Biological Technician Level III

Think Tank, Inc.

Sandwich, MA, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Science

Full Time

Job Description

*US Citizenship Required

*Onsite at a NEFSC and aboard research vessels in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

*Proposal Effort, Position is Subject to Contract Award

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Think Tank is seeking a motivated Biological Technician Level III to support NEFSC fishery-independent research surveys in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. These positions play a vital role in assessing the abundance, distribution, and diversity of fish and invertebrate species.

Technicians will participate in extended sea-going research cruises, assist with at-sea and shore-based biological sampling, maintain advanced survey equipment, and ensure high-quality data collection to support NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) research programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Support annual research cruises (60–120 days at sea) by collecting biological and physical survey data.
Sort, identify, measure, and dissect fish and invertebrates; collect biological samples (age, growth, maturity, genetics, diet).
Operate and maintain data acquisition systems, acoustic/optical survey equipment, and sampling hardware.
Assist with vessel staging, gear inspection, supply preparation, and equipment calibration.
Perform QA/QC of survey data, manage fisheries databases, and maintain sampling inventories.
Annotate benthic imagery, process lab samples, and contribute to protocol development.
Develop outreach materials (manuals, newsletters, social media content) and support staff training.
Lead field teams, summarize/analyze survey data, and work independently with minimal supervision.

REQUIREMENTS:

2+ years experience identifying Northwest Atlantic fish and invertebrate species.
Experience aboard research vessels conducting fishery-independent surveys.
1+ year experience with bottom trawls and/or scallop/clam dredges.
1+ year experience with fishery sampling hardware (measuring boards, motion-compensated scales, barcode systems).
2+ years experience with electronic data acquisition systems.
2+ years or 100+ sea days (Shellfish & Advanced Tech Programs) OR 200+ sea days (Bottom Trawl Survey Program).
Experience with acoustic net mensuration equipment (Scanmar, Simrad, Marport).
1+ year experience querying and summarizing data from relational databases (e.g., Oracle).
Strong leadership, QA/QC, and independent research skills.