How to hire a wildlife technician

How to hire a wildlife technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step wildlife technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a wildlife technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new wildlife technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a wildlife technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the wildlife technician you need to hire. Certain wildlife technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A wildlife technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, wildlife technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of wildlife technicians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Wildlife Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Wildlife Technician	Biological technicians help biological and medical scientists conduct laboratory tests and experiments.	$12-21
   Laboratory Internship	A laboratory intern is responsible for assisting laboratory operations and perform examinations and experiments under the supervision of tenured laboratory staff. Laboratory interns shadow all the laboratory processes, document their observations, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results... Show more	$12-23
   Laboratory Researcher	Laboratory researchers are professionals who manage a research laboratory while performing cellular and biochemical experiments with the primary researcher. These researchers must work with hazardous chemicals and should show expertise in handling lab equipment such as glassware and field equipment... Show more	$8-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GPS
   • Hand Tools
   • Harvest
   • Data Entry
   • Wildlife Habitat
   • GRASS
   • Data Collection
   • Biological Data
   • GIS
   • Ladders
   • Wildlife Species
   • Nuisance Wildlife
   • Mowing
   • Safety Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead fish exclusion and relocation efforts, using backpack electro fishing gear.
   • Research new techniques to properly manage invasive species such a common carp.
   • Perform automated DNA and RNA extraction of clinical specimens.
   • Collect and process biological samples for epidemiology PCR and RT-PCR studies.
   • Work with other volunteers and sometimes independently to search for, identify and record GPS coordinates of invasive plant species.
   • Extract nematode specimens from soil samples, remount old nematode slides, and enter vital information into USDA nematode collection database.

   More wildlife technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your wildlife technician job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A wildlife technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a wildlife technician in Tennessee may be lower than in New Hampshire, and an entry-level wildlife technician usually earns less than a senior-level wildlife technician. Additionally, a wildlife technician with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average wildlife technician salary

   $16.09hourly

   $33,462 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level wildlife technician salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average wildlife technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$41,355	$20
   2	New Jersey	$38,413	$18
   3	New York	$37,381	$18
   4	Minnesota	$35,599	$17
   5	Oregon	$35,043	$17
   6	Wisconsin	$34,006	$16
   7	Illinois	$33,384	$16
   8	Ohio	$33,276	$16
   9	Colorado	$32,187	$15
   10	Wyoming	$32,182	$15
   11	Maryland	$30,886	$15
   12	Arkansas	$30,876	$15
   13	Iowa	$30,606	$15
   14	Virginia	$29,812	$14
   15	Florida	$29,562	$14
   16	Pennsylvania	$27,410	$13
   17	Mississippi	$27,282	$13
   18	Texas	$26,610	$13
   19	North Carolina	$26,190	$13
   20	Georgia	$25,642	$12

   Average wildlife technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boulder County	$43,407	$20.87
   2	ICF	$43,098	$20.72	10
   3	New York State Restaurant Association	$38,468	$18.49
   4	Stantec	$38,252	$18.39	86
   5	HDR	$36,184	$17.40	2
   6	The State of Oregon	$35,369	$17.00	3
   7	Colorado State Express	$35,057	$16.85
   8	Plunkett's Pest Control	$35,041	$16.85
   9	Port of Portland	$34,550	$16.61
   10	My Florida Regional Mls	$34,367	$16.52
   11	State of Nevada Employees' Association Inc	$34,362	$16.52	2
   12	University of Wisconsin System	$33,611	$16.16	4
   13	Terminix	$32,530	$15.64	2
   14	University of Pennsylvania	$32,397	$15.58	3
   15	State Of South Dakota	$31,024	$14.92	3
   16	Rollins	$30,858	$14.84
   17	State of West Virginia	$30,242	$14.54	18
   18	State of Arizona	$30,175	$14.51	1
   19	State Of Florida	$30,025	$14.44	3
   20	Wyoming	$29,394	$14.13	1

4. Writing a wildlife technician job description

   A good wildlife technician job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a wildlife technician job description:

   Wildlife technician job description example

   Minimum Qualifications Provisional qualifications-
   
   Open Competitive: three years of experience in fisheries, wildlife, or marine resources management; fish or wildlife propagation; a living marine resources program; or a fish, wildlife, or marine research program.
   
