Overview
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Science Specialist, Great Plains Program.
Location: Strongly preferred local but open to a regional remote (Eastern Montana, Northwest South Dakota, or Eastern Wyoming.)
Major Function
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Science Specialist to support the achievement of our Great Plains Program goals. This position will be responsible for coordinating a new 2-year project demonstrating landscape scale conservation across 40 million acres in southeast Montana in collaboration with NGOs, landowner-led collaboratives, government agencies, and Native Nations. The Science Specialist will lead engagement with partners in the region to generate support for a shared conservation vision and measuring progress toward it. This will include data collection, analysis, and management to examine the impact conservation efforts have on people and nature of the region. The Great Plains Program consists of three main areas of focus, the Great Plains Wildlife Initiative, the Sustainable Ranching Initiative, and the Science Program. The Science Specialist will report to the Science Program and support the other two initiatives.
Salary: The expected compensation range for this position is $67,000 to $83,600
Please note: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
Responsibilities
Key Competencies
- Interpersonal Communication and Collaboration – Outstanding written and verbal communication skills are required, including effective and comfortability speaking in group and one-on-one settings with the ability to communicate the value of landscape scale conservation and collaboration.
- Solution-Oriented, Strategic Collaboration – Background in community-based engagement coordinating/organizing/motivating a group of people toward a common goal is essential, in this case toward a common goal of sharing data among grassland conservationists.
- Initiative – Uses judgment to make decisions and do things without needing to be told what to do
- Analytical Thinking – Does the candidate display a proclivity towards proactive thinking and creative, outside the box thinking?
Required Skills and Experience
- Coordinate with conservation NGOs, government agencies, landowners, managers, and other entities focused on grassland habitat and wildlife conservation.
- Manages and coordinates ecological and socioeconomic data collection and consolidation from Great Plains Program projects, with partner organizations, and from publicly available data sources and inputs data into a central data platform.
- Drafts, reviews and edits written program materials communicating progress to partners and funders.
- Aids in development of annual meeting with partners including developing agendas and coordinating logistics.
- Serves as the main point of contact with other WWF initiatives (Food and Markets, Freshwater, Wildlife) to ensure internal coordination.
- Co-manages interns as needed to ensure active learning and support functions.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- 4 to 6 years professional experience or 2+ years with an advanced degree in natural resource management, conservation, or landscape or regional planning.
- An understanding of how nature loss and climate change are impacting people, nature, and economies and how grassland conservation is a critical component of the solution.
- MUST HAVE experience working in rural communities OR with agriculture communities.
- MUST HAVE strong Data management / organization background – able to synthesis and analysis data
- GIS or Spatial data skills Preferred
- STRONG PREFERENCE – Someone with experience in the northern great plains and/or working with NGOs
- Strong Project Managment skills
- Ability to effectively prioritize and produce high-quality work under time constraints
- Excellent organizational and project leadership skills
- Proven ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a matrixed team environment
- Open to about 30% travel (when needed)
- Familiarity with Microsoft office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access), GIS, and statistical analysis.
- Excellent interpersonal skills requiring knowing when to use courtesy, tact and/or diplomacy to effectively communicate with all constituents
- Ability to operate with independence, under pressure, to meet deadlines and commitments
- Ability to set priorities, manage a multitude of details simultaneously in a fast-paced environment, and work effectively solo and in a team environment
- Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.
- Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values:
- COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
- INTEGRITY – We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
- RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
- COLLABORATION – We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.
