Fish & Wildlife Biologist 4 pay range
State of Washington · class code 523O
- Class code
- 523O
- Salary range
- 60
- Pay unit
- Year
- State
- Washington
- The State of Washington published pay range for Fish & Wildlife Biologist 4 is $71,136 to $95,676 per year.
- Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) keys this classification as class code 523O.
- This is the range the plan authorises, not the salary of any individual employee.
Step progression
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) assigns this class to salary range 60 in the General Service Salary Schedule. The range pays 13 steps; a step is normally earned on a periodic increment date, not negotiated.
| Basis | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $71,136 | $72,900 | $74,748 | $76,608 | $78,504 | $80,496 | $82,440 | $84,528 | $86,688 | $88,788 | $91,104 | $93,288 | $95,676 |
| Monthly | $5,928 | $6,075 | $6,229 | $6,384 | $6,542 | $6,708 | $6,870 | $7,044 | $7,224 | $7,399 | $7,592 | $7,774 | $7,973 |
| Hourly | $34.07 | $34.91 | $35.80 | $36.69 | $37.60 | $38.55 | $39.48 | $40.48 | $41.52 | $42.52 | $43.63 | $44.68 | $45.82 |
Steps as published. The monthly and hourly rows are the state's own, not conversions of the annual row.
Class specification
The OFM classified job specification for this class is published by Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM). The passages below are quoted from it as published, not paraphrased, and cut to their opening sentences; the full specification is the authority on duties and qualifications.
What the state says the job is
Is an expert level biologist under administrative direction with significant ongoing leadership responsibility within a program of resource assessment and management. And one or more of the following: Responsible for independently directing, developing, evaluating, managing and implementing statewide biological studies, research, resource assessments, policies, legislation or regulation; OR Serving as the district biologist responsible for all of a program’s activities within a district and supervises permanent, full-time professional staff; OR Negotiates mitigation for projects of state, national or international significance as the agency lead.
Examples of the work
Directs fish, wildlife, or habitat management programs or studies on a statewide basis; Independently prioritizes, plans, and coordinates all work in assigned area of responsibility; supervises full-time professional staff; Manages the design and implementation of management actions involving fish, wildlife, or habitat biological resources resulting from legal settlements; As agency lead, evaluates techniques and mitigation needs which will offer management solutions to preserve, protect, perpetuate or enhance the resource; assesses political and social impacts of management alternative of state, national, and international significance; Analyzes fish and wildlife populations and develops ha ...
Minimum qualifications
A Bachelor's degree in fisheries, wildlife management, natural resource science, or environmental science AND Five years of professional experience in fish, wildlife, or habitat management or research, wildlife management or wildlife research, or habitat management or habitat research. Twelve semesters or eighteen-quarter hours of specific course work is required for certain positions. OR Four years as a Fish & Wildlife Biologist 3. Equivalent education/experience. Note: A Master’s degree in the applicable science will substitute for one year of the required experience. Note: A Ph.D. in the applicable science will substitute for two years of the required experience.
Quoted from the OFM classified job specification, read 2026-10-21.
Where this comes from
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) publishes this figure in Classified Job Listing joined to the OFM salary schedules effective July 1, 2026. Every number on this page is read from that document; nothing is estimated, modelled or averaged.
The dollar figures come from the salary schedule the listing assigns this range to.