Fish and Wildlife Scientist V - Biological information Manager

at State of Vermont in Montpelier, Vermont, United States

Job Description

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD) seeks highly skilled and motivated candidates for the position of Biological Information Manager - Fish & Wildlife Scientist V. This fulltime, permanent position leads and oversees all aspects of the VFWD Natural Heritage Database System, the most comprehensive source of information on Vermont's natural communities and its rare, threatened and endangered plants and wildlife. This spatial database is used in conservation planning, regulatory planning and review, and for scientific inquiry. As part of an international system supported by NatureServe, the Database also contributes critical data for regional-, national-, and international-scale analyses. This position offers a unique opportunity to make important contributions to the conservation of Vermont's flora and fauna that benefit natural communities, habitat, and the overall health of Vermont's environment. The Information Manager supervises and works closely with the Zoology Information Manager and the seasonal Assistant Ecologist. This permanent position sits within the VFWD Wildlife Diversity Program, and is funded by federal grants and associated match.

The VFWD Biological Information Manager oversees the Department’s Natural Heritage Database System. The purpose of the Database is to provide accurate information to a wide variety of stakeholders and conservation organizations to maximize the conservation of plants and wildlife - especially rare, threatened and endangered species. As Scientist V, this position sits within the Wildlife Diversity Program while serving broader interests and representing the Department at a high level. They implement, oversee, and maintain Biotics, a system for tracking data on rare species and significant natural communities, including maintaining and updating the Natural Heritage Database System. Uses the ArcGIS Platform to deploy mapping content and solutions for wildlife conservation planning and land-use initiatives. Oversees spatial data governance and uses ArcGIS Online to share sensitive resource information with stakeholders and partners in a secure manner.  

This position actively promotes the important roles, uses, and values of the Database System directly through outreach efforts, and through initiatives that enhance the conservation impact of the Database. This includes providing, interpreting, and explaining the importance of complex natural community and species information, and advocating for protection under various scenarios. They provide training and conduct presentations to foster an understanding of the Database and related GIS, and promote its value and applications for VFWD and Agency of Natural Resources staff, foresters, and partners, among others. They are expected to seek opportunities to promote the Database externally, such as at conferences, partner events, VFWD events, through newsletter articles, web presence, social media, technical reports, and opportunities for participation in professional journal submissions. On an ongoing basis, the Information Manager fosters staff, partner, and public awareness and appreciation of the Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI). 

Collaborates proactively with the state’s Agency of Digital Services (ADS) to design, enhance, and modernize GIS tools, enterprise spatial layers, and mobile data collection workflows. The Information Manager innovates and deploys user-centric applications—such as ArcGIS Survey123—to maximize the ease, efficiency, utility, and usability of data entry and management for staff biologists and volunteer networks contributing to the core database.

The Information Manager regularly collaborates with many professionals representing a broad array of interests and expertise. They lead, support, and oversee Department zoologists, botanists, ecologists, and wildlife biologists around the use of information tracking systems: maintenance of taxonomic and distribution data; updating element ranking; and following the framework and timeline for adding rare species and natural community occurrence information to ensure the Database remains current. They regularly lead local methodology discussions and develop data improvement projects. 

This position serves as the principle investigator on grants supporting database management, inventories, and outreach. They develop proposals, manage budgets, and report accomplishments. They seek new funding opportunities as needed to remain budget-neutral or increase capacity for advancing inventory and/or database input or features, potentially including the development of new funding sources, such as a fee-based system for information services. 

The Information Manager responds to requests for data and interpretation from local, state and regional government organizations, land trusts and other NGOs, and landowners as they develop conservation planning goals and strategies. They are responsible for developing and overseeing data use guidelines and agreements with NGOs, consultants, government agencies, researchers, and other partners. They develop and maintain standard and custom data products, assist staff biologists in responding to complex public inquiries regarding mapping, and engage with municipal planners. The position may at times provide guidance to planners (e.g., municipalities and Natural Resource Conservation Districts) for the protection of species, natural communities, and habitats.

Duties are performed primarily in an office setting, with occasional field visits. Field visits may require traversing rough terrain or bodies of water in all weather conditions. Duties may require work outside of normal office hours. Attendance may be is required at a variety of public meetings, hearings, and seminars, where strong adversarial opinions and some hostility may be encountered. Private means of transportation may be required for necessary travel.