Data Management Specialist 2- Lower Granite Dam Fish Monitoring Project

Description: The Data Management Specialist II (DMS II) is responsible for maintaining the data infrastructure that underlies the Lower Granite Dam anadromous fish monitoring program. The position ensures that data collected at the trap and in the field are accurately compiled, quality-controlled, and made available to biologists and analysts in a timely manner. The DMS II acts as the primary liaison between data collection systems (NOAA trap database, PTAGIS, Biosamples age lab, genetics lab) and the Nampa Research SQL Server database that serves as the program’s central data repository. The position also maintains related SharePoint collaboration sites and supports regional data requests.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) Nampa Research Station conducts monitoring of ESA-listed Snake River Chinook Salmon, steelhead, and Sockeye Salmon at Lower Granite Dam, the first dam encountered by adult fish returning from the ocean on the Snake River. The project integrates data from multiple sources including daily fish trap operations, PIT tag detection arrays, coded wire tags (CWT), genetic stock identification, and otolith/scale-based age determination. These data are used to estimate run abundance, productivity, and survival through statistical models, and the results are reported annually to state and federal fisheries management agencies. The research is conducted in coordination with NOAA Fisheries, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), and other regional partners. Data integrity and timely management of the multiple interrelated databases that support this program are essential to its scientific and regulatory functions.

Responsibilities: 

• Database monitoring and maintenance (~30%): Monitor automated daily append of trap data to the LGDTrapping database; troubleshoot pipeline failures; coordinate with PSMFC, federal, and state partners as needed.
• Biosamples queue management (~20%): Monitor the age lab upload queue; append new biosample records and age determinations to the Biosamples database; ensure timely linkage of scale ages to trap database records.
• Quality control (~15%): Conduct monthly QC of trapping database records; identify and resolve duplicate sample numbers and other common errors.
• Seasonal data preparation (~10%): Prepare in-season PIT tag analysis spreadsheets for various anadromous species in coordination with project biologists; upload juvenile fish bypass data, temperature logger data, and trap operations records on a seasonal schedule.
• CWT coordination (~10%): Prepare collection kits for coded wire tag sampling; coordinate snout collection and return with hatchery partners; manage snout sample inventory; extract, read, and record CWTs from snout samples; upload CWT recoveries to Regional Mark Information System (RMIS).
• SharePoint administration (~5%): Manage membership and content for multiple SharePoint collaboration sites supporting the Nampa Research program.
• Data requests and miscellaneous (~10%): Respond to internal and external data requests; maintain PTAGIS subscriptions; assist with server backups and file server maintenance. Field survey opportunities (e.g., redd surveys) are available on a voluntary basis.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred

A range of experience and education may be presented.  Candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience** AND four years of successfully completed education above high school in the natural sciences (biology, fishery biology, environmental science, aquatic science, geology, chemistry, physics, mathematics).  An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.

**Specialized Experience is experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position being filled.  To be creditable, Specialized Experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. 

Learn more about the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and apply here.