Field Recovery Specialist

Role Summary

The Field Recovery Specialist deploys beyond the Sector-7 perimeter to locate, stabilize, contain, and recover specimens that have escaped curation, been seized, or require remediation at an uncontrolled site. This is the Directorate's expeditionary containment role: the specialist operates with minimal infrastructure, frequently alone or in a two-person cell, against living material that may be aggressive, alkaloid-laden, or weaponized-grade. Every deployment concludes with an authoritative Field Service Report (FSR) that becomes the controlling record for chain-of-custody, exposure, and remediation. The role demands judgment under uncertainty, immaculate procedure, and a temperament that does not panic when containment is the only thing standing between a GCL-4 specimen and the public.

Key Responsibilities

1. Deploy to off-site recovery tasks on dispatch, mobilizing within 4 hours for priority calls and conducting site survey, hazard mapping, and exclusion-zone establishment on arrival.
2. Stabilize and contain specimens graded GCL-3 and GCL-4 per SOP-VC-CONT-0301 (GCL-4 Field Containment), selecting transport vaults rated to the specimen's aggression and toxin profile.
3. Execute recovery, transport, and re-introduction to facility containment with unbroken chain-of-custody, sealing each handoff against the CHLORA custody ledger.
4. Author the controlling Field Service Report for every deployment within 24 hours of return — site conditions, specimen state, exposure log, remediation actions, and disposition.
5. Coordinate with Biosafety & Containment on incident classification and with Legal on jurisdiction, seizure authority, and notification obligations.
6. Operate field PhytoSense and Spectral Canopy handhelds to assess specimen vitality, identify lineage, and confirm a recovery is complete (no propagule, runner, or seed left in situ).
7. Manage personal and team exposure: continuous PPE discipline, on-site decontamination, and immediate post-exposure protocol activation when triggered.
8. Maintain deployment readiness — vault inventory, antidote/antitoxin kit currency, vehicle and comms checks — and report readiness state weekly.
9. Support cross-border and multi-day deployments, maintaining containment integrity through transit, lodging, and storage.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years in containment, hazardous-materials response, field biology, or equivalent expeditionary operations.
• Current GCL-4 Containment, Toxin Handling Tier 3, and Emergency Response — Advanced certification (see Training Matrix).
• Demonstrated FSR authorship to the FSR standard; clear, defensible technical writing under time pressure.
• Valid operator credentials for facility transport vaults and field comms over the Mycelial Data Fabric.
• Ability to travel on short notice, including multi-day and cross-jurisdiction deployments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in botany, toxicology, or invasive-species remediation.
• Venus Sentinel handling qualification and large carnivorous-specimen experience.
• Prior law-enforcement liaison or chain-of-custody / evidentiary training.
• Second-language capability for cross-border operations.

Certifications Required

Physical & Hazard Requirements

• Lift/carry up to 32 kg of field containment equipment over uneven, uncontrolled terrain.
• Operate in full encapsulating PPE and SCBA for extended periods in heat, cold, and wet conditions.
• Pass GCL-4 medical fitness, respirator fit, and physical endurance screening; maintain antitoxin-tolerance baseline.
• Participate in monthly biomonitoring and mandatory post-deployment medical evaluation.

Compensation Band

Career Path

Field Recovery Specialist (O3) advances to Lead Field Recovery Specialist (O4) and Field Operations Manager (O5), with the senior track culminating in Director of Containment (VC-HR-J005). Lateral moves include Biosafety & Containment Officer (VC-HR-J030) for those drawn to compliance and incident command.