Biologist 1, 2, or 3 (LOSCO)

Salary: Depends on Qualifications
Location : Baton Rouge, LA
Job Type: Classified
Job Number: DCE-OSEC-2026-220580-IGA
Department: DCE-Department of Conservation and Energy
Division: Office of the Secretary
Opening Date: 04/30/2026
Closing Date: 5/14/2026 11:59 PM Central

About this Job
Office of The Secretary - Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office

The Office of the Secretary serves as the department's executive management office. The Secretary is the chief officer of the Department of Conservation & Energy (DCE), in charge of its policy, administration, and operations.

The Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO) was created by state legislature in 1991. This division serves as the single point of contact for programs related to oil spills in Louisiana. LOSCO's mission is to minimize unauthorized discharges of oil, provide for an effective spill response, compensate the public for damages to the state's natural resources and services, and assist the public through education, service, and public outreach.

The Biologist 1, 2, or 3 position is located within the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO) of the Office of the Secretary and is domiciled in Baton Rouge, LA. The incumbent in this position is responsible for coordinating with state agencies as well as federal agencies to ensure a prompt and thorough oil spill response, traveling to remote sites to assist in field investigations, site visits, and monitoring events. Use of a state vehicle is required to perform duties. The individual in this position may participate in weekend response duty. Computer proficiency is required (to access work assignments, communicate with involved parties, and access electronic emails, media, reports, etc.) NIMS 100, 200, 700, 800 series and HAZWOPER training are required and will be provided.

Minimum Qualifications
A bachelor's degree in a biological science, marine science, environmental science, wildlife or fisheries, animal science, forestry, or natural resources.

Job Specification

The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.
Job Duties and Other Information
Job Duties:

As a Biologist, you will play a vital role in studying living organisms and ecosystems, conducting research, and analyzing data to support conservation efforts, resource management, and scientific understanding. In this role, you will:

• Required to respond to oil spill incidents during nights and weekends while on an on-call rotation throughout the State of Louisiana.
• Coordinate oil spill cleanup and/or Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) activities with responsible parties, contractors, and other local, state, and federal government agencies to ensure effective oil spill response, clean-up and/or NRDA and restoration actions.
• Able to operate within an Incident Command structure, fulfilling assigned roles and supporting unified oil spill response and/or NRDA efforts for the State of Louisiana as needed.
• Coordinate and collaborate with state agencies to support oil spill emergency response, recovery and/or NRDA and restoration efforts.
• Provide support for the implementation of various LOSCO programs including Oil Spill Planning, Prevention, and Response, NRDA, and RRP.
• Provides guidance and direction in field investigations for oil spill response and/or NRDA activities associated with habitat, fish, and wildlife. This includes data intake, data management, data analysis, and data validation.
• Applies established protocols for collecting, storing, transferring (under chain of custody), and shipping scientific data, and provides support to other field staff as needed.
• Assists in the development of wildlife and habitat oil spill response preparedness and protection plans.
• Assist in the coordination of oil spill preparedness drills.

• Represent and participate in meetings, workshops, symposiums, conferences, and seminars to enhance the development of LOSCO's NRDA, RRP, and oil spill response, planning, and prevention programs.

• Other duties as assigned.

Position-Specific Details:

Appointment Type: Probational

Career Progression: This position may be filled as a Biologist 1, 2, or 3.

Work Schedule: Work hours are flexible.

Compensation: The salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience.
**Note regarding the advertised pay range: The maximum amounts listed are the maximum salary amounts a person can make at each level over their career and not the amount we are allowed to pay a new hire.
Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities.
How to Apply:

No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.

To apply for this vacancy, click on the "Apply" link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

* Information to support your eligibility for the position must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.
For further information about this vacancy contact:

Human Resources

Department of Conservation & Energy

PO Box 94396

Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9396

Email:
Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity to make a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.

As a state employee, you will earn competitive pay, choose from a variety of benefits, and have access to a great professional development program:
Insurance Coverage More information can be found at

Parental Leave - Up to six weeks paid parental leave
More information can be found at

Holidays and Leave - State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
• Mardi Gras,
• Good Friday,
• Memorial Day,
• Independence Day,
• Labor Day,
• Veteran's Day,
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

***** Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor

State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.

Retirement- State of Louisiana employees are eligible to participate in various retirement systems (based on the type of appointment and agency for which an employee works). These retirement systems provide retirement allowances and other benefits for state officers and employees and their beneficiaries. State retirement systems may include (but are not limited to):

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (). LASERS has provided this video to give you more detailed information about their system
• Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (),
• Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (), among others

01

Do you possess a bachelor's degree in a biological science, marine science, environmental science, wildlife or fisheries management, animal science, forestry, natural resources, or conservation?

• Yes
• No

02

If you answered "yes" to the previous question, please indicate the course titles, semester hours earned, and the institution. If you answered "no" to the previous question, please enter N/A.(Ex. BIOL 1201 - Biology for Science Majors - 3 hrs - LSU)NOTE: Failure to list all specific courses may result in your application being considered incomplete.
Required Question