biological Scientist III – 77907392
Position Number: 77907392
Salary: $25 per hour
Posting Closing Date: 10/24/2023
FWC-FWRI OPS Biological Scientist III (OPS Ecological Data Specialist):
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is seeking to hire a 40 hour per week OPS Ecological Data Specialist to be housed in St. Petersburg, FL. Our ideal candidate is an ecological scientist with data management, study design, field data collection, and analysis experience. The successful candidate will provide consulting support to FWC staff in all aspects of the data life cycle; they will serve as a scientific data advocate. The candidate will help staff develop clearly defined survey protocols and data collection techniques, develop relational databases with standards and metadata, and create workflow processes for data collection, storage, QA/QC, archival, and distribution. The candidate will work with staff to implement data management concepts and usher project data through the data lifecycle. In cases where application products are needed, the successful candidate will provide consulting assistance to identify potential low-code or no-code software solutions like ESRI Survey 123 or MS Power Apps. In situations where a .NET application is needed, the successful candidate will collaborate with the application developer on development of application specifications, prioritizing development needs, and creation of a SQL database to meet the scientific parties needs and support the development of a .NET application. The successful candidate will have opportunities to work on a variety of conservation-related projects in a unique and rewarding collaborative working environment. The salary is $25 per hour (there is no state income tax in Florida) and includes full health benefits. To apply please submit a cover letter describing your qualifications and interest in the position, along with a CV, through the Florida State PeopleFirst system by Monday August 14th, 2023.
Minimum Qualifications:
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in one of the biological sciences and two years of professional biological experience in a field or laboratory program; or a master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the biological sciences and one year of professional experience as described above; or a doctorate from an accredited college or university in one of the biological sciences.
**Preference may be gives to candidates who possess a master’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course of study in natural sciences, data science, statistics, or a related field. Three or more years of professional database management experience; or candidates who have experience with fish and wildlife data collection and analysis, relational database management, application development, natural resource data management, and/or a doctorate from an accredited college or university in statistics, data science, or one of the natural sciences.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities:
- Must have excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Must be able to understand and appreciate natural resource problems from the perspective of a biologist or resource manager.
- Must be able to identify and define technical needs and assist with project prioritization to ensure priority project needs are met in a timely fashion.
- Must be able to produce database & application user manuals in a manner that is easily shared with and understood by biologists.
- Must be proficient with Excel, Access, and SQL.
- Must have applied database and application development experience.
- Must be familiar with database and interface design principals, data standardization methodologies, relational database structures, and normalizing & optimization techniques.
- Must be able to multi-task and work independently to plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments.
- Must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with research staff, including personnel stationed at field offices throughout the state of Florida.
- Experience with fish and wildlife data collection and analysis techniques preferred.
- Experience with programming & statistical languages such as SQL, VBA, C#, R, or SAS preferred.
- Familiarity with low code tools and application development is preferred, including but not limited to ESRI Survey123, ESRI Field Maps, ArcGIS Online, MS Access, MS PowerApps, MS PowerBI.
Rate of pay: $25.00 per hour, up to $52,000 annually. Additionally, we can offer some variability in the hourly rate to accommodate flexibility in the annual work schedule.
Where To Apply:
Applicants are required to apply through People First by the closing date listed. Resumes and supporting documentation may be submitted at the same time of application online.
If you experience technical difficulties during the application process or when attaching documents, call People First staffing at 1-877-562-7287.
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE FLORIDA STATE PEOPLEFIRST SYSTEM AT http://jobs.myflorida.com
This position requires the candidate to have successful completion of a level 1 background check at no cost to the candidate prior to hire.
WHAT BENEFITS ARE APPLICABLE TO OPS EMPLOYEES?
- State of Florida 401(a) FICA Alternative Plan – mandatory
- Workers’ Compensation – mandatory
- Reemployment Assistance (Unemployment Compensation) – mandatory
- Participation in state group insurance (must meet eligibility requirements. Consult with People First or the servicing Human Resource Office for details.)
- Deferred Compensation – voluntary
- Employee Assistance Program – voluntary
WHAT BENEFITS ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO OPS EMPLOYEES?
- Any form of paid leave
- Paid holidays
- Participation in the Florida Retirement System
- Reinstatement rights or retention rights
The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.
The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.
Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.
The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.