Wildlife Technician

Arizona Department of Administration • Phoenix, AZ

2d • $17 - $17

About The Position

WILDLIFE TECHNICIAN (4 positions)
“Flat-tail Technician - temporary”
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT DIVISION / WILDLIFE CONTRACTS / PHOENIX, AZ BASED
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT / Full Time / End by 11/13/2026
FLSA-Non-Exempt / GRADE 18 / Hourly Rate $17.1820
CLOSING DATE: 04/12/2026

Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (FTHL) wildlife technician(s) will be conducting
occupancy and demography monitoring for the FTHL. Monitoring requires field
experience or the ability to conduct arduous field surveys by hiking in
extremely hot, dry conditions in the Sonoran Desert. Experience with GPS, OHV,
back country navigation, and handling herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) are
highly recommended. Monitoring involves finding lizards through tracking or
visual encounters, and processing (weighing, measuring, sexing) upon capture.
For each survey session, crew members will survey plots across 130,000 acres of
the Barry M. Goldwater Range and Bureau of Reclamation Lands in teams of two or
more. Completion of this task involves extensive off-road driving on sandy roads
and back road navigation to each of the plots. Surveys start at or prior to
sunrise and continue through FTHL activity periods (ending when temperatures
reach >45ºC). Daily office duties after field work include data entry, data
organization, creating/preparing maps, field/gear preparation and organization,
and determining logistics for the following day. The technician will work in an
8-day-on, 6-day-off schedule for 6 survey sessions near Yuma, Arizona, with the
potential for 5-day work weeks towards the end of the season. The positions can
be either Phoenix or Yuma based, with available housing in/near Yuma through the
field season for Phoenix based interns. Training will be conducted at the
beginning of the employment in order to learn tracking and survey skills before
surveys begin. Participation in other Wildlife Contracts Branch projects are
possible at the beginning and end of the FTHL field season, depending on start
and end availability.

Requirements

• knowledge of/in: federal, state, and agency laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures appropriate to assignment
• knowledge of wildlife and basic wildlife management techniques sufficient to perform the duties assigned
• knowledge of proper operation, maintenance and basic repair of field equipment and vehicles
• knowledge of problem solving techniques
• ability to interact with the public and apply public relations
• ability to work alone and as part of a team
• able to work outdoors in primitive field conditions
• able to hike, backpack and/or camp overnight for extended periods of time in hot environments
• Any employee operating a motor vehicle on State business must possess and retain a current, valid class-appropriate driver’s license, complete all required training, and successfully pass all necessary driver’s license record checks.
• All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

Nice To Haves

• skilled in applying basic wildlife management techniques, including knowledge of species identification and habitat requirements, types of flora and fauna and their ecological support systems and disease recognition sufficient to perform duties
• skills to learn and apply more specific and/or advanced policies, procedures, and techniques, basic professional standard data collection, analysis, mathematics, basic report preparation methods, and communicate verbally and in writing
• experience conducting field work in extreme conditions
• knowledge of identification, behavior and habitat preferences of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals
• Experience with GPS, OHV, back country navigation, and handling herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians)

Responsibilities

• performing a variety of technical and entry level professional wildlife fieldwork
• assist with the field data collection, project implementation, and data entry for flat-tail horned lizard (FTHL) projects
• Provide field support to include conducting FTHL surveys, observing and identifying wildlife species, collecting and summarizing data, wildlife capture
• Assignments may require extended periods working and residing in primitive field conditions and operating 4x4 vehicles

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees