Wildlife Technician - On Call

On Call Wildlife Technician 
Location: Candidates must be located in or willing to relocate to Wyoming to be considered (Gillette, Buffalo, and Sheridan preferred)
 
This is an outstanding opportunity to work with talented and passionate individuals and to grow with a firm that believes in nurturing talent and developing long-term career success.
 
About ICF 
One of ICF’s many offices around the world is Gillette - located in the heart of Wyoming’s energy producing Powder River Basin. The Gillette office is a small, biology-driven office composed of primarily wildlife biologists. The majority of their work is centered around the mining, oil and gas, and renewable energy industries in the Rocky Mountain Region. Gillette is an industrial town of approximately 35,000 people, and within driving distance of the famous Black Hills region, Devil’s Tower, and Big Horn Mountains. Nearest cities include Rapid City, SD, Billings, MT, and Casper, WY.   
 
Job Description 
As a Wildlife Technician, you will be responsible for completing ground and aerial wildlife surveys, habitat assessments, and data entry. Aerial surveys are conducted with a small fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter. Field work is often performed on foot in rugged often hilly rocky terrain and the ability to hike long distances is required. The fieldwork will require long and often irregular hours (potentially nights, early mornings, and some weekends) in potentially adverse weather conditions. Fieldwork will be conducted in remote areas with the potential for overnight/extended travel. Technicians must be able to confidently identify western avian and mammalian species. Surveys may include but are not limited to searches for sage-grouse, prairie dogs, waterfowl, passerines, and raptors. Technicians must have excellent navigational skills with GPS, tablets, and be able to operate four-wheel drive trucks. Technicians will be required to work independently in the field, so dedication, resourcefulness, and accountability are essential skills for the position. While fieldwork will be conducted independently, all work will be carried out as part of a larger team effort and excellent communication skills and an ability to cooperate in a team are equally important qualities. 
 
About On-Call Employment with ICF 
Given the seasonal or project-specific nature of our environmental work, ICF often hires environmental professionals as “On-Call” employees. On-call employees are scheduled for work hours as they become available and suitable weather conditions permit (work is usually scheduled a few weeks ahead of time), and each on-call employee is free to accept or refuse the hours assigned to them in a given week. On-call employees may work concurrent projects outside of their ICF assignment (as long as their outside work does not create a conflict of interest with the work, they do for ICF). Expected fieldwork responsibilities to include 40-50+ hours per week from early-April through mid-July with the possibility of extension depending on potential projects. Work would be based out of the Gillette office but could require travel throughout the Rocky Mountain states.  
 
Key Responsibilities: 

• Ground and aerial biological surveys.  
• Greater sage-grouse lek surveys. 
• Record keeping, longhand field notes, and data entry.  
• Raptor nest searches and prairie dog colony delineation surveys. 
• Work in a manner that promotes safety for yourself and others around you.   
• Work collaboratively with project managers regarding availability and project completion. 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• B.S. degree in Wildlife Biology or closely related field  
• Experience using iPads, maps, and/or GPS
• Must have a valid driver’s license and successfully pass a Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) check and be able to operate four-wheel drive trucks
• Must be able to work independently in the field for extended periods of time, often with limited mobile phone reception.  
• Ability to hike long distances (up to 12 miles per day), withstand cold/hot and windy conditions for long periods, and be able to lift heavy items (more than 50 lbs.) if needed for field safety

Preferred Skills/Experience: 

• Strong knowledge of Rocky Mountain Region fauna. 
• Knowledge of avian and mammalian identification 
• Short-grass prairie/shrub-steppe vegetation identification skills. 
• Previous experience conducting aerial surveys from fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter. 
• Ability to withstand aerial flying conditions at low altitudes and sitting in confined spaces.   
• Previous consulting experience or biological resources management.  
• Experience in or knowledge of conventional and renewable energy development industri