Wildland Sensor Specialist

City of Edmonton•Edmonton, AB

2d•CA$85,978 - CA$107,415•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you looking to leverage your technical expertise in ecology and remote sensing to build climate resilience in our city? The City of Edmonton has an exciting temporary opportunity for a Wildland Sensor Specialist to support our first comprehensive urban wildfire and biodiversity sensor network - a partnership project between the Edmonton Valley Zoo, Parks and Road Services, and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services. This freshly funded 2026 initiative bridges environmental innovation with public safety through a critical river valley wildfire detection grid and a city-wide mobile ecological monitoring network. Working as the technical support for the multi-departmental working group, you will play a pivotal role in collecting field data to support meaningful, evidence-based climate action. If you are an adaptable professional who thrives at the intersection of technological deployment and environmental stewardship, we want you on our team.

Requirements

A Degree or Diploma in Environmental Sciences, Ecology, Conservation Biology, or a related ecological/environmental technical field
3+ years of experience in environmental field monitoring, with specific expertise utilizing remote sensors (e.g., wildlife cameras, ARUs)
Professional Biologist (P.Biol.) designation
Technical Proficiency: Strong technical proficiency in ecological study design, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), field navigation, and data management platforms such as WildTrax
Documentation Skills: Demonstrated ability to author clear technical documents, training manuals, and standard operating procedures
Regulatory Knowledge: Sound knowledge of OH&S legislation, WHMIS, and environmental regulations (e.g., Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Species at Risk Act, Privacy Legislation, and Municipal Public Spaces Bylaws)
Collaborative Mindset: Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to function effectively within cross-functional teams and multi-departmental working groups
Adaptability & Problem-Solving: Highly organized yet flexible enough to independently adjust daily work plans based on changing weather conditions, equipment updates, or evolving project priorities
Clear Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills to deliver technical updates, present recommendations, and train future team members
Valid Alberta Class 5 driver's licence (or provincial equivalent). Obtaining and maintaining a City Driver's permit is a requirement of this position
Ability to safely drive and work alone in remote or outdoor field environments
Compliance with standard operating procedures and required safety measures

Nice To Haves

A graduate-level degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Ecology or Biology
Advanced visual and auditory wildlife species identification skills
Familiarity with Edmonton’s diverse natural areas and river valley terrain

Responsibilities

Coordinate with project partners to manage both fixed and mobile ecological monitoring networks from initial deployment to data integration.
Working under the direction of the project leads in PARS, Edmonton Valley Zoo and Fire Rescue Services to confirm the high-level design of the urban wildfire and biodiversity sensor network.
Performing comprehensive site surveys to validate the locations for and oversee the installation of approximately 55 fixed nodes and 16 gateways within the River Valley.
Partnering and supporting the work of the multi-department working group to develop field methodologies for small mammal monitoring and re-establishing data collection at former WildEdmonton sites.
Deploying and managing a City-wide mobile monitoring grid consisting of bird and bat Autonomous Recording Units, small and large animal wildlife cameras, decibel meters, and light meters.
Executing technical data management and processing, including wildlife image cataloging, ARU species identification, and aligning quality control with partner databases.
Representing technical and field interests within the corporate working group and collaborating with internal teams to integrate data with drone, wildfire, and ecological monitoring protocols.
Developing standardized training manuals, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), network maintenance procedures and data-sharing agreements to smoothly transition the network from a project phase to an operational program.