Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

Under the general direction of a Coordinator, Biodiversity and Monitoring Section (BAMS), contributes to the measurable advancement of sustainable resource management as a Wildlife Population Specialist by identifying, planning, organizing, coordinating, conducting and reporting upon provincial/regional terrestrial inventory, monitoring and assessment initiatives; leading the acquisition, development and transfer of region/province-wide terrestrial ecological data; provide scientific and professional expertise and leadership in the development, calibration, and use of population, productivity and habitat models, and in the development, refinement and implementation of population monitoring and assessment techniques; supports other program areas (e.g. ecological land classification, biodiversity conservation, climate change, invasive species, Far North planning).

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. Participates in the development and implementation of the provincial Integrated Science Action Plan (ISAP) and integrated monitoring framework for terrestrial ecosystems and the preparation of state of the resource reports and trend-thru time analysis and reporting for Ontario. Contributes to the development of annual work plans, project and budgets proposals and strategic monitoring frameworks.
2. Identifies the science and information required by resource practitioners relative to development, calibration, and use of wildlife population, productivity, and habitat models in the development, refinement and implementation of population monitoring and assessment techniques by identifying and analyzing resource management and assessment problems; liaising with local resource management practitioners, including staff from Regional Operations Division and other resource management partners.
3. Identifies the best existing science, knowledge, information, and technology available to meet the needs of resource management practitioners relative to terrestrial ecosystem productivity, terrestrial habitat classification and assessment, conservation of terrestrial diversity, and wildlife population monitoring and management by conducting reviews and synthesizing information from scientific and resource management literature (e.g. factors influencing wildlife populations, impact of forest management activities on wildlife communities and population dynamics); maintaining active liaison and partnerships with researchers, science specialists, and experts within the ministry, other government agencies and jurisdictions, and the scientific, academic, and resource management communities.
4. Develops and refines practices, standards, indices and tools related to wildlife populations, terrestrial ecosystems and their assessment and monitoring by designing, implementing, and coordinating analytical projects in concert with other team members and in cooperation with other researchers and specialists from other agencies and jurisdictions using existing datasets collected through operational monitoring and assessment programs.
5. Leads and/or participates on project/task teams and other forums to develop agreement on practices, standards, and resource management guides ensuring the soundness of content, statistical design, analytical procedures, and scientific review of projects through appropriate tactical plans; promoting improvements in integrated resource management and the application of existing resource management tools and knowledge by promoting the use of adaptive management principles in wildlife and terrestrial ecosystems management.
6. Transfers existing science, knowledge, information and technology related to wildlife populations, terrestrial ecosystems, their monitoring and management, and the conservation of wildlife diversity by providing direct technical assistance in the use and interpretation of science and information (e.g. assessment of wildlife populations for specific regions); publishing the results of literature reviews, and other investigative/analytical projects in a variety of media including, scientific journals, technical reports and technical notes, as well as newsletters and popular magazines; packaging existing science and information for a variety of audiences to assist field practitioners in dealing with their clients (e.g. workshops, presentations on wildlife population status and sustainability, development of State of the Resource Reports).
7. Provides advice and guidance to resource practitioners on wildlife populations, productivity and habitat models, management of information (e.g. data definitions, data collection methodologies, field applications) and the impact of different stresses on wildlife species, communities and terrestrial ecosystems and their diversity (e.g. forest management activities, exploitation, climate change, invasive species) by providing on-site assistance and participating on regional and provincial task teams and committees.

Managers have the right to assign additional duties.

The incumbent shall, work in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations and any workplace practices as directed by the employer. The incumbent shall ensure that workers take precautions to protect the health and safety of themselves and others by complying with such acts, codes, policy, procedures or accepted workplace practices as may be appropriate. The incumbent shall advise workers of actual and potential dangers in the workplace and take the required precautions.

Staffing and Licensing :

Valid driver's licence. Current Standard or Wilderness First Aid Certificate.

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of the theory, principles and practices of terrestrial ecosystem management, wildlife population ecology and management, terrestrial ecosystems classification and productivity, terrestrial habitat classification, wildlife physiology and behaviour, monitoring and biometrics to identify science needs, develop new practices, technologies and transfer science, information and tools to Ministry staff (e.g. development and refinement of wildlife monitoring protocols).
Job requires knowledge of resource management legislation, regulations, policies and guidelines relative to Ontario (e.g. Environmental Bill of Rights, Environmental Assessment Act, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, Crown Forest Sustainability Act, Far North Act, Provincial and Federal Endangered Species legislation, and the Federal Migratory Birds Convention Act) in order to develop technology, standards, techniques and tools consistent with the needs of resource managers and Government Legislation (e.g. identification of science information needs associated with environmental assessment processes).
Job requires knowledge of scientific methods such as experimental and sampling design and statistical analysis (multi-variate and trend-thru-time, power of detection) in order to design, organize and implement science and monitoring projects and to advise on internal and external clients projects.
Job requires knowledge of computer software including word processing, data management, spreadsheets, relational databases and statistical analysis programs in order to access and analyze information, prepare scientific reports/technical papers, publications and presentations.
Job requires general knowledge of ARC-GIS and proven ability to create, manipulate and query spatial data.
Job requires knowledge of relational database design and architecture principles to extract and synthesize similar primary and derived data from large datasets.

Skills :

Job requires project management and organizational skills to determine client needs by leading working groups and workshops, interviewing staff and researching available scientific/technical information to meet those needs, (e.g. organizing facilitating a regional/provincial workshop to determine how to interpret terrestrial data in concert with standardized population sampling protocols).
Job requires analytical and problem solving skills to clarify problems, evaluate options, and identify approaches to address wildlife population management problems.
Job requires interpreting and synthesizing to translate information from scientific studies into solutions by developing guidelines and recommendations.
Job requires excellent written communication skills to provide input to strategic and operational plans, scientific publications/reports and prepare project proposals and status reports.
Job requires excellent oral communication skills to present project/program proposals to clients, partners and Ministry staff; transfer science and technology in symposia and workshops and provide guidance and advice to partners/clients.
Job requires strong interpersonal and consultative skills to facilitate cooperation between researchers, clients and partners (e.g. development of collaborative studies involving researchers and specialists from government as well as academia and Indigenous organization resource management specialists to determine significance of different mortality factors on wildlife in a region.
Job requires group leadership skills to provide advice and guidance to field staff.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working within legislation, regulations, policies and program standards governing natural resource management and research in Ontario (e.g. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, Public Lands Act, Environmental Assessment Act) and within recognized technical and scientific procedures and practices for surveying and research (e.g. sampling methods and standards).
Job requires making decisions to determine and prepare work program/project plans, budget submissions and schedules using input from program clients, research scientists, peers and other research interests in accordance with policies, directives and administrative practices.
Job requires consulting/liaising with supervisors, collaborators and clients to develop and refine project directions and plans.