   Substitution: one year of college coursework including at least 12 semester credit hours in fisheries, marine resources, wildlife management, or a related field, may substitute for one year of the experience described.
   
   Promotion: one year of permanent competitive service of Fish and Wildlife Technician 1, Grade 8
   
   Reassignment - Currently in the title and an employee of DEC
   
   or
   
   Reinstatement Eligible - Previously held the title on a permanent competitive basis or held a title as indicated under the transfer eligible section on a permanent competitive basis.
   
   or
   
   Transfer Eligible - One year of permanent competitive service at Salary Grade 11 or higher and:
   
   Eligible for transfer under Section 70.4: Must meet the open competitive minimum qualifications below:
   
   Eligible for transfer under Section 70.1: Permanent Competitive service as a Fish Culturist 1.
   
   * 55-b/55-c Candidates must meet the open competitive minimum qualifications below and include with their resume or application, a copy of the letter from Civil Service which indicates approval for the 55-b/55-c program.
   
   Open competitive minimum qualifications (provided for 55b/c candidates and 70.4 transfer eligibles):
   
   Three years of experience in fisheries, wildlife, or marine resources management; fish or wildlife propagation; a living marine resources program; or a fish, wildlife, or marine research program.
   
   Substitution: one year of college coursework including at least 12 semester credit hours in fisheries, marine resources, wildlife management, or a related field, may substitute for one year of the experience described.
   
   Important: If you qualify under an option requiring the possession of semester credit hours, you must submit a list of qualifying courses or photocopy of your transcript(s) with your application. Include the course title, number of semester credit hours for each course, the name of the college or university and the date (or expected date) of completion. Applications submitted without a list of relevant courses will not be considered. If you qualify under an option requiring specialized work experience, you must include on your application a clear and detailed description of your qualifying technical experience. Vagueness or omissions will not be interpreted in your favor.
   
   If there is a viable promotion examination eligible list (three acceptors) for this position, candidates who qualify based on 70.4 transfer or under the 55-b/55-c options cannot be considered.
   
   If you are on an examination eligible list for the position title, you do not need to respond to this posting UNLESS you are also eligible for appointment by transfer, reinstatement or reassignment as defined above; or the appointment type is provisional or temporary. The eligible list(s) will be canvassed as appropriate. Always respond to an eligible list canvass.
   
   Duties Description The primary function of this position is to collect and process fisheries data from diadromous fish in the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. Job duties will take place in both field and office settings.
   
   Field duties include but are not limited to: towing of boats via trucks to and from boat launches, piloting boats during sampling events, deployment and retrieval of various fish sampling gears including large haul seines (300' and 500'), beach seines (100' and 200'), various sizes of gill nets, electrofishing equipment, and crab pots as well as other small trap nets (fyke nets, small trawls, etc.), and collection of environmental data such as water quality and turbidity. Selected candidate will operate all fisheries sampling gear, identify and enumerate samples, collect biological data and other relevant environmental data as well as participate in the collection of data from commercial fishers. Early morning and late-night sampling will be required. Assists with public correspondence and outreach events.
   
   Office duties include but are not limited to: data entry into access databases, quality assurance and quality control, data summarization, aging of fish scales, otoliths and other hard parts, processing and dissection of specimens, maintenance of all sampling gear, boats, trucks and trailers.
   
   In both field and office settings, the selected candidate may supervise seasonal technicians and coordinate with other DEC bureaus to accomplish Unit objectives.
   
   Additional Comments Must have a valid driver's license or demonstrate the ability to meet the transportation needs of the position. Must be able to negotiate difficult terrain Must be able to work in remote areas. Must be able to work in adverse weather conditions. Must be able to lift and move objects up to 50 pounds.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right wildlife technician for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with wildlife technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit wildlife technicians who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your wildlife technician job on Zippia to find and recruit wildlife technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit wildlife technicians, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new wildlife technician

   Once you've decided on a perfect wildlife technician candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a wildlife technician?