Senior Quantitative Fisheries Scientist

Innovate!, Inc.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401K with match

Life Insurance

PTO

Job summary

Innovate! Inc. in Seattle seeks a Senior Quantitative Fisheries Scientist to provide advanced quantitative ecological modeling and analytical support for NOAA Fisheries’ programs and projects.

The role involves developing models, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, sharing code on GitHub, and delivering defensible science for sustainable fisheries decisions.

Qualifications

• PhD in a related field with strong quantitative fisheries expertise.
• At least five years of directly relevant experience.
• Experience with NOAA or federal fisheries science preferred.
• Ability to work with interdisciplinary teams and adapt to priorities.
• Willingness to travel and satisfy background checks.

Responsibilities

• Analyze spatial and temporal variability in fish abundance and habitats.
• Quantify relationships between fish metrics and environmental factors.
• Provide statistical and spatial analysis for life-cycle and stock models.
• Develop model components and simulations for stressors and actions.
• Incorporate predator-prey relationships into models.
• Design, test, document, and maintain reproducible workflows.
• Share scripts and data through GitHub and open frameworks.
• Organize analyses for NOAA scientists and collaborators.
• Write reports, contribute to manuscripts, present findings.
• Collaborate with fisheries scientists, statisticians, GIS, data managers.

Skills

Quantitative ecology

Fisheries science

Population dynamics

Ecological modeling

Statistical modeling

Data analysis

Communication skills

R & Python

Education

PhD in Fisheries/Ecology/related field

Tools

GitHub

GIS

Job description

• Official Communication: All job offers and communication regarding them will arrive from email addresses ending in @innovateteam.com.
• Secure Information: We prioritize your data safety. We never request bank information via email or text. Instead, we follow a secure process through our dedicated payroll system.

Openings at Innovate!, Inc

Hiring Transparency:

• Official Communication: All job offers and communication regarding them will arrive from email addresses ending in @innovateteam.com.
• Secure Information: We prioritize your data safety. We never request bank information via email or text. Instead, we follow a secure process through our dedicated payroll system.

Remember: If your communication differs from this process, it's not from Innovate.

Senior Quantitative Fisheries Scientist

Location: Seattle, WA

Position: Senior Quantitative Fisheries Scientist Reports To: FLSA: Exempt Location: Seattle, WA Posted: 7/15/26

Embrace the opportunity to join Innovate! Inc. and become a valued member of our team. We are seeking driven individuals who are passionate about leveraging technology to tackle environmental challenges and drive positive change. If you thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and are eager to contribute your skills and expertise to innovative projects, we invite you to explore this exciting opportunity further. Read on to learn more about how you can be part of our dynamic team.

Innovate! Inc. is seeking a highly experienced Senior Quantitative Fisheries Scientist to provide advanced quantitative ecological modeling and analytical support to expand and implement core components of NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Salmon Life Cycle Modeling program and produce defensible, management-ready science for sustainable fisheries decisions.

*Contingent upon contract being awarded*

Location: Work will be conducted on-site at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, Washington (WA) or at one of its associated field stations in WA or Oregon

Salary Range: $90,000 - $130,000

Position status: Full Time; with benefits

Benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K with match, Life Insurance, and PTO

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Analyze spatial and temporal variability in the abundance and composition of fish, prey, competitors, predators, and habitats.
• Quantify relationships between fish responses - including density, biomass, growth, and survival - and environmental conditions, ecological stressors, habitat metrics, and management actions.
• Provide statistical and spatial analysis expertise for construction, expansion, implementation, and evaluation of fish life-cycle and stock-assessment models.
• Develop model components and simulations that evaluate cumulative effects of stressors and management actions across fish life cycles.
• Incorporate predator-prey relationships and other ecological interactions into model components, with particular emphasis on estuarine and nearshore domains.
• Design, test, validate, document, and maintain reproducible quantitative workflows, computer scripts, model methods, assumptions, and outputs.
• Share scripts, data, models, and research products through GitHub, collaborative scientific platforms, public research repositories, or other approved open-science frameworks.
• Organize analysis products so they are accessible, transparent, and understandable to NOAA scientists and interdisciplinary collaborators.
• Write reports and status updates, contribute to peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, and present findings at regional meetings and scientific conferences.
• Collaborate with fisheries scientists, statisticians, GIS specialists, data managers, and natural resource managers to ensure analyses address management priorities.

REQUIRED SKILLS & TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

• Advanced expertise in quantitative ecology, fisheries science, population dynamics, ecological modeling, statistical modeling, and data analysis.
• Strong proficiency with R and Python, GitHub, GIS, and other scientific computing or collaborative modeling tools.
• Experience constructing or supporting fish life-cycle, stock-assessment, population, species distribution, or ecosystem models.
• Ability to analyze complex spatial and temporal datasets and evaluate ecological interactions, uncertainty, cumulative effects, and management scenarios.
• Knowledge of reproducible research, open-source scientific frameworks, model documentation, version control, and public research repositories.
• Familiarity with Pacific salmon, West Coast marine and anadromous species, and freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore ecological processes managed by NOAA Fisheries.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including reports, peer-reviewed publications, technical briefings, and scientific conference presentations.
• Ability to independently manage complex analytical work while collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and responding to evolving scientific priorities.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Doctorate from an accredited institution in geomorphology, oceanography, hydrology, fisheries, ecology, natural sciences, mathematics, statistics, or a closely related field.
• Five or more years of directly relevant experience; advanced-degree substitutions may be applied consistent with the PWS.
• Demonstrated record of quantitative fisheries or ecological modeling, scientific software or script development, and peer-reviewed research.
• Experience supporting NOAA Fisheries, NWFSC, AFSC, SWFSC, WCR, or another comparable federal fisheries science or management organization is strongly preferred.
• Experience with Pacific salmon, West Coast ecosystems, life-cycle models, stock assessments, ESA/MSA science, or management strategy evaluation is highly desirable.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and be able to satisfy federal Public Trust background investigation requirements.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

Innovate! Inc. is a certified woman-owned consulting firm founded in 2002 by Lily Thomas. We provide innovative solutions to management, technology, and program challenges, with a focus on performance, integrity, and building lasting partnerships with our clients. Our team of over 100 experts includes IT and geospatial specialists, program and project management consultants, environmental scientists, and communications and outreach strategists. Our clients include federal, state, tribal, and local governments, private industry, non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and utilities. Recent awards we received for excellent service include the 2022 SAG Team Award and 2022 Esri Partner Conference High Potential Award.

Innovate is a fast-paced, rapidly growing group of entrepreneurs creating a culture of excellence. Rapid advancement within our organization is not only possible but also encouraged. To view our website, visit innovateteam.com .

Innovate is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, marital status, physical or mental disability, status as a Disabled Veteran, Recently Separated Veteran, Active Duty Wartime or Campaign Badge Veteran, Armed Forces Services Medal, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or cannot access or use this online application process and need an alternative method for applying, please contact us at [e-mail] .

To learn more about Innovate’s benefits, please click here:Benefits