Research Technician

Mississippi State University; Starkville (MS); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Mississippi State University’s Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture seeks a research technician to work with team leads, undergraduates, and partners in the southeastern region to review planning documents and deploy advanced data applications for prioritized species conservation and habitat recovery. The role focuses on data entry and database management, QA/QC, and coordinating a small team.

Expected start December 2026; requires a high school diploma with 4 years of relevant

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in ecology, wildlife, or related field.
• Experience with data entry and database management.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate a team of undergraduates on data entry, formatting, QA/QC, and database management.
• Assist with data compilation and management for conservation applications.
• Engage with federal/state partners and ensure data quality and metadata practices.
• Communicate findings and support planning and decision-making processes.

Skills

Data entry

QA/QC

Team coordination

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in ecology, wildlife, or related field

Post-secondary training in a relevant field

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Database software

Spreadsheet software

Job description

Position Function

The research technician will work directly with team leads, undergraduate students and/or recent graduates, and federal and state conservation partners in the southeastern region to review state and regional conservation planning documents and populate and deploy advanced data applications focused on prioritized species conservation and habitat recovery efforts.

Salary Grade:11

Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges. For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Department Profile

Mississippi State University is a top-ranked research institution, and the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture (WFA) has a strong applied focus in wildlife conservation and management. The 35-member faculty within the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture leads one of the most productive research programs in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University. The department is well-known for its highly collegial and interdisciplinary faculty, post-doctoral fellows, research and extension associates that help make the department one of the premier institutions for applied wildlife and fisheries science in the nation. As one of the fastest growing undergraduate programs in the region, our 300 undergraduate students concentrate in wildlife agriculture science, human-wildlife interactions, conservation biology, wildlife veterinary medicine, conservation law enforcement, and wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture science. The department also houses 60 graduate students across a variety of programs. For additional information see
www.cfr.msstate.edu/wildlife

Area of Specialization

Data entry and database management

Anticipated Appointment Date

December 2026.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Essential job duties include, but are not limited to:

• Co-coordinating a team of undergraduate students and recent graduates on data entry, formatting, QA/QC, and database management and will serve as a primary point of contact with federal project officers.
• Assisting with data compilation and data management efforts that enhance existing federal and state conservation applications, including:
  • Support data entry/crosswalking into the State Wildlife Action Plan and USFWS Birds of Conservation Concern dashboards and other planning and decision support mechanisms;
  • Support continued development of the USFWS Landscape Recovery Tool and training/engagement with other federal, state, and non-governmental partners for use in their conservation planning and delivery efforts;
  • Engage with the USFWS Southeast Region National Wildlife Refuge System planning efforts (including Comprehensive Conservation Plans and Landscape Conservation Designs) to utilize existing planning support tools;
• Enhancing understanding and facilitating communication of threats to priority species populations, actions that may enhance population sustainability, and development of robust population assessments;
• Ensuring federal data and metadata compliance in accordance with the project Data Management Plan, including communicating with federal data stewards, custodians, and records managers, compliance with federal requirements for data quality assurance and quality control, data storage and access, and appropriate tabular and spatial metadata standards.

Minimum Qualifications

High school diploma or GED and 4 years of relevant field/lab experience
-or-
Bachelor’s degree with major course work in a curriculum appropriate for the field of assignment
-or-
Two years of post-secondary training in a curriculum appropriate for the field of assignment and two years of field and lab work experience including experimentation and research studies or closely related work experience
-and-
Valid U.S. driver's license

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in ecology, wildlife, or related field.
• Experience with data entry.
• Experience with database management.
• Experience managing multiple technicians and working collaboratively in a team environment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Must have the knowledge and ability to work with minimal supervision necessary to perform duties at a high level, oversee technicians in routine operational duties, and prioritize day-to-day workloads.
• Organizational skills and attention to detail in review of existing planning documentation and in entering/crosswalking and quality control of data into database systems.
• Strong interpersonal skills as daily interactions with federal and state agency personnel, and other stakeholders will occur.

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

Willingness to work early mornings, late nights, and weekends when necessary. Position includes supervision of and collaborative work with technicians. Travel may occur infrequently for stakeholder meetings, with overnight stays expected.

Job frequently requires multi-hour blocks of time viewing a computer screen and typing for data entry.

Screening Date

October 22, 2026, until filled.

Restricted Clause

Position is contingent upon continued availability of funding.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. Discrimination is prohibited in university employment, programs or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, or any other status to the extent protected by applicable law. Questions about equal opportunity programs or compliance should be directed to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, 231 Famous Maroon Band Street, P.O. 6044, Mississippi State, MS 39762, [phone].

What do I do if I need an accommodation?

In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Mississippi State University, please contact the Department of Human Resources Management at tel: [phone] or [e-mail].

If you have any questions regarding this policy, contact the Department of Human Resources Management at [phone] or [e-mail]. Upon request, sections of this job listing are available in large print, and readers are available to assist the visually impaired.