Deer Research Biologist

Begin a fulfilling career with the State of Indiana by joining one of the largest employers in the state, offering a range of opportunities across 60+ agencies. At the state, you'll find competitive compensation, a robust benefits package and a commitment to work-life balance. Most importantly, you'll have the chance to make a real and measurable impact on the lives of Hoosiers across Indiana.

About the Department of Natural Resources (DNR):
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources protects, enhances, preserves, and wisely uses natural, cultural, and recreational resources for the benefit of Indiana's citizens through professional leadership, management, and education. DNR Fish & Wildlife enriches the quality of life for present and future generations by balancing the biological, ecological, recreational, and economic benefits of Indianas fish, wildlife, and their habitats.

Role Overview:

• The Deer Research Biologist works at the interface of research and management (i.e., their research has direct management implications). Implications include both proactive and reactive management. The position requires both long term planning of research projects (e.g., monitoring designs for density estimation that optimize cost effectiveness, which includes both cost savings and statistical inference) and short-term research reacting to unforeseen situations (e.g., disease outbreaks in which we desire immediate inference). For this reason, the Deer Research Biologist must be well trained in quantitative ecology. They must be confident decision makers, as their decisions related to research are almost always made independently. They must also exhibit the desire and ability to learn new, sometimes complex, statistical skills or concepts in a short amount of time (often the case for short-term research reacting to unforeseen situations above).
• Although scientifically sound decisions are usually made with statistical inference from good data, the Deer Research Biologist must make decisions often without perfect data. Making decisions without perfect data usually means combining many sources of imperfect data to make an informed and defendable decision. Therefore, the incumbent must be resourceful and comfortable making decisions in imperfect scenarios. Because applied data analysis is a main component of this position, the ability to fluently use the R Programing Language is firmly required. This position often requires learning new code quickly and applying it to real problems for white-tailed deer.
• The Deer Research Biologist works closely with the Deer Project Leader and a team of temporary employees (both in the field and office) to achieve the objectives of the Indiana Deer Project. The Deer Research Biologist will have the responsibility of managing 1-2 employees on a regular basis and more on a short-term basis. Duties for temporary employees may include setting out and retrieving game cameras, assessing photos for species and conventional distance sampling, reviewing footage of flights to identify and count deer, and answering questions from the public. The Deer Research Biologist will need to train and ensure quality control for temporary employees under their supervision.

Salary:

The salary for this position traditionally starts at $53,222.00 but may be commensurate with education and work experience. Use our Compensation Calculator to view the total compensation package.

The essential functions of this role are as follows:

• Develop, execute, and direct research or management of programs on a large resource or large geographic region that covers multiple districts.
• Coordinate with other states and participate on multistate management teams for interjurisdictional resources.
• Identifyresourceand research priorities through input, strategic plans, work plans, statewide surveys, and public input.
• Coordinate university and multistate researchprojects.
• Program administration of environmental and habitat projects including applying for and managing federal grants and managing environmental permitting processes.
• Design, develop, and implement surveys for the purpose of analyzing and tracking data to present scientific findings.
• Coordinate scientific investigations and research findings through internal and externalforums.
• Review technical materials and attend professional meetings to keep abreast of new developments.
• Prepare and present evidence exhibits in court and act as an expert witness in courts of law and/or hearings.
• Recruit, select, onboard, and train employees to ensure role responsibilities and expectations are clearly understood while providing opportunities to continue professional development.
• Set expectations, measure progress, provide ongoing feedback, and evaluate the performance of employees. Ensure work adheres to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures.

The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

This position is exempt from overtime compensation for additional work hours which may be required to complete essential functions or other assigned work. Exempt employees may work more than 75 hours in a pay period without additional compensation and must report a minimum of 75 hours per pay period of work hours and/or paid leave taken to receive their base biweekly salary.

Individuals in this role should minimally be able to articulate or demonstrate the following:

• Minimum of a Bachelors degree within a Natural Resource related field.
• Demonstrated leadership and problem-solving abilities.
• Thorough knowledge of biological principles, ecological variables, and interactions of species.
• Knowledge of state and federal laws pertaining to the environment and habitat management.
• Comprehensive knowledge of scientific methods, procedures and theories, and the ability to apply them.
• Ability to operate and maintain a wide variety of work, shop, and office equipment.
• Ability to prepare and present evidence and to act as an expert witness in a court of law and /or hearing.
• Ability to improvise and adapt methods and equipment for specialized tasks.
• Ability to read, use, and manipulate topographic maps, aerial photographs, wetland delineation maps, soils maps, and ArcGIS mapping systems.
• Ability to use R as a statistical package for data analysis.
• Ability to communicate and influence stakeholders concerning the management of species, habitats, and recreational values.
• Ability to budget and allocate resources effectively.
• Ability to delegate work, set clear direction, and manage workflow.
• Ability to effectively give feedback, provide guidance or corrective action, coach, and develop employee skillsets.
• You must satisfy the following requirement to continue employment:
• Ability to obtain and hold an Indiana driver's license
• Ability to obtain and maintain professional licenses or certifications as required by the specific job duties such as pesticide applicators license, burn card, chemical immobilization certificate or similar specific licenses.

Individuals should have the ability to perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Benefits of Employment with the State of Indiana:

The State of Indiana offers a comprehensive benefit package for full-time employees which includes:

• Three (3) medical plan options (including RX coverage) as well as vision and dental plans
• Wellness Rewards Program: Complete wellness activities to earn gift card rewards
• Health savings account, which includes bi-weekly state contribution
• Deferred compensation 457(b) account (similar to 401(k) plan) with employer match
• Two (2) fully-funded pension plan options
• A robust, comprehensive program of leave policies covering a variety of employee needs, including but not limited to:
  • 150 hours of paid New Parent Leave and up to eight weeks of paid Childbirth Recovery Leave for eligible mothers
  • Up to 15 hours of paid community service leave
• Combined 180 hours of paid vacation, personal, and sick leave time off
• 12 paid holidays, 14 on election years
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Group life insurance
• Referral Bonus program
• Employee assistance program that allows for covered behavioral health visits
• Qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
• Free Parking for most positions
• Free LinkedIn Learning access

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The State of Indiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to recruiting, selecting, developing, and promoting employees based on individual ability and job performance. Reasonable accommodations may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to complete the application and interview process as well as perform the essential functions of a role. If you require reasonable accommodations to complete this application, you can request assistance by contacting the Indiana State Personnel Department at ... .