Private Lands Biologist

Job Description

The Private Lands Biologist (PLB) position serves as a technical expert on wildlife habitat management and supports wildlife conservation by evaluating current habitat conditions and designing wildlife habitat improvements to positively impact terrestrial wildlife populations for private and public landowners across Virginia. The employee works independently to build the partnerships necessary for increasing delivery and implementation of financial incentives programs related to wildlife conservation be they USDA NRCS USDA FSA state Soil and Water Conservation Districts DWR Department of Forestry etc. Employee develops and conducts outreach programs for multiple audiences regarding wildlife habitat management participates in scientific monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of wildlife habitat enhancement programs and serves on appropriate Department committees to review biological and sociological data to guide regulation and policy development.

Required Qualifications

Bachelors Degree in Natural Resources
Experience working specifically on private lands management
Experience leading teams including mentoring supervising and planning
Demonstrated professional experience in evaluating wildlife habitat conditions and developing and implementing habitat management plans
Excellent communication and organizational skills and demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse audiences
Ability to work independently with little supervision and with diverse clientele
Working knowledge of wildlife ecology principles and the ability to apply those principles utilizing various habitat management tools in order to develop NRCS or other types of conservation plans

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with NRCS conservation programs and/or software
NRCS Conservation Planning certification and/or Job Approval Authority and/or Technical Service Provider status
Knowledge of federal and state agency conservation and wildlife programs such as the Farm Bill the Endangered Species Act or State Wildlife Agency Private Lands Programs. Also knowledge of how these programs are implemented in an agricultural landscape
Demonstrated experience working with agricultural land owners
Experience with geospatial information systems

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Hours per week

40

Review Date

11/04/2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its mottoUt Prosim(That I May Serve) Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world Virginia Tech is aninclusive communitydedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36000 undergraduate graduate and professional students in eightundergraduate colleges aschool of medicine aveterinary medicinecollegeGraduate School andHonors College.The university has a significant presence across Virginia including Blacksburg the greater Washington D.C. area the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke sites in Newport News and Richmond and numerousExtension officesandresearch institutes.A leading global research institution Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

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