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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wildlife Scientist

💰 $ - $

Wildlife ScientistWildlife BiologistConservation BiologyEcologyEnvironmental Science

🎯 Role Definition

A Wildlife Scientist (aka Wildlife Biologist) conducts applied and basic research to assess, monitor, and manage wildlife populations and habitats. This role designs and implements field studies, analyzes ecological and spatial data, prepares regulatory documents and conservation plans, and communicates findings to agencies, stakeholders, and the public. The ideal candidate blends hands-on field expertise (telemetry, camera traps, sample collection), strong quantitative skills (R, Python, population modeling, GIS), and applied experience with regulatory frameworks (ESA, NEPA, state permitting) to deliver science-based management recommendations and conservation actions.

Keywords: wildlife scientist, wildlife biologist, population monitoring, habitat assessment, GIS, telemetry, camera traps, statistical analysis, conservation planning, endangered species, environmental impact assessment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Wildlife Technician / Field Technician
  • Field Biologist / Research Assistant
  • Environmental Technician / Natural Resource Technician

Advancement To:

  • Senior Wildlife Scientist / Senior Wildlife Biologist
  • Conservation Program Manager / Project Manager
  • Principal Scientist / Lead Biologist

Lateral Moves:

  • Conservation Planner
  • GIS & Remote Sensing Specialist
  • Environmental Compliance / Regulatory Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, plan and implement robust field studies to assess wildlife population size, distribution, survival, reproduction and movement patterns using standardized survey methods (line transects, point counts, mark-recapture, radio/GPS telemetry and camera trapping).
  • Develop and execute habitat suitability and vegetation assessment protocols to evaluate habitat quality, identify limiting factors, and inform habitat restoration and management prescriptions.
  • Operate, maintain and troubleshoot telemetry, GPS collars, satellite tags and autonomous recording units; collect spatial movement data and prepare datasets for downstream analysis and mapping.
  • Deploy, service and manage camera trap networks, process imagery and video for species detection and behavior analysis, and integrate camera data with other monitoring datasets.
  • Collect biological samples (tissue, blood, hair, scat) following established chain-of-custody procedures, coordinate laboratory submissions for disease screening, genetic analysis and contaminant testing.
  • Analyze ecological and demographic data using statistical software and packages (R, Python, Program MARK, DISTANCE, Bayesian tools) to generate robust estimators of abundance, trend and vital rates.
  • Develop and maintain GIS products (ArcGIS, QGIS) and spatial analyses (habitat models, connectivity corridors, predictive distribution maps) to support conservation planning and environmental review.
  • Lead population viability analyses (PVA), species distribution modeling, and risk assessments to quantify extinction risk and prioritize conservation actions and monitoring efforts.
  • Prepare technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, management plans, species recovery documents and grant proposals that summarize objectives, methods, results, and actionable recommendations.
  • Draft and submit permit applications and compliance documents for state and federal requirements (Endangered Species Act consultations, CITES, migratory bird permits) and coordinate with permitting agencies.
  • Coordinate and supervise field crews, interns, volunteers and contractors; develop training programs for safe field practices, survey protocols, data handling and species identification.
  • Design and oversee pre-construction and post-construction wildlife monitoring and mitigation programs for infrastructure and development projects (roads, energy, transmission lines), ensuring regulatory compliance and adaptive management.
  • Lead environmental impact assessment components related to wildlife and habitat for EIS/EA documents, including cumulative effects analysis and mitigation monitoring plans.
  • Manage project budgets, procurement, logistics and field safety protocols, including vehicles, boats, ATVs, drones, cold-chain for samples, and field medical preparedness.
  • Collaborate with laboratory partners to integrate genetic, disease and toxicology results into population-level analyses and conservation recommendations.
  • Maintain rigorous data quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), design and manage relational databases and metadata records, and ensure reproducible workflows and version control for analytical code.
  • Engage with landowners, tribal governments, NGOs and multi-agency stakeholder groups to develop collaborative conservation strategies, secure access, and implement habitat agreements.
  • Design and implement adaptive management frameworks for restoration projects and species recovery programs, monitoring outcomes and updating actions based on evidence.
  • Respond to wildlife incidents (roadkill hotspots, human-wildlife conflict, stranded or injured wildlife), coordinate emergency responses, and recommend mitigation and monitoring steps.
  • Track and synthesize current scientific literature, best practices and new technologies (drones, machine learning for imagery), integrating innovations into monitoring and analysis plans.
  • Contribute to public outreach and education efforts including presentations, workshops, community science programs and interpretive materials to build support for conservation objectives.
  • Contribute to and lead grant writing efforts and resource development to secure external funding for monitoring, research and restoration projects.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc analytical requests from program managers, stakeholders and permitting authorities; deliver clear, reproducible analyses and decision-support products.
  • Maintain and update project-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs), data dictionaries and sampling manuals to ensure consistency across seasons and crews.
  • Build and maintain partnerships with universities, government agencies and non-profits to facilitate student internships, collaborative research and shared datasets.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of long-term monitoring frameworks and citizen science initiatives that expand data collection capacity and public engagement.
  • Provide mentorship to early-career staff, field technicians and students on survey techniques, safety protocols and data analysis best practices.
  • Coordinate logistics for multi-site field campaigns including scheduling, equipment staging, permit coordination and site access agreements.
  • Support spatial data services across the organization by creating reproducible map templates, training staff in GIS basics and maintaining centralized spatial layers.
  • Participate in agency and stakeholder working groups, technical advisory committees and interagency reviews to represent project science and inform regional conservation planning.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Wildlife survey design and field methods (line transects, point counts, capture/recapture, nest surveys)
  • Telemetry and tracking: VHF, GPS, satellite collar deployment, relocation protocols and movement data processing
  • Camera trap deployment, image management and machine learning-assisted species classification workflows
  • Statistical analysis and modeling: R (tidyverse, lme4, unmarked), Python (pandas, scikit-learn), Program MARK, DISTANCE, Bayesian inference
  • GIS and spatial analysis: ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, spatial statistics, habitat suitability modeling and corridor analysis
  • Population modeling and Population Viability Analysis (PVA) techniques
  • Field sample collection, chain-of-custody, and coordination with genetics/toxicology laboratories
  • Regulatory compliance and permitting: ESA consultations, NEPA documentation, state wildlife permitting and mitigation plans
  • Data management: relational databases, metadata standards, QA/QC, reproducible workflows and version control (Git)
  • Remote sensing, drone (UAV) data collection and processing, and integration of LiDAR/satellite data into habitat models
  • Technical writing: scientific reports, management plans, grant proposals and peer-reviewed publications
  • Health & safety certifications: Wilderness First Aid/WFR, CPR; safe operation of ATVs, boats and field vehicles

