FISHERIES & WILDLIFE BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST III--PENDING RECLASSIFICATION TO A PLANNER IV

Requisition No: 809616

Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Working Title: FISHERIES & WILDLIFE BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST III-PENDING RECLASSIFICATION TO A PLANNER IV

Position Number: 77001083

Salary: $1,551.96 bi-weekly benefits

Posting Closing Date: 08/29/2023

Employment contingent upon successful completion of a background check

Position Number: 77001083

Position title: Pending reclassification to a Planner IV

Working Title: Land Conservation Planner-pending reclassification

Salary: $1,551.96/biweekly

Supervisor: Jackie Bucheck

Position address : 2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building A, Tallahassee, FL 32301

Region: Northwest

County: Leon

Working hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 am-5 pm

List of any subordinates supervised: None

Residency requirement: None

Minimum Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor of Science in a biological science or urban planning and two years of a professional biological or planning experience preferred.
• Prefer a master’s degree in one of the biological sciences, urban planning, or a related field.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to manage multifaceted projects under various time constraints in compliance with Florida Statutes and Florida Administrative Code.
• Ability to present at public hearings and facilitate public meetings to accomplish state-owned conservation land Management Plan requirements. Experience working with the public and facilitating public meetings strongly preferred.
• GIS training and background strongly preferred.
• Ability to effectively coordinate and execute meetings with peers and other State agencies.
• Ability to travel for up to five days at a time 8-10 times per year to conduct site visits, host public meetings, and/or assist fellow planners with the execution of assigned meetings and public hearings.
• Florida Driver’s License required.

Position description and duties:

Description:

The Land Conservation and Planning (LCP) subsection is offering an exciting opportunity in land conservation planning, working closely with land managers and stakeholders across the state to complete ten-year Management Plans for FWC managed conservation lands (i.e., 56 areas, over 1.5 million acres).

This program is responsible for the administration and implementation of the FWC’s land acquisition and land management planning programs and projects statewide. These include: FWC liaison to the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC); administering the FWC Florida Forever Inholdings and Additions Land Acquisition Program; intra-agency, inter-agency, and stakeholder coordination; and public meeting facilitation. Other duties include projects requiring Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, review of new legislation, policy development, issue teams, and other special projects relating to conservation acquisition, planning, and land management.

The position advertised is for a Land Conservation Planner in the Wildlife and Habitat Management section of the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation of FWC.

Duties:

• Coordinate the development and updating of Management Plans for Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife Environmental Areas. This includes coordination with area biologists, outreach to relevant stakeholders, and travel to the area for site visits. Also includes extensive coordination with local and county-level entities, stakeholders, other FWC staff, and other State agencies (e.g., Florida Forest Service, Water Management Districts, Department of Environmental Protection) to ensure all statutory components of Management Plans are completed.

• Assist with the development and updating of GIS data including sharing, editing, and managing data used by the Division, the Agency at large, and in some cases the larger State system. Develop and update GIS layers and GIS analysis for commission-managed lands, Florida Forever projects, and potential acquisitions.
  
• Assist with the design, execution, and travel for stakeholder meetings and public hearings, which are required components for the development of Management Plans for State-owned conservation lands. This includes contacting stakeholders; researching and compiling baseline data and Management Prospectus documents; ensuring public meeting reservations are made; ongoing and timely communication with area biologists and other relevant staff; and coordinating and executing internal meetings to properly accomplish the Management Plan development requirements. In addition, travel to assist other Conservation Planners with the execution of assigned Management Advisory Groups and public hearings. Travel for this position requires travel for up to five days at a time 8-10 times per year to conduct site visits, host public meetings, and/or assist fellow planners with the execution of assigned meetings and public hearings.
  
• Present FWC Management Plans at ARC meetings, attend ARC meetings, and travel to periodic coordination meetings that occur outside of Tallahassee.
  
• Coordinate and perform the review of Management Plans and Management Plan Amendments submitted by other agencies to ARC, as required by Florida Statutes.
  
• Assist in the coordination and attendance of Land Management Reviews for FWC-managed areas.
  
• Assist section with development, coordination, and/or implementation of the other necessary projects as appropriate, such as acquisition project evaluation, Florida Forever prioritization, office purchasing, vehicle maintenance, etc.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE. Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here. All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.