Eastern Washington Fish Science Manager - WMS Band 2 - Permanent - 2026-07260
About The Position
As our Eastern Washington Fish Science Manager, you will provide strategic leadership for research, monitoring, and evaluation activities that inform critical conservation, management, and mitigation decisions in the Columbia and Snake River basins. You will ensure WDFW’s science is focused on key conservation, management, and mitigation needs, communicated in a transparent and accessible manner to decision-makers, and meets a high standard of scientific rigor. This is an opportunity to serve as WDFW’s technical expert on salmon recovery, hydropower mitigation, and adaptive hatchery management in Eastern Washington. Working across disciplines and with policy staff, Tribes, agencies, and other partners, you will help shape science priorities and translate complex research into actionable information for fish management. Through your leadership of the Hatchery-Wild Interactions and Salmon Recovery Science units, you will guide work that supports healthy and sustainable salmon and steelhead populations throughout the Columbia and Snake River basins.
Requirements
- A Master's degree in fisheries science, biology or zoology or a closely allied field.
- Eight (8) years of professional experience designing and conducting multidisciplinary fish-related research studies.
- Demonstrated professional experience supervising, leading, and coaching employees, including performance management.
- Six (6) articles published in peer-reviewed literature, including: Four (4) articles for which you are the senior author. Two (2) additional articles for which you are the senior or secondary author.
- Valid unrestricted Driver’s License.
Nice To Haves
- A Ph.D. in fisheries science, biology or zoology or closely allied field.
- Experience with analytical tools and statistical modeling used in the management of salmon and steelhead populations, including abundance estimation, life cycle models, and management strategy evaluation.
- Knowledge of Columbia Basin fish populations, hydropower operations and mitigation agreements, and recreational and commercial fisheries.
- Ability to work directly with tribal co-managers in the Columbia Basin on various topics including monitoring and evaluation, population status and trend, hydropower impacts, predation, and climate change issues.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic direction for monitoring, research, and evaluation activities supporting salmon and steelhead management and recovery across Regions 1, 2, and 3.
- Provide leadership, vision, and direction for science activities in Eastern Washington, ensuring that science activities are focused on high-priority topics with strong management and policy implications.
- Develop a forward-looking Eastern Washington science program encompassing an all-H (Habitat, Harvest, Hatcheries, Hydropower) management framework.
- Serve as WDFW technical representative on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) related committees and workgroups designed to evaluate and adaptively manage the direct and indirect effects of hydropower development and operations on fish populations.
- Serve as point person on the development and implementation of scientifically robust monitoring and evaluation programs and other science needs in Eastern Washington associated with implementation of WDFW Anadromous Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery Policy, Hatchery Management Plans, and Hatchery Genetic Management Plans.
- Provide a clear and defensible scientific foundation for FERC mitigation decisions, and summarize, interpret, and communicate science needed to meet FERC mitigation requirements.
- Summarize, interpret, and communicate science to be used in ongoing litigation over Endangered Species Act Biological Opinions for federal dams in the Columbia River.
- Supervise the Hatchery-Wild Interactions (HWI) Unit Leader and Salmon Recovery Science (SRS) Unit Leader and oversee approximately 90 staff within the Fish Science Division.
- Negotiate and secure contracts, agreements, and programmatic funding to support science needs for conservation, fisheries management, and recovery.
Benefits
- Pay and other special employee programs
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
