OPS Fish & Wildlife Bio Sci I - 77902194

Requisition No: 883060 

Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Working Title: OPS Fish & Wildlife Bio Sci I - 77902194

 Pay Plan: Seasonal

Position Number: 77902194 

Salary:  $19.23 an hour 

Posting Closing Date: 09/14/2026 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

FWC Mission Statement:  Managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people.

Position Number: 77902194

Position Title: OPS Fisheries & Wildlife Biological Scientist I

Salary: $19.23/hour

Pay Plan: Seasonal

Supervisor: Ashley Jackson;  for inquiries: Ashley.Jackson@MyFWC.com

Broadband Code: 19-4021-02

Position location: 298 Sabal Palm Road, Naples, FL 34114

Region: South

County: Collier

Working hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday to Friday though hours may vary with type of work and may require work after hours including on weekends or holidays; a flex-schedule may be considered; approximately 40 hours/week

List of any subordinates supervised: None

Residency Requirement: Field housing will be provided or personal housing must be within 30 miles of office location.

Agency information

The FWC envisions a Florida where fish and wildlife are abundant and thriving in healthy and connected natural landscapes with vital working lands and waterways; where natural resources are valued and safely enjoyed by all; and wherein natural systems support vibrant human communities and a strong economy.

Our Mission is managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people. Every organization has an identity that is forged not only by what it does, but by how it conducts itself. The values embedded in our mission and expressed in the vision of the FWC are to make quality decisions by being dynamic, science-informed, efficient, ethical, collaborative and committed to the vitality of the state and its environment. The Division of Habitat & Species Conservation is comprised of six Sections and two offices. This position works within the Imperiled Species Management Section of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Habitat and Species Conservation.  

Minimum qualifications: A high school diploma and 1 year professional experience in a closely related biological field or laboratory program is required.

Additional requirements: Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidates with previous wildlife management or human-wildlife conflict is preferred. Candidates with previous experience communicating with the general public is preferred.

Preferred qualifications:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to work well as part of a team to accomplish tasks.

• Ability to provide clear, timely, and effective updates to supervisor.

• Ability to communicate and manage high stress situations in a calm, organized, and professional manner.

• Ability to communicate effectively both in writing and orally to people with various educational backgrounds.

• Ability to represent agency viewpoint without personal conflicts.

• Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, mechanical winch, bear trap, as well as safely pull trailers.

• Ability to accurately collect and enter field data in an accurate and timely manner.

• Ability to work in harsh outdoor conditions in high heat and humidity carrying heavy loads and exposed to biting insects and venomous snakes.

• Ability to work in a highly adaptive environment.

• Ability to work well with a variety of personalities and with persons of varied levels of wildlife conservation understanding.

• Skilled in the use of computers for word processing, information management, communications, and data management.

• Ability to work a flexible schedule, with potential night, weekend, and/or holiday work hours.

Description of Duties: This is a seasonal, time-limited position commencing in early October 2026 and not to exceed mid-January, 2027. This is a full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) opportunity to work with the FWC Bear Management Program as a Seasonal Bear Technician to provide human-bear conflict resolution and hunt data collection in southwest Florida. The position will work as part of a team with staff from other Sections and Divisions to respond to public requests for assistance with human-bear conflicts, which will include site visits to provide technical assistance and assess causes of conflicts, trapping, collecting data on the bear hunt as a member of the Bear Harvest Response Team, and retrieving biological information from and disposing of carcasses of dead bears. The position will assist the Regional Bear Coordinator and multiple Bear Response Contractors manage a bear deterrent loaner equipment program for the public, manage bear traps and other equipment for agency use, and enter field data on bears collected in their area of responsibility into an agency-wide online wildlife database. Field housing and utilities for the duration of the position will be provided but food expenses will not be covered. Technicians will be driving agency vehicles during work hours but will need their own transportation for personal time. Additionally, the position will assist in the implementation of many strategies outlined in the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan for their area of responsibility. Seasonal Bear Technicians are expected to wear agency-issued uniforms and adhere to agency policies, guidelines and safety protocols.

How to Apply: In addition to submitting an electronic State of Florida employment application and completing the qualifying questions, please attach a cover letter expressing your interest in the position and resume highlighting your qualifications. Cover letters and resumes should be uploaded to the People First System. Answers to qualifying questions must be validated in application, resume and cover letter. Applications without a cover letter and resume may be deemed incomplete and therefore not considered.

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.