Lab Biologist

A great opportunity for a Lab Biologist to contribute to salmonid habitat restoration and fisheries research in our River Sciences and Restoration Lab. This full-time position will provide critical support to Cramer Fish Sciences (CFS) to study California fish migratory patterns, population age and growth, community assemblages, diet and macroinvertebrate prey in a laboratory setting to address a range of river ecology and restoration questions. Our team implements an array of specialized techniques, including macroinvertebrate identification from benthic and drift samples and fish stomachs, fish identification from video, and analyzing fish hard structures (otoliths, fin rays, and scales) for age, growth, and migration studies. The Lab Biologist primary role is to oversee laboratory operations including training, safety, quality control, sample tracking, and collaborating with science staff to establish priorities and ensure that data is available for analysis. The Lab Biologist is expected to be familiar with all of the techniques performed in the laboratory and an expert in at least one of them. This position is based out of West Sacramento, California.

APPLY NOW: Upload a Cover Letter with your Resume in one file. https://fishsciences.isolvedhire.com/jobs/

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support science staff by providing management and coordination to ensure that lab work progresses smoothly and that deliverables are completed on time.
• Train staff and conduct quality control checks to ensure laboratory procedures are performed correctly, efficiently and safely.
• Provide practical technical support to research, operations, or program administration.
• Provide mentorship, facilitate teamwork, develop collaborative relationships with staff.
• Participate in research planning, including budgeting and methods development.
• Perform laboratory work including processing fish hard structures, identifying macroinvertebrates to family, conducting diet analysis and/or video review of fish communities.
• Write basic project reports and memorandums including data summaries and analysis.
• Configure lab workstations, restock lab supplies as needed and order equipment.
• Infrequent data collection in the field.
• Conduct literature reviews and data gathering for a variety of projects.
• Ability to complete and/or delegate work assigned by senior staff.

CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Laboratory experience and/or Fisheries expertise: Practical understanding of river ecology, including fish and/or invertebrate taxonomy. Knowledge of laboratory safety and techniques. Knowledge of compound and stereoscopic microscopes.
• Lab Management Skills: Ability to manage a team in a laboratory setting. Serve as task Lead on several lab-based projects and delegate and train technicians as necessary to complete tasks. Produce accurate high-quality work products and deliverables on time and within budget. Resourceful, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively to find creative solutions to problems.
• Team Leadership Skills: Contribute to the team and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) culture, view all team members as important and treat them with respect and professionalism. Hold high personal performance and quality standards to enable the team to be successful. Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and to express and exchange ideas and to communicate with CFS team members and landowners, stakeholders, and clients.
• Science-Business balance: This individual should demonstrate expertise in and be passionate about science, natural resources, and resolving complex fishery problems. In addition, the individual should have an understanding of consulting work and billable targets to support CFS as a profitable business.

EDUCATION / MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Fisheries, Biology or an equivalent science field and three years of related experience or Master's degree in Fisheries, Biology, or an equivalent science field and one year of related experience performing fisheries or wildlife studies
• Proficient with MS Office Suite including Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Word
• Expertise in laboratory data collection, entry, and analysis; graphical representation and communicating project methods and findings in presentations and reports

DESIRED EXPERIENCE

• Knowledge and experience in the identification of California freshwater fishes.
• Experience with using Image-Pro Premier or similar image analysis software.
• Knowledge of salmonid scales analysis to determine age and growth.
• Experience identifying benthic macroinvertebrates.
• Experience in data management, summary, and analysis.
• Experience using Access or SQL databases.
• Experience with the R programing language.

ABOUT CRAMER FISH SCIENCES: We are a fisheries research consulting firm serving throughout the Pacific States and Idaho. We are a growing, employee-owned company whose mission is to rigorously apply the scientific method to afford our clients innovative, scientifically robust solutions to address a variety of fisheries and environmental challenges. Our team achieves this through effective and unbiased data collection, insightful analysis and interpretation, and clear communications and publication of results in scientific journals.

COMPENSATION: $67,000 - $80,000/year (depending upon experience). 401 (k) has a 3% match and full vesting after one year. The annual cash bonus has a 3% target. Benefit package includes: medical, dental, vision, basic life, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, employee assistance programs, PTO, paid company holidays, and other various voluntary benefits.

ESOP: CFS is a 100% employee-owned company. Our employee stock option plan (ESOP) is a qualified defined contribution plan. Our target ESOP contribution is 5%. Eligibility is after one year of service with an entry date of Jan 1 or July 1.

DEI: Diversifying our profession is a vital and on-going journey and we are committed to fostering a culture that embraces and celebrates diversity in all its forms.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: Cramer Fish Sciences is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability.