The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Bureau of Fisheries Management is recruiting to fill two Natural Resources Operations Supervisor (Fish Hatchery Supervisor) vacancies. One position is responsible for leading the Gov. Thompson Fish Hatchery located in Spooner, Washburn County and the other is responsible for leading the St. Croix Falls and Osceola Fish Hatcheries in Polk County.

Wisconsin’s Fisheries Management program is responsible for protecting, maintaining, and developing Wisconsin's fisheries and aquatic resources. The program annually employs 200+ positions and spends over $30 million to manage fisheries in Wisconsin’s 15,000+ lakes, 42,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers, 2 Great Lakes and 1,000 miles of their shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River.

Did you know that the Governor Tommy G. Thompson Fish Hatchery is not only the state's largest cool water facility, but it is also the world´s largest musky (muskellunge) hatchery?! The hatchery produces more than half the muskellunge and walleye stocked throughout the state. With 46 rearing ponds, the facility may produce 200,000 to 2.5 million small walleye, 100,000 to 350,000 larger walleye, 20,000 to 40,000 large musky, and an average of 21 million white sucker fry in a typical year. Click here to take a tour of the site.

The St. Croix Falls / Osceola area is a lovely place to live; located along the Wisconsin / Minnesota border with historic sites and beautiful nature and wildlife areas. There is a hatchery house onsite for a successful candidate new to the area to potentially rent. More details regarding this opportunity can be discussed during the interview process. About 1 million brown trout eggs and 600,000 brook trout eggs are produced at the St. Croix Falls Hatchery each year. Although many of the eggs are transferred to other Wisconsin hatcheries, about 700,000 trout are raised at this hatchery annually for stocking in Wisconsin's waters. Click here to tour the St. Croix Falls Hatchery & here to tour the Osceola Hatchery. Both Hatcheries host self-guided tours. The Osceola hatchery rears 300,000 Erwin strain Rainbow trout annually and both facilities rear feral fish for inland waters.

State of Wisconsin benefits include excellent health insurance options, ample leave time, a business casual office atmosphere, and an exceptional employee assistance program that offers a variety of programs and tools to help promote wellness. We offer a team-oriented atmosphere and a focus on work-life balance, flexible working schedules for most positions, and the ability to flex hours with supervisor approval. If you have student loans and work full-time in a public service job (like this one!) you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. To learn more about the State of Wisconsin complete compensation package, please visit Employee Trust Fund’s Total Rewards Calculator!

The DNR excels at protecting and managing natural resources while supporting the economy and the well-being of our citizenry. Click here to see what working for the State of Wisconsin is all about!

The Fish Hatchery supervisor is responsible for administration and oversight of fisheries culture activities at the site. The position provides leadership and direction to staff, as well as coordinating work and policy with several other states, and federal agencies at each Hatchery. This position is a statewide leader within the Department of Natural Resources, other state agencies, and external partners in the management of the Hatchery and represents the Bureau of Fisheries Fish Culture Section and the DNR through external contacts with elected officials, local officials, external partners, private groups, community organizations, Tribal Hatcheries, and customer contacts.

Responsibilities include:

• Supervision and coordination of fish rearing activities, budgets, and staff
• Overseeing safety programs and assigned fish production, collection, and processing of brood fish
• Maintaining regular communication with Fish Culture Section Leadership, internal partners and Fish Management staff
• Actively participating and contributing in specified or assigned Fish Culture or statewide teams and/or task groups; and informing and working with external partners
• Facility and fish production related equipment maintenance
• Building and grounds maintenance

For a detailed position description – Gov. Thompson, click here.

For a detailed position description – St. Croix and Osceola, click here.

Starting pay is $33 - $39 / hour ($68,650 - $81,120 annually). Pay on appointment for current or former state employees is based on the State Compensation Plan. A 12-month probationary period may be required.

This position is in Pay Schedule / Range 81-03.

The selected candidate must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment and meet the requirements of the State of Wisconsin Fleet Vehicle Policy. Candidates with three (3) or more moving violations and/or at-fault accidents in the past two (2) years, or who have an OWI/DUI violation within the past year are not eligible to drive state vehicles.

Employment will require the selected candidate to pass a background check. DNR does not sponsor work visas, thus, in compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required I-9 form upon hire.

All state employees are required to report their COVID vaccination status, whether vaccinated or not, and must provide supporting documentation if vaccinated. Newly hired employees will be required to submit this information within their first two weeks of employment. The State of Wisconsin continues to follow necessary health and safety protocols for COVID. Please visit Division of Personnel Management Coronavirus - COVID-19 (wi.gov) for the most up-to-date information. Guidance may be subject to change.

Please describe the below qualifications in your resume and letter of qualifications to be considered for this position:

Required qualifications for this position include experience and knowledge in all of the following:

• Mentoring, leading, directing, or coaching a team.
• Fish culture - including paid or unpaid experiences, courses taken, degrees earned, experiences in life history, fish management, fish health, fish production, or aquaculture diseases.

Best-qualified applicants will also have a combination of the the following preferred qualifications:

• Experience in a supervisory position with direct reports (hiring, dismissing, performance reviews, coaching direct reports, etc.)
• Experience developing and managing work plans and/ or budgets on a regular basis.

Your letter of qualifications and resume are very important parts of your application and are used during our evaluation process to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. For instructions on developing your resume and letter of qualifications and what should be included in these materials, click here.

References are not necessary at this time.

PLEASE NOTE: The job application is set to time-out after 30 minutes of inactivity. To avoid losing any updates to your application, make sure to Save often.

Click the “Apply for Job” button and follow the directions. You will be able to save your application as many times as needed and make edits up until the point you submit your application. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to make any updates to the application or any materials submitted.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Vicki Treml in Human Resources at 608-419-6008 or vickil.treml@wisconsin.gov.

For technical questions and troubleshooting related to the Wisc.Jobs site, please visit Commonly Asked Questions.

Current state employees must apply through STAR ESS on the Careers Tile. Former permanent classified state employees must apply through Wisc.Jobs.

The DNR is an equal opportunity employer that promotes and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. CST on May 17, 2023.