CARIBOU PROGRAM, 2024 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: SUMMER FIELD TECHNICIAN AND CREW LEAD

Overview

fRI Research is a not-for-profit, non-partisan research institute doing practical science relating to land and resource management. Our research includes projects on caribou, grizzly bear, and native trout conservation, forest and freshwater ecology, wildfire, and mountain pine beetle. Established in 1992 in Hinton, AB, our offices are located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains providing our team with a scenic home-base for outdoor adventures of all kinds. 

The fRI Research Caribou Program was created in 2013 to conduct and coordinate research on caribou in Alberta. The goal of the program is to provide land and resource managers with knowledge and planning tools through applied research to support Alberta’s caribou recovery efforts and ensure their long-term persistence.

Project Summary

The field technician and crew lead will contribute to a variety of field projects over the summer which may include but are not limited 1) a project using novel methodology to estimate population densities for moose, elk, and deer, 2) a project estimating the reproductive success of ungulates, and 3) a project assessing linear feature regeneration with respect to wildlife use and habitat quality.

Job Description

The field technician and crew lead will perform a combination of office work and fieldwork. Office duties will be a small aspect of the work and may include classifying wildlife photos, data entry, and working with various software programs (R, ArcGIS, Microsoft Access, Excel) for data management. Fieldwork duties may involve installing, maintaining and collecting wildlife cameras, assessing wildlife habitat by classifying forest stand characteristics, identifying vegetation species, and recording wildlife sign on linear features in caribou habitat. Additional duties may include field camp and field equipment maintenance. The crew lead may also be involved in organizational and logistical tasks, will be a point of contact between supervisors and the field team, and will take on a leadership role in field settings. Fieldwork may be staged out of Hinton, Alberta, but will primarily be staged out of remote field camps to survey west-central and north-western Alberta caribou ranges.

Details

Contract duration: April 29th (tentative) to August 29th, 2024

Wage: $22 - $25/hr, depending on skills and experience

Fieldwork Schedule: 9 days on, 5 days off

Work Hours: 7 to 12 hours per day, depending on the conditions, with a maximum of 88hrs per 2-week period.

Perks: Food, accommodation, and transportation will be provided while in remote field settings.

Qualifications

  • Valid Class 5 driver’s licence with a clean driving record for a minimum of 3-years
  • Be physically fit and able to hike long distances with a heavy backpack in difficult terrain 
  • Ability to work long hours in all weather conditions, with persistent insects, and with potential for wildlife encounters
  • Valid First Aid/CPR Certificate
  • Eligible to work in Canada or currently in possession of a work permit

Online Application

For more details on the Summer Field Technician and Crew Lead position please follow the link below to our application on JotForms. Submissions of cover letters and resumes will not be accepted. The application deadline is Monday, February 12th 2024, 23:59 MST.

Apply here:

https://form.jotform.com/240216144117242

Contact

If you have any questions regarding this job posting, please email the fRI Research Caribou Program Field Coordinator Leonie Brown via lbrown@friresearch.ca.