Overview
fRI Research is a not-for-profit organization that conducts practical science to improve land and resource management. Our office is in Hinton, Alberta, a community that provides direct access to a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities, including hiking, fishing, camping, wildlife viewing, OHVing, and many other activities.
We are looking for seasonal field technicians to be a part of our grizzly bear, caribou, or water and fish teams. You can apply for a single position, or multiple positions; the qualifications and employment details are the same. Apply by January 31, 2026.
Grizzly Bear Monitoring Project Field Technician
The main aim of the Grizzly Bear Monitoring Project team is to collect grizzly bear hair samples using non-invasive collection methods and observe sampling sites with the use of trail cameras to monitor grizzly bear populations in Alberta.
Job Description
- Working in 2-person teams, the field technicians will travel by road to preselected sites, hike up to 3 km into identified locations carrying field equipment, and set up hair collection stations and trail cameras.
- Sites are distributed over large areas, meaning this position requires long hours of driving on forestry and gravel roads.
- Established sites will be visited every ten to fourteen days to collect hair samples and trail camera data.
- The day-to-day tasks of this role will involve driving 4-wheel drive trucks on gravel roads, reading maps and GPS locations, using radios and other communication devices, hiking through dense vegetation and uneven terrain, establishing sampling sites, handling barbed wire and bear attractants, identifying vegetation species, and accurately collecting biological samples and ecological data. Applicants must be comfortable handling bear attractants and bait (cow blood mixtures and other attractants).
- Additional duties involve fieldwork prep, data entry and photo classification, working with various software programs for data management, and field equipment maintenance.
- Fieldwork for this project will be conducted between Hinton and Nordegg, and in the Swan Hills region.
Caribou Program Field Technician & Crew Lead
The fRI Research Caribou Program was created in 2013 to conduct and coordinate research on caribou in Alberta. The goal of the program is to provide land and resource managers with knowledge and planning tools through applied research to support Alberta’s caribou recovery efforts and ensure their long-term persistence.
The field technicians and crew leads will contribute to a variety of field projects over the summer which may include but are not limited to:
- A project investigating the impact of silviculture practices on moose presence and microclimates in moose habitat
- A project investigating the impact of wellsite restoration on wildlife use
- A project investigating the impact of silviculture practices on wildlife habitat regeneration and wildlife use
Fieldwork will be staged out of Hinton but work shifts will primarily be occurring out of remote field camps within west-central and north-western Alberta caribou ranges.
Job Description
The Caribou Program is seeking to fill field technician positions and crew lead positions. Both are primarily field based, but lead positions involve additional organizational and logistical tasks. Crew leads take on a leadership role within the field team*.
Working in 2-person teams, field staff will:
- Travel long distances on forestry roads and hike up to 3 km (one-way) into identified locations carrying field equipment and trail cameras. The work is physically strenuous. ATVs will only be used on occasion.
- Set up and take down remote sensing wildlife cameras and temperature loggers.
- Assess wildlife habitat by classifying forest stand characteristics, identifying vegetation species, and recording wildlife sign on wellsites, in harvest blocks and old-growth forest in caribou habitat.
- Occasionally, field staff may conduct office work including uploading data, classifying wildlife photos, and verifying data submissions.
Field staff will complete additional duties such as field camp and field equipment maintenance and organization.
For crew leads, depending on funding and staff availability, contract start dates earlier than April 27th may be considered.
Water and Fish Program Field Technician
The fRI Research Water and Fish program was refocused in 2021 to assess the cumulative effects (human and natural disturbances) that influence Alberta’s water and fish. The goal of this program is to quantify these cumulative effects, assess fish populations, and work with government, industry, landowners, academics, and NGOs to provide data and learnings that can be used to implement and monitor recovery actions.
The field technician will contribute to a variety of projects over the summer that may include but are not limited to:
- A surface water temperature monitoring project
- An angling and backpack electrofishing population assessment of Arctic Grayling in Swan River First Nation
- Bull trout conservation translocation
- Bull trout telemetry project in the Highwood River
- Drone collected LiDAR assessing vegetation types and water temperature
- A project collecting eDNA of cold-water sport fish species found throughout Alberta
Job Description
The technician will perform a combination of office and field work. Working in teams of 2 or more, the technician will:
- Travel to various new or predetermined sites by road and hike up to 5 km (one-way). When hiking you will be required to carry field gear in a backpack (up to 50 lb).
- Site-specific tasks will vary but may include temperature logger deployment and retrieval, backpack electrofishing, angling, eDNA collection, and CABIN sampling. Applicants must be comfortable working in and around water and should be comfortable handling fish.
- Other duties will involve fieldwork prep, data entry, equipment maintenance and equipment inventory.
Fieldwork will take place in various remote locations across the Alberta foothills and in central Alberta.
Qualifications (All Positions)
- Valid Class 5 driver’s licence with a minimum of 3-years driving experience
- Physically fit and able to hike long distances with a heavy backpack and equipment in difficult terrain
- Comfortable and able to work long hours in all weather conditions despite potential wildlife encounters and insects
- Comfortable living in close quarters with other technicians and staff for the duration of the field season (regularly 2-4 people but occasionally 6 people per trailer, shared bedrooms/cabins, etc.)
- Valid First Aid/CPR Certificate
- Canadian citizen, permanent resident or currently in possession of a valid work permit for the duration of the contract
- Previous field experience, 4-wheel driving experience, and/or experience driving and using trailers/RVs will be considered an asset
Employment Details (All Positions)
Duration: April 27, 2026 to August 31, 2026
Candidates must be available to start on April 27th; end dates may be amended to accommodate student schedules. A limited number of extensions (up to the end of September or October) may be possible depending on project workloads and candidate availability.
Location: Training and shift start/end will generally take place at fRI Research offices in Hinton, Alberta. Fieldwork will be staged out of various locations in Alberta.
Wage: $22.00 – $25.75 per hour, depending on skills and experience.
Schedule: During fieldwork, the GBMP and CP field staff work 9 days on, 5 days off; WFP field staff work varied schedules. Hours of work will be 7 – 12 hours per day, with approximately 75 – 88 hours per bi-weekly pay period, depending on work requirements. During training and office work, all field staff work Monday to Friday, with 75 hours per bi-weekly pay period.
General conditions:
- Safety training and field methods training will be provided before field shifts begin in Hinton, AB.
- Accommodation will be provided during training and office work.
- During fieldwork, food, transportation, and accommodation will be provided.
- Accommodation will be mostly in holiday trailers at serviced or unserviced campgrounds, but may also include camps, cabins, or tents at serviced and unserviced campgrounds.
- Accommodation during days off can be provided upon request.
Application Instructions (All Positions)
Please follow the link below to our application form. Please fill out and submit the application form hosted by JotForms and upload your resume. You will have the opportunity to apply for a single position or multiple positions within the form.
Application deadline: January 31, 2026
Contact
If you have any questions regarding this job posting, please email:
Cam McClelland for the Grizzly Bear Monitoring Project Field Technician
Leonie Brown for the Caribou Program Field Technician
Claire Allore for the Water and Fish Program Field Technician
Risa Croken for general questions
fRI Research is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. We encourage applications from persons who may have been marginalized in the past including Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, and newcomers of Canada.
