Fisheries Biometrician

State of Montana•Miles City, MT

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a statewide position offering the opportunity to shape fisheries management and decision-making across Montana. This role involves statewide travel and requires technical expertise, strategic thinking, and interpersonal skills. The duty station will be in Helena or Regional Offices in Kalispell, Missoula, Bozeman, Great Falls, Billings, Glasgow, or Miles City. The successful candidate will frame fisheries management questions quantitatively, applying advanced modeling, statistical analysis, and decision science to support evidence-based management. Proficiency in decision analysis is important for developing transparent, defensible, and adaptive strategies that balance ecological integrity with social and economic considerations. This position demands strong communication and collaboration skills. The Biometrician will work closely with staff who lead fisheries surveys and data collection, fostering shared understanding and ownership of analytical approaches. The ability to translate sophisticated statistical results into clear, meaningful guidance for managers, partners, and the public is essential for ensuring empirical data is used to support decisions that make a tangible difference on Montana’s waters. This is a technical position suited for a professional who effectively manages competing priorities, values working closely with fisheries management staff, and takes pride in using science to inform decisions that sustain fisheries and serve communities statewide. The Fisheries Biometrician serves as a statewide lead for advancing the technical, scientific, and decision-analytic foundation of Montana’s fisheries management. This position shapes how research and monitoring translate into effective conservation, management, and policy decisions across Montana. This is a unique opportunity to lead the integration of rigorous analysis and decision science into every level of fisheries work—from designing statewide monitoring strategies to developing tools that predict, evaluate, and optimize management outcomes. The Fisheries Biometrician provides strategic leadership in developing and refining monitoring protocols, advancing predictive modeling and decision-support systems, and ensuring that Montana’s fisheries management remains grounded in transparent, data-driven, and science-based reasoning.

Requirements

Master's degree in Statistics, Statistical Ecology, Quantitative Ecology, or Fisheries or Fisheries Biology (quantitative emphasis)
20 semester hours of statistics, including 2 semesters of statistical theory courses (probability and inferential statistics)
Mathematics with an emphasis in statistics or biometrics
2 years of experience in quantitative science
Experience in the statistical analysis of biological data
Understanding of fish and fisheries ecology
Clearly demonstrated abilities in verbal and written communications
Advanced computer skills including word processing, database management and programming languages
Experience with client databases such as MS Access
Experience with programming languages like Python, Java
Experience with enterprise databases such as Oracle, MySQL, and SQL Server
Experience in the analysis of computer data using statistical software including R, WinBUGS, SPSS, and/ or SAS
Experience in programming in these languages

Nice To Haves

Various combinations of master's and bachelor's degree in Statistics, Quantitative Ecology, Fish and Fisheries Management, Biology, Ecology, Animal Science or related fields

Responsibilities

Developing and conducting statistical analyses of fish population dynamics statewide, including population modeling, occupancy and abundance estimation, and evaluating effects of angling, management actions, and environmental conditions on fish populations.
Designing studies and surveys to address fisheries management questions, including determining sampling frameworks, sample sizes, and monitoring approaches needed to reliably estimate population parameters.
Collaborating with field biologists, regional managers, and research partners to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights and management strategies.
Overseeing and improving automated analytical and reporting systems (e.g., Quarto/R platforms) to improve consistency, transparency, and efficiency in statewide reporting.
Leading structured decision-making and adaptive management processes for fisheries management, including formal decision analysis and coordination across regions and staff.
Advancing population modeling and adaptive decision frameworks for brown and rainbow trout in southwest Montana, with potential expansion to additional species and ecosystems.
Leading the development of multi-species occupancy models for Montana’s prairie fish monitoring program, aiming to update species status and identify key, management-relevant environmental drivers.