Trail Camera Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Introduction
We are dedicated to working with Wisconsinites while preserving and enhancing the natural resources of Wisconsin. In partnership with individuals and organizations; DNR staff manage fish, wildlife, forests, parks, air and water resources while promoting a healthy, sustainable environment and a full range of outdoor opportunities.
The Wisconsin DNR 's Office of Applied Science is hirin g an LTE (Limited Term Employee) Wildlife Research Scientist to join the Snapshot Wisconsin Decision Support Research Program.
This program uses the 100+ million trail camera photos collected by the Snapshot Wisconsin program to conduct applied research and develop annual products that support wildlife decision making.
This position will be stationed at our Science Operations Center in Madison, WI.
This recruitment may be used to fill future similar vacancies.
To see all opportunities currently available at DNR, follow this link: DNR (wisc.jobs) .
Position Summary
This position will support applied research and development of population metrics from Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera data to inform management of deer, turkeys, and other Wisconsin wildlife species.
The position will be responsible for producing and improving upon the annual decision support products from Snapshot data. The incumbent of this position will work on quantitative model development (e.g., hierarchical models, GAMMs) and communicating research findings through writing peer-reviewed manuscripts and creating dynamic reports in R. This position works under general supervision.
40% Produce and improve upon annual decision-support products

• Pull and process Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera data from an Oracle database using custom R functions and packages
• Generate workflows for pulling covariate data, especially those that change in space and time (e.g., temperature and precipitation)
• Contribute to custom R packages, especially adding documentation and new functions
• Create procedures to visualize and understand raw data
• Assess data quality and identify inconsistencies in data that require further checking
• Create data workflow graphics and documentation to ensure consistent pulling and processing of data

25% Model development

• Assess patterns in data to separate noise (e.g., sampling issues, classification differences, detection differences) from abundance trends
• Analyze trail camera data using a range of models with covariates (e.g., occupancy, N-mixture, Poisson regression, generalized additive mixed models, etc.)
• Running frequentist and Bayesian models with various fixed and random effect structures
• Assess model fit and model predictions
• Visualize model predictions spatially and temporally

25% Research communications

• Contribute to analysis and writing of peer-reviewed manuscripts, edit manuscripts, respond to reviewer comments, create graphs, tables, and supplemental material for manuscripts
• Conduct literature review and participate in reading group discussions of manuscripts
• Lead in writing of annual reports and developing PowerPoint presentations and posters for technical and lay audiences
• Generate dynamic reports to communicate annual decision support products
• Contribute to oral presentation for technical and lay audiences

10% Other duties as assigned
Salary Information
This position pays $28.23 per hour and is in pay schedule and range 15-03 in the Natural Resources Research Scientist-Senior classification. Compensation will be set in accordance with the State Compensation Plan.
Job Details
This is a Limited Term Employment (LTE) position and will not automatically lead to permanent state employment or be entitled to the same benefits as permanent employees.
More about LTE positions:
1) Offer a great opportunity to gain experience and learn about careers at the WI Department of Natural Resources.
2) Provide opportunities for individuals to enhance their resumes with skills learned on the job.
3) May accommodate flexibility for part-time or full-time work hours and seasonal schedules. Work schedules are dependent on business needs.
4) Allow individuals to hold multiple LTE appointments concurrently. If both LTE positions are at the same agency, the positions must be bona fide different positions. Each individual LTE position allows for maximum of 1039 hours in a twelve-month period.
Special Requirements:
1) Residency: To be considered for this position, you must be a resident of the State of Wisconsin.
A Wisconsin resident is a person who:
a. Has established a residence, as defined in s. 6.10(1), in this state not less than 10 days earlier;
b. Has resided in this state for not less than a total of one year out of the immediately preceding 5 years;
c. Is eligible to register to vote in this state; or
d. Is the spouse of a person meeting the requirements of par. (a), (b), or (c)." s.230.03(12), Wis. Stats.
2) Background Checks: The Department of Natural Resources conducts criminal background checks on final applicants prior to a job offer. Please note that a criminal charge or conviction on your record will not necessarily disqualify you from state employment. In compliance with the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act, the DNR does not discriminate on the basis of arrest or conviction record.
3) Eligible to work in U.S.: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire. The Department of Natural Resources does not sponsor work visas at the time of hire or anytime during employment. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required Employment Eligibility I-9 form upon hire.
Equal Opportunity Employer: The DNR is an equal opportunity employer that promotes and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.
Qualifications
In addition to the required qualifications below, the selected candidate must be eligible to drive a state vehicle and meet the following criteria:

• Have a valid driver's license
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a minimum of two years licensed driving experience
• Have not had three (3) or more moving violations and/or at-fault accidents in the past two (2) year
• Have no OWI/DUI violations within the past year

Qualifed candidates will have all of the following:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in data science, quantitative ecology, biology or a related field
• Demonstrated proficiency with wrangling data in program R
• Demonstrated proficiency with running and assessing ecological models (e.g., hierarchical models, GAMMs) in program R
• Demonstrated proficiency with contributing to scientific writing (e.g., peer-reviewed papers)
• Demonstrated proficiency with markdowns and data visualizations using program R or similar
• Demonstrated proficiency processing and using spatial data in analyses (e.g., NLCD)
• Demonstrated proficiency in research data collaborations

In addition, well-qualified candidates will have one or more of the following:

• Master's degree or higher in data science, statistics, quantitative ecology, biology or a related field
• Experience with trail camera research projects and trail camera data
• Experience giving scientific research presentations

How To Apply
Click the "Apply for Job" button and follow the directions. You will be able to save your application as many times as needed and make edits up until the point you submit your application. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to make any updates to the application or any materials submitted.
Please note that the Wiscjobs system will time you out after 30 minutes of activity, so be sure to save your work often to avoid having to re-start the application process.
For any position-related questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer.Stenglein@wisconsin.gov .
For technical questions and troubleshooting related to the Wisc.Jobs site, please visit Commonly Asked Questions. Keep in mind that technical assistance is only available Monday through Friday 7:45 am - 4:30 pm.
Your resume and letter of qualifications are very important parts of your application and are used during our evaluation process to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. For instructions on developing your resume and letter of qualifications and what should be included in these materials, click here .
Deadline to Apply
Applications must be received by 11:59pm, Central Time, on September 14th, 2026 in order to be considered.
*This is a reannouncement. Prior applicants need not reapply.