Wildlife Management Specialist

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever; Russell (IA); On-site; USD 30,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever is seeking a Wildlife Management Specialist at the Iowa DNR Rathbun Wildlife Unit in Lucas County. The role provides foundational experience in habitat management, maintenance and wildlife surveys under the Natural Resource Biologist.

Overnight travel may be required for special projects outside the unit counties. Qualified candidates will have a wildlife biology degree, a passion for conservation, and the ability to work independently or in a team.

Qualifications

• Degree in wildlife biology, animal ecology, or a closely related natural resource field.
• Passion for conservation and outdoor fieldwork.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team with minimal supervision.
• Professionalism, integrity and accountability with initiative.
• Willing to travel on overnight duties and work weekends/holidays.
• Must have a valid motor vehicle operator’s license.
• Able to follow policy and cooperate with supervisors and co-workers.

Responsibilities

• Perform wildlife habitat management activities including wetland and prairie management, seeding, edge feathering, and use of farm machinery.
• Prescribed fire implementation including fire-line construction and mop-up; firefighter training may be required.
• Wildlife surveys and monitoring such as waterfowl banding, deer spotlight routes, and CWD sampling.
• General area maintenance including mowing, sign posting, fence work, and tool use.
• Overnight travel for large projects to outside unit counties.

Skills

Wildlife biology knowledge

Field survey experience

Safety conscious

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in wildlife biology

Job description

Work Location:

Work Location

Iowa DNR Rathbun Wildlife Unit (Lucas County)
28248 415th Street, Russell, IA 50238

Application deadline:

October 21, 2026

Salary:

$17.00 per hour

Typical Hours:

7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – 40 hours per week

Anticipated Start Date:

2-4 weeks post successful job offer

End Date:

One year from start date

JOB DESCRIPTION

This role is designed to provide foundational experience in habitat management, maintenance and technical skills, and wildlife surveys. The PF Wildlife Management Specialist will work with other wildlife unit personnel and be under the general direction of the Natural Resource Biologist. This position will assist with performing a variety of maintenance and technical tasks at the wildlife management unit. The employee is expected to efficiently display a high level of initiative and commitment towards completing assignments. Overnight travel will occasionally be required on special projects outside of the assigned unit counties. Watch this video to see a day in the role of a Wildlife Management Specialist.

• Perform wildlife habitat management activities including: Wetland management, prairie management, native prairie seeding, food plot development, edge feathering, tree/brush removal, spraying, disking, mowing, etc. using large farm machinery, chainsaws, and other hand tools.
• Prescribed fire implementation for ecological purposes. This duty will require fire-line construction, fire-line holding, and mop-up activities. Performance of these tasks will require the employee to periodically work under physically stressful and adverse conditions. Proficiency in the use of basic wildland firefighting equipment will be needed.
• Wildlife Surveys & Monitoring including: Waterfowl banding, deer spotlight routes, august roadside surveys, chronic wasting disease sampling, etc. Collecting biological data occasionally will require early or late in the day work scheduling.
• General area maintenance involving mowing, sign posting, fence building, fence removal, tree/brush control, noxious weed control etc. These activities require the ability to use simple power equipment; drills, saws, hand tools, chain saws, trimmers, small mowers etc.
• Special assignments may require some overnight travel as part of a crew, to accomplish large scale fence removal, fence building or tree removal projects outside of the assigned unit counties. These assignments will require the ability to work well with others, work out of doors under all types of weather conditions, and to withstand physically demanding work, i.e., lifting, bending and hauling.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in wildlife biology, animal ecology, or another closely related natural resource field.
• Passion for conservation and outdoor fieldwork
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, demonstrating responsible behavior, attention to detail, and the capacity to work with minimal supervision.
• Display professionalism, integrity, and accountability, with strong initiative, effort, and commitment to completing assignments efficiently
• Able to travel on overnight duties and work on weekends, holidays, nights, and evenings as required
• Must have a valid motor vehicle operator’s license
• Able to follow policy and cooperate with supervisors and co-workers

CAREER ADVANCEMENT BENEFITS

• Proven pathway to full-time careers - this position has a strong track record of placement into full-time permanent roles with DNR, Pheasants Forever, and other conservation organizations.
• Build valuable, hands-on technical skills while working alongside experienced DNR professionals.
• Grow your professional network and form lasting connections across the conservation field.
• Gain real-world, outdoor experience doing meaningful, on-the-ground conservation work.
• Experience a unique dual-agency role, with opportunities to engage in trainings, collaboration, and annual staff meetings with both DNR and Pheasants Forever

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PACKAGE

Pheasants Forever offers a competitive benefits package. Employee Benefit Package information can be found here: Employee Benefit Summary pdf

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Must possess or be able to acquire a pesticide applicator’s license and S130-190 basic firefighter training certification, special requirements shall be met within 90 days of hire if not currently possessed. Successful applicant will also be encouraged to obtain Iowa DNR chainsaw safety certification and first aid & bloodborne pathogen training.

If you have additional questions, please contact Nick Baumgarten, SE District Supervisor, at 712-330-6932, or [e-mail].

Pheasants Forever is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), national origin or ancestry, age, disability status, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including but not limited to selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.