Wildlife Technician Positions

When: May – July 31 with possibility of extension until Aug 31, 2021

Where: Boreal and foothills regions of Alberta

Salary: $2800 – $3200 / month (dependent on experience)

Duties:
Technicians will be working with acoustic recording technology to survey vocalizing animals and species-at-risk in the boreal and foothills regions of Alberta. Other duties include but are not limited to the following: equipment maintenance and preparation, data entry and interpretation of audio recordings. Applicants should be physically fit, independent, self-starters, problem-solvers, show attention to detail and have good morale.

Applicants must be able to endure:

  • Off-trail hiking (5-10 km/day) on unstable ground, steep slopes and in wetlands
  • Carrying heavy loads (up to 40 lbs.)
  • Inclement weather, biting insects, and early mornings (dawn)
  • Working alone in remote conditions

Applicants with the following experiences and abilities will be preferred:

  • A minimum of 1 year of experience working in remote conditions
  • Ability to sustain camp life for long periods (cooking, cleaning, etc.)
  • Experience driving 4×4 trucks, trailer hauling, and driving ATVs
  • Ability to navigate using compass, maps, and GPS
  • Data entry using MS Office products

Applicants with the following additional assets will be preferred for a point count project:

  • A minimum of 2 years experience conducting point counts in the boreal forest of Alberta
  • Successful applicants must pass an aural+visual boreal songbird exam

Accommodations & Schedule: Accommodations in the field (rustic camps), food, and travel to field sites will be provided. Applicants must provide their own accommodations in Edmonton during field preparation days and days off. Applicants can expect to spend long periods of time in the field and those with flexible schedules will be preferred.

Please send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three references to bioacoustichiring@gmail.com by February 28th, 2021.

Environmental Sensor Data Technicians (6-8 positions)

When: September 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020

Where: Work may be conducted remotely with a stable, high-speed internet connection

Work Schedule: Minimum 5 hours/week – maximum 40 hours/week

Wage: Hourly rate is approximately $27/hour for acoustic transcription and $18/hour for image tagging; maximum wage for the entire term is $28,800 CAD

Who can Apply: Open to those already eligible to work in Canada (citizens, permanent residents, and those with existing work permits)

Application Opening: August 19, 2019

Application Deadline: August 31, 2019 (positions will be filled as suitable candidates are found)

Application Process: Successful candidates must pass an online examination process in order to qualify for the position. The exam will assess the candidate’s ability to identify birds, amphibians, mammals by sound and spectrogram and positive tagging of various taxa through ABMI image tagging protocols. It will also assess attention to detail with data entry, verbal and written communication. 

Duties: Technicians will be working on transcribing raw audio and image data into species detections using a state-of-the-art data portal developed by the University of Alberta and the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute: WildTrax (www.wildtrax.ca). Transcription and tagging will occur using standardized protocols developed by the ABMI and the Bioacoustic Unit. Work will be on a contractual basis when data is available. Minimum work commitment is required to be 5 hours/week for the duration of the term. Maximum workload will be 20 hours/week for acoustic transcription and 20 hours/week for image tagging (total = 40 hours/week) from September 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020. Optional start dates and contract periods will be considered. 

Essential Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 2 years’ experience in identifying Canadian birds, amphibians and mammals species by sound; experience can be through point count or through audio data transcription experience
  • Minimum of 1 year experience in identifying Canadian taxa on remote game cameras
  • Reliable, able to commit to long-term part-time work, have a flexible schedule and can meet deadlines
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills

Please send a cover letter, curriculum vitae and three references to bioacoustichiring@gmail.com by August 31, 2019. Candidates who meet the essential qualifications will be contacted.