Soft Skills

  • Clear, persuasive oral and written communication tailored to technical and non-technical audiences
  • Project and time management with ability to balance competing field seasons and reporting deadlines
  • Strong leadership and crew supervision skills; experience training, motivating and evaluating field teams
  • Collaborative stakeholder engagement across agencies, tribes, landowners and NGOs
  • Problem solving and adaptive decision-making in dynamic field and regulatory environments
  • Attention to detail and commitment to data quality and reproducibility
  • Cultural competence and respect for Indigenous knowledge and land stewardship practices
  • Resilience, flexibility and comfort working long hours in remote and inclement field conditions
  • Presentation and public outreach skills for workshops, stakeholder meetings and community science events
  • Grant writing and resource development acumen to support long-term program funding

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Ecology, Zoology, Environmental Science, or closely related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master of Science (M.S.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Wildlife Biology, Ecology, Conservation Biology, Population Ecology, or related discipline with emphasis on field ecology, quantitative methods or spatial ecology.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Wildlife Biology / Wildlife Ecology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Ecology / Population Ecology
  • Environmental Science / Natural Resources
  • Geographic Information Systems / Spatial Ecology
  • Genetics, Epidemiology or Statistics (for specialized roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of professional experience conducting wildlife fieldwork, monitoring programs, data analysis and project coordination.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of experience with independent project leadership, supervisory responsibilities and working with federal/state permitting processes.
  • Proven track record of leading multi-season field surveys, publishing technical reports or peer-reviewed articles, and delivering science to inform management actions.
  • Demonstrated experience with grant writing, program budgeting and multi-stakeholder coordination preferred.

Certifications & Clearances (preferred but not always required): Wilderness First Responder (WFR) or Wilderness First Aid, CPR certification, state/federal background checks for site access, remote pilot certificate (Part 107) for UAV operations.

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