Bear Conflict Technician
- 📅
- 25141050 Requisition #
- 📅
- 4 days ago Post Date
Please remember to attach the required documents listed in this announcement.
- Resume
- Cover Letter
Applications missing the requested documents will be considered incomplete and may not progress further in the process. Documents not requested will not be considered in the recruitment process. The State Application is not a substitute for a Resume. This position closes at 11:59 PM Mountain Time on May 18, 2025. You must apply through the State of Montana Career site.
Special Information:
This position may be eligible for a statutory base pay increase of $1.00 an hour effective July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026.
Identity of applicants who become finalists may be releases to the public if the Department deems it necessary. Employees who exceed 1,040 hours in a calendar year are also provided health, dental and life insurance. Other benefits include retirement, paid vacation, sick and holidays. This position may be covered by a VEBA (Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association).
A successful applicant will be subject to a background investigation.
Women and minorities are under-represented in this job category and are encouraged to apply.
Specific Job Information:
This position works directly with the Bear and Lion Conflict specialists, agency partners and the public to address bear conflict issues in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) of NW Montana. The conflict technician benefits grizzly bear populations through education, outreach and conflict resolution, which reduces bear mortalities and increases acceptance of bears by the public. The conflict technician will focus on educational outreach to help prevent and mitigate conflict. This position will perform capacity-building activities in the service of conservation education. These conservation education programs will focus primarily on bear and lion education and reducing human-wildlife conflict. Programs are delivered to regional elementary, secondary and college students, as well as members of the public, local organizations, and local government agencies and entities.
Additional job duties will include assisting conflict specialists and conflict technicians by working directly with landowners on private lands throughout within Flathead, Lincoln, Lake and Missoula Counties of Montana. Some capturing and handling of bear and/or lions will be required.
Funding for this position is available through a BNSF agreement and is available for no more than seven years, unless extended. In the event that the funding ends or is not sufficient to continue your employment, your employment may be terminated without cause.
The position will be stationed in the Kalispell, MT area and has an anticipated end date of November 28, 2025.
Physical and Environmental Demands:
This position requires a positive attitude and effective communication skills. Successful applicants will possess the ability conduct educational and outreach activities to groups, organizations, school classes, landowners and the public. This position requires providing outreach and education, the use of conflict mitigation tools, and training the public on how to use those same mitigation tools. The position will require public speaking and interactions with people at public and/or educational events. This position requires the ability to work with members of the public on private and public lands to reduce conflicts with wildlife. This position requires the ability to work and drive for long hours and have a flexible work schedule. The ability to work in variable weather conditions and environments, occasionally tolerate pungent odors, and be able to physically handle large injured and/or dead wildlife is required. Job expectations include being on-call to work weekends and evenings on a routine basis. The position requires the ability to occasionally hike long distances carrying a backpack and to work safely in habitats with numerous large carnivores, both alone and as part of a team.
Job Duties:
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking a self-motivated and organized individual to assist with the implementation of regional grizzly bear conflict management activities. Primary duties will be to provide educational materials and conflict resolution outreach to a diverse group of stakeholders within the NCDE. The position will require the ability to instruct the public, city representatives, landowners, and interagency personnel on effective conflict prevention and reduction tools and techniques, particularly bear aware methods, bear spray, and electrified fencing. A large component of this position will be conducing educational events and working with local communities to implement proactive bear /human conflict resolution actions with the goal of reducing grizzly bear mortalities, effectively living with wildlife, and reducing human-wildlife conflicts. Additional duties include assisting in the prevention of human-carnivore conflicts and to evaluate, respond to, and resolve human-carnivore conflicts between humans and bears. Successful applicants will understand how to utilize effective conflict prevention and resolution tools, particularly the construction of both temporary and permanent electrified fences. The successful applicant must demonstrate the ability to acquire certification (provided), or have already acquired certification, on the safe capture and handling of wildlife (required). Employees will participate in bear captures and handling, relocation and/or humane euthanasia, as well as collect, enter, and compile data for annual reports. The position will coordinate as needed with other wildlife conflict specialists, biologists, wardens, other agency staff, and the public to resolve and prevent/reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Expand educational and interpretive programs to Montana communities by providing bear awareness programs in communities and schools.
- Provide bear aware workshops with bear spray training, presentations, events, and other education in collaboration with local outdoor groups and partners (Forest Service, National Park
- Identify different audiences (VRBOs, tourists, campers, etc.) and, working with supervisor, develop targeted outreach to those audiences.
- Demonstrated knowledge and/or experience with wildlife conflict prevention methods and tools, particularly electrified fencing, is preferred.
- Understanding of conflict resolution techniques and ability to convey information to the public through engaging with groups, school classes, organizations and landowners.
- Ability to maintain professionalism while working with challenging members of the public is required.
- Requires understanding of the different societal values of wildlife, particularly carnivores.
- Good written and verbal communication skills are required. Ability to speak at public events is
- Demonstrated understanding of managing large carnivores in urban and rural environments is
- Experience in human-wildlife conflict management is preferred.
- Ability to safely capture large carnivores, particularly bears, using culvert traps is preferred.
- Demonstrated training and/or experience in the safe use of chemicals to immobilize large carnivores, particularly bears, is preferred.
- Knowledge of collection of biological samples, including blood, teeth, and tissues, is preferred.
- Basic knowledge of wildlife biology, wildlife ecology, anatomy, and carnivore population dynamics are required.
- Ability to tolerate pungent odors and handle injured and/or dead wildlife is preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in the use of ground telemetry equipment is required preferred.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office software and basic computer skills are required.
- Ability to safely tow and backup live-animal trailers is required.
- Ability to drive long highway distances and comfortably drive steep mountain roads utilizing a 4-wheel drive vehicle while towing live-animal trailers is preferred.
- The basic understanding of vehicle and trailer maintenance is preferred
- The ability to work under direct supervision and unsupervised is required.
- The ability to work alone and as a team member is required.
Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience):
The knowledge, skills, and abilities of this position are normally attained through combination of education and experience equivalent to a minimum of two years of college work towards a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology, fish and wildlife management, animal ecology, biology, or a closely related field and related work experience. Combinations of education and experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
