State Forest Geneticist

Location: Meridian Seed Orchard- Olympia, WA
Work Hours flexibility may be available and considered
Relocation Compensation may be available and considered

Salary: $7,443.00 - $10,004.00 Monthly

Review of applications is ongoing. We reserve the right to make a hiring decision or close this recruitment at any time after 5/18/26. It is in your best interest to submit materials as soon as possible.

Responsibilities:

• Provides leadership in Washington for the forest genetics research cooperatives, with emphasis on the Douglas-fir tree breeding and testing program.
• Develops and maintains seed orchard capacity for species and seed zones needed to support DNR’s operational planting program.
• Develops climate change adaptation strategies relevant to DNR’s reforestation operations.
• Devises and implements the gene conservation strategy for forest trees on State Lands.
• Consults with DNR staff of all levels and external partners on questions related to forest genetics and seed source management.
• Develops biennial budget, approves expenditures, and monitors spending to ensure adherence to approved budget.
• Hires, trains, supervises, and evaluates direct reports.

Required Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in forest genetics or silviculture, with graduate-level coursework in forest genetics and tree breeding, AND (4) four years of professional experience working in a forest genetics breeding and testing program or a forest seed orchard;
  OR an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Experience with experimental design, measurement, and analysis of research results related to forest genetics and seed production.
• Experience managing data, analyzing data, and/or scripting using MS Access, R, SAS, Python, or other software.
• Operational experience with forest regeneration.

Desired Qualifications:

• Three years of supervisory experience, ideally including supervision of first-line supervisors.
• Familiarity with forest types and practices common in the Pacific Northwest.
• PhD in forest genetics or silviculture, ideally with graduate-level coursework in forest genetics and tree breeding. A PhD counts for 2 years of the required experience.
• A Washington state pesticide handler’s license.