Field Research Biologist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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 Indiana’s 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.

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 jobs@spd.IN.gov.