CPW Wildlife Technician IV - (Fort Collins, CO)

• Medical and Dental plans
• Strong, flexible retirement plans including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus pre-tax and Roth 401K and 457 plans
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Employee Wellness programs
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Accounts
• 11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave
• Flexible work schedule options and remote-work options
• Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system
• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Wildlife Health conducts disease monitoring and surveillance for all terrestrial wildlife species, as well as rigorous scientific-based original research deemed valuable to CPW in order to better understand and enhance the health, management, and conservation of Colorado’s terrestrial wildlife resources; the program also provides field and laboratory services and training to CPW staff, as well as captive wildlife research support and captive wildlife holding for other CPW research and management programs.

Provide technical support for necropsy services through coordination of necropsy submissions, assistance during necropsy procedures, and maintenance of the necropsy laboratory
Coordinate transportation of carcasses or tissues to the Wildlife Health Laboratory, including travel to retrieve carcasses when necessary.  Coordinate sample submissions, and accession and process samples as they arrive at the Wildlife Health Laboratory.  Adhere to protocols for ongoing disease surveillance projects. Maintain adequate facility and supplies/inventory for necropsy and other diagnostic services.  Maintain clean and sanitary work, freezer, and cooler spaces, including timely disposition of tissues after processing either through disposal at a landfill or via incineration. Monitor freezers and coolers for adequate temperature control. Monitor hazardous waste tanks and coordinate disposal of hazardous material as needed. Provide support during necropsy including dissection, tissue removal, assessment of tissue integrity/disease, radiology, photography, proper sample handling for diagnostics or archival, and submission to external and internal laboratories for testing. Mail coolers back to submitters. Take personal responsibility for the use of personal protective equipment when dealing with potentially hazardous tissues or chemicals. Maintain archives of samples, photographs, reports, and other documents pertinent to casework. Special care must be taken for forensics cases that may provide evidence for legal investigations.

This position will also perform duties related to CWD surveillance and other disease surveillance. Duties may include, but are not limited to Construct and mail out supplies for CWD sampling (CWD kits). Provide training for CWD sampling. Process CWD samples as they arrive at the Wildlife Health Laboratory. Extract CWD samples from whole head submissions. Assure sample quality for submissions. Organize samples for submission to the diagnostic laboratory. Submit samples to the diagnostic laboratory. Enter data and provide quality control for data entries in the CWD database. Communicate with field personnel and other staff to assure quick resolution of any issues. Accession and process samples arriving at the lab for purposes other than CWD or necropsy (for example blood or tissue samples received from research staff). Properly archive samples in accordance with existing protocols.

Provide technical support for management or research projects conducted in the field or at the Foothills Wildlife Research Facility. 

Assist veterinary staff, researchers, managers, and biologists with ongoing projects including animal care and husbandry, observation, veterinary care and support, sample collection and handling, data collection, or other duties to support this work. Travel may be required.

Minimum Qualifications

Four (4) years of relevant experience in wildlife health, processing biological samples, post-mortem tissue handling and sampling or an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position. You must adequately demonstrate your experience in your application as it relates to the duties of this position. 
OR
A combination of related education in wildlife biology, natural resources, animal science, biology and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to four (4) years.

Substitutions

Appropriate education in wildlife biology, natural resources, animal science, biology, laboratory science or a related field of study will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

• Current or former Colorado Parks & Wildlife work or volunteer experience is considered.
• Experience collecting and processing a wide array of biological samples.
• Experience managing detailed records and quality control of data.
• Experience working with strong smells and decaying tissues with varying amounts of maggots or other insects.
• Experience collecting post mortem samples.
• Current or former State experience relevant to this position.
  
  

• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Strong level of written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to use and operate computers and email and basic data management (e.g., Excel, Access).
• Ability to strictly follow laboratory protocols and procedures.
• Ability to move smoothly between highly variable tasks.
• Attention to detail and quality assurance during sample processing.

• Will be required to operate a State vehicle. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license. 
• Occasional assistance with field work may require travel.
• Must willing and able to obtain record of rabies vaccine for consideration of employment.
• Employee will be exposed to biological materials as well as formalin, a hazardous chemical must be fit for a respirator (such as an N95 face mask) as they will be exposed to animal carcasses positive for infectious diseases such as rabies, highly pathogenic avian influenza, plague, and tularemia PPE during necropsy activities.
• Employee must be capable of lifting up to 50 pounds and performing varied physical tasks such as bending, crouching, lifting, and reaching.
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose the information on the application and provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify their application from the current position.  (Please Note: Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with DNR).

• Pursuant to the DNR-120 Fleet and Driving Standards Administrative Directive, any worker who will be expected to drive a State-owned vehicle is responsible for maintaining a safe driving record and a valid driver license prior to driving any State-owned vehicle. 

  To be compliant with the new fleet vehicle policy, Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) will be pulled for review for workers who: 

  • Have an assigned State fleet vehicle

  • Are required to operate a vehicle as part of the position

  • Utilize a State fleet vehicle as a pool vehicle

• All applications received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed by an HR Specialist against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement. 

• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process. Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position will be a structured application review by Subject Matter Experts.

• Resumes, cover letters and other attachments are not considered as part of initial reviews, therefore, it is important to document in your application your education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications as outlined in the job announcement. 

• Please thoroughly answer all supplemental questions (if listed) since question responses may be evaluated for content, writing ability, spelling, grammar, and effective communication. 

• This recruitment may involve additional testing and/or exams to arrive at the top group for interviews.

• This recruitment may be used to fill more than one vacancy at this level and reporting location. 

A salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis.

We are committed to increasing a “Colorado for ALL" of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of all backgrounds and abilities.  The State of Colorado believes that a “Colorado for ALL” drives our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

The Department of Natural Resources is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, at [email protected].