Stranding Investigations Biologist Job Announcement

A professional with a Bachelor’s degree or a high school degree with five (5) years experience responding to stranded marine mammals and/or sea turtles.

General Duties:

The biologist will be directly involved in the 24-hr response, recovery, and transport of stranded marine mammals and sea turtles within Mote’s stranding response area.  The duties include responding to a 24-hour, 7-day/week stranding notification pager, coordinating response based on the species, number, size, and condition of the animal(s) and coordinating with local, state, and federal partners.  The biologist will be directly involved in the recovery, examination, data collection, tissue sampling processing and distribution of samples, and disposal of carcasses. The candidate must be able to work independently and as part of a larger team. Responsibilities include maintenance and data entry in multiple databases, photo archives, supplies inventory, equipment and vehicle maintenance and supervising of interns and volunteers, and assistance with other research projects, as requested by the Program Manager.  The biologist will be expected to represent MML and interact with the public in a professional manner, assist MML in education, outreach and other special programs.  The Biologist may present scientific research at peer reviewed meetings and/or publish scientific research in peer reviewed publications.

The SIP works normal business hours Monday through Friday.  The biologist will also be expected to respond after-hours to the stranding pager a minimum of three days per week, including weekends and holidays.  The schedule will vary depending on the needs of the animals and facilities.  Longer daily hours may be required to complete specific tasks.

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to lift up to 75 lbs and drag 100 lbs
• Ability to swim
• Ability to walk long distances in the sand and/or marsh
• Ability to recover large carcasses from waterways and beaches
• Ability to drive a large truck in congested areas, often towing a large trailer
• Computer knowledge (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, GIS)
• Strong written communication skills
• Possess strong organizational skills and be attentive to detail
• Must be able to follow both written and oral instructions
• Strong verbal communication skills for interactions with the public
• Capacity to tolerate extreme temperatures, sandy, buggy, and/or wet field conditions and strong odors
• Ability to kayak, trailer and operate small boats, personal watercraft and ATV’s

including launching and retrieval

• Must have dependable transportation to and from work for rapid response outside

of normal business hours

• Knowledge of marine mammal and/or sea turtle conservation issues, especially

relating to human interactions

Interested applicants should submit as a single electronic file, 1) a letter of interest, 2) resume or CV, and 3) the names and contact information for three references to HumanResources@mote.org by 5:00 pm on 9/28/2012 Mote Marine Laboratory is an Equal opportunity/Affirmative Action/E-Verify Employer

-- 
Gretchen Lovewell
Program Manager
Stranding Investigations 
Directorate of Marine Biology and Conservation
Mote Marine Laboratory
1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy
Sarasota, FL 34236
Office: 941-388-4441 ex 239
Cell: 941-374-3425
Pager: 941-988-0212
Fax: 941-388-4317

We are an independent, nonprofit, marine and estuarine 
research and education facility. 
Opinions expressed here are not MML policy unless so indicated.