Florida Manatee Research Job Vacancy

OPS Research Staff

Job #77900922

Department: Wildlife Research

Location: St. Petersburg, FL (Pinellas County)

Rate of Pay: $11.00/hr (40 hrs/wk) including some weekends and occasional holidays; no benefits provided

Close Date: October 5, 2009

Contact: Katherine Brill

Position Description:

Serve as member of FWC’s manatee necropsy, carcass salvage, and rescue team.  Conduct necropsies at the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory or in the field on manatees and other marine mammal carcasses, record observations, and complete associated necropsy reports.  Responsible for preparation and labeling of sample containers, carcass disposal, and cleaning of equipment and instruments.  Recover marine mammal carcasses for necropsy from Florida’s Northwest region (coastal and inland waterways of Manatee County to Escambia County).  Assist in manatee rescue and transport operations in the Northwest region.  Assist with manatee rescues and capture operations away from designated area as needed.  Process skeletal collection requests according to FWC and USFWS guidelines; prepare skeletal remains for curating and shipping and process federal, state, and international permits for tracking skeletal collections and information requests.  Maintain inventories of tissues and tissue requests.  Manage associated database of inventories including metadata.  Responsible for vessel maintenance and associated boater safety reports. Manages the processing and labeling of manatee necropsy slides, digital images, archiving of digital images, and overseeing the image log database.  Participate in public outreach efforts ad appropriate.  Prepare research papers and technical reports. Serve with other MMPL staff members in the rotating, on-call duty (that includes weekends and occasional holidays) for the purpose of responding to marine mammal emergencies and carcasses.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

•     Knowledge of the Florida Manatee Recovery Plan and state and federal legislation protecting manatees

•     Knowledge of methods of data collection and principles and techniques of research and analysis

•     Knowledge of marine mammal anatomy and necropsy techniques

•     Knowledge of SLR digital cameras, filters, and lenses

•     Experience creating and managing databases, spreadsheets, and word processing using Microsoft Access, Excel, and Word

•     Able to trailer flatbeds and watercraft vessels

•     Able to safely operate watercraft vessels 26’ in length and smaller

•     Be capable of daily manual labor requiring handling of heavy and sharp objects and working under unpleasant conditions

•     Must be physically fit, able to lift at least 75 lbs, and be able to swim sufficiently to save oneself

•     Able to conduct fieldwork in all weather conditions

•     Able to establish and maintain effective working relationships

•     Be comfortable speaking to the public

•     Possess or be able to obtain a Florida driver’s license within a month of employment

Minimum Requirements:

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in one of the biological sciences or one year of professional biological experience in a field or lab research program.  Experience with dissection, pathology, or animal necropsies.

TO APPLY: A State of Florida Employment Application must be submitted through the People First Web site (https://peoplefirst.myflorida.com) by the closing date. Applicants selected for interview will be expected to submit a letter of introduction, resume and references--notification will be made to those individuals following the closing date.