Aquatic Biologist III (2484) - Natural Resources & Lands Management Division, Sunol, CA - SFPUC (154304)

Company Description

• Application Opening:06/12/2025
• Application Filing Deadline:06/20/2025
• Annual Salary:$139,698 to $169,832
• Recruitment ID: RTF0154303-01157748 (TEX-2484-154304)

APPOINTMENT TYPE:Temporary Exempt (TEX): This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 36 months.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)

Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees working in seven counties with a combined annual operating budget of over $900 million.

Our Mission:To provide our customers with high quality, efficient, and reliable water, power, and wastewater services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

Our Vision:We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.org/.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality.

To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site athttps://www.sfpuc.org/about-us/careers-sfpuc

Project Name:Alameda Creek Diversion Dam Infrastructure Repair and Operation Transition

This project will support the Natural Resources and Lands Management Division role in operation of the Alameda Creek Diversion Dam (ACDD) and sediment management, as well as supporting the ACDD recovery and improvements projects resulting from storm damage occurring during the 2022-2023 winter season. The position will support operation of the sediment management system and fish ladder system at the ACDD. Responsibilities include working with a team of biologists, Watershed Keepers, Utility Plumber, and Stationary Engineer during the recovery project, analyzing forecast data, planning, and reporting status and activities with other Divisions. The project will also include the writing, production, and web-based publishing of a backlog of technical monitoring reports for Alameda Creek Aquatic Resource Monitoring Reports from 2008-2018. The position will be responsible for conducting annual aquatic resource monitoring in the Alameda Creek Watershed including limnological monitoring of Calaveras and San Antonio Reservoirs, rotary screw trap and fyke net fish trapping, spawning surveys, benthic macroinvertebrate surveys, electrofishing surveys, and PIT tag antenna arrays. The duration of this project is 36 months.

Position Summary

Under general supervision, the Biologist III plans, designs, develops, and manages biological and ecological monitoring required by federal and state environmental regulatory compliance permits on San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) watershed lands related to fisheries projects. The Biologist III works independently and with other staff to evaluate environmental conditions associated with utility operations and maintain compliance with federal and state regulations and policies in support of the mission of the SFPUC. The Biologist III oversees consultants and contractors; gives technical direction to staff biologists, interns, and volunteers; manages contracts and directs consultants; and may exercise supervision during the absence of the Supervising Biologist.

The Biologist III develops and oversees projects or programs related to fisheries, limnology, and aquatic resource monitoring, restoration, and management. Examples include fisheries specific monitoring (e.g., spawning, trapping, snorkeling, electrofishing, benthic macroinvertebrate, and habitat surveys); limnological monitoring of lakes, reservoirs, and other water bodies; monitoring to avoid impacts to special status species and habitats or sensitive resources during watershed operations and construction; and other monitoring which may include, but is not limited to, surveys for wildlife, reptiles, and amphibians.

Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Oversee and manage routine biological monitoring programs and biological studies.
2. In conjunction with Supervising Biologist, plan, organize, and prioritize biology projects and programs.
3. Identify knowledge gaps and data needs and develop studies and new monitoring programs. Evaluate existing monitoring programs in response to new regulatory requirements, new scientific findings, or to resource management needs and make recommendations.
4. Make recommendations and participate in the development of habitat management plans or restoration projects for the conservation of rare, threatened, and endangered species.
5. Plan and implement restoration projects and resource management activities.
6. Develop partnerships and peer review opportunities with research institutions and other agencies to improve current scientific understanding, outcomes of resource management decisions, and the scientific credibility of SFPUC work products.
7. Provide biological expertise and technical support to SFPUC managers and staff to inform water system operations, watershed management, stewardship, planning, and regulatory compliance.
8. Provide in-house biological expertise during negotiations with regulatory agencies or other external stakeholders.
9. Write and review scopes of work and contract specifications, review budgets, direct work, and evaluate and approve deliverables.
10. In conjunction with the Supervising Biologist, identify environmental problems associated with facility and watershed operations. Propose solutions, including initiation of special studies, to resolve those problems and to achieve compliance with regulations or meet stewardship objectives. Develop best practices for operations and projects that minimize impacts to the environment.
11. Research scientific literature relevant to SFPUC aquatic resource management; manage and analyze data; prepare technical memos, reports, presentations, and papers. Communicate complex scientific information effectively, verbally, and in writing to diverse audiences.
12. Manage and monitor staff progress and direct consultant and contractor teams during planning; data collection, data analysis, and presentation; or resource management activities. Set team goals and priorities, assign tasks, and monitor work products.
13. Train personnel and consultants in effective field sampling, survey methodology, taxonomy and identification, field and lab standard operating procedures, and use of technical and specialized equipment.
14. Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 40 hrs/week

Work Location:505 Paloma Way, Sunol CA 94586

Sunol and Moccasin Biological Resources Section

Natural Resources & Lands Management Division, SFPUC

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

1. Possession of baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in environmental biology, marine biology, aquatic biology, wildlife biology, fisheries biology, limnology, aquatic toxicology microbiology, biochemistry, or a related environmental science; AND

2. Six (6) years of verifiable environmental experience in field or laboratory biology; AND

3. Possession of a valid driver's license.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience operating a fish passage facility, including sluicing operations.
• Experience managing a PIT-tag implementation, antennae array, and data management program.
• Experience planning, developing, and managing projects or programs related to fisheries, limnology, and aquatic resource monitoring, restoration, and management.
• Experience working on collaborative science research efforts focused on the protection and restoration of natural resources.
• Experience providing biological and ecological technical expertise to inform land management, watershed management, stewardship, restoration, planning, and/or environmental regulatory compliance.
• Experience with state and federal environmental regulations.

Verification of Education and Experience:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at:https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification

For applicants with foreign transcripts/degrees or education from Non-Accredited Schools, please visit How to Verify Education Requirements | SF.gov

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs areonlyaccepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the "I'm Interested" button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up to date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records.Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Job Analyst Information:If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the jobanalyst at ymirabueno@sfwater.org.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.