Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Science Coordinator

Position Summary:

Title:                    Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Science Coordinator

Location(s):        Flexible, but must be within or near the Central Hardwoods Joint Venture boundary.

Supervisor:        CHJV Coordinator

Salary:                Estimated at $81,000; based on experience

Application Submission Deadline: July 19, 2024 *Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Introduction:

The Central Hardwoods Joint Venture (CHJV) partnership is seeking a full-time Science Coordinator.  The Science Coordinator must have the ability to understand and effectively communicate how populations of bird species of conservation concern, as identified by the major national and international bird conservation initiatives, use habitat at local- to landscape-scales, and how habitat management practices can affect bird abundance and population ecology. (Please see chjv.org for an overview of the CHJV’s approach to bird conservation.) The Science Coordinator will be employed by American Bird Conservancy (abcbirds.org).

The CHJV partnership consists of state and federal land-managing agencies and non-governmental conservation organizations with a shared mission to deliver the full spectrum of bird conservation through regionally-based, biologically-driven, landscape-oriented partnerships. To that end, the partners of the Joint Venture seek to base conservation delivery upon sound science and principles of adaptive management, and to target conservation actions toward landscapes with the greatest ecological and socioeconomic potential to support viable populations of priority birds in four general habitat types: grasslands, savanna-woodlands, forests, and wetlands.

CHJV staff provides the day-to-day coordination and technical capacity needed to implement the partnership’s vision. The CHJV Coordinator oversees the day-to-day operations of the Joint Venture, supervises other CHJV staff, and is responsible for carrying out the vision of the CHJV under the direction of the Management Board. The CHJV Delivery Coordinator(s) works closely with the CHJV and other partners to find opportunities to increase restoration and management of native natural communities and other habitats critical to supporting healthy populations of priority birds on both public and private lands. The CHJV Science Coordinator will serve as staff to the Joint Venture and function as part of the CHJV team, helping to ensure conservation delivery is based on sound science and state-of-the-art knowledge of bird-habitat relationships.

Primary Duties:

The major duties of the position fall within six broad areas.

• Biological Planning: The CHJV Science Coordinator will be responsible for providing the partnership, on a bi-annual basis, with a synthesis of any existing and emerging scientific research that can be used to better predict how priority bird species will respond to ongoing conservation activities and other land-use changes across the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region. They will be responsible for coordinating the activities of multiple partners in developing – through transparent, replicable processes and procedures – goals and objectives for bird conservation based upon linkages among priority bird species and potential and ongoing CHJV conservation efforts across multiple spatial scales.
• Decision-based Monitoring and Evaluation: The CHJV Science Coordinator will work with conservation partners to develop or identify goals, objectives, protocols, and procedures needed for monitoring habitat change and population response at multiple spatial scales.
• Conservation Delivery: The CHJV Science Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the activities of multiple partners in developing and revising spatially-explicit conservation decision support tools to guide on-the-ground conservation actions.
• Research supporting JV Planning and Delivery: The CHJV Science Coordinator will work with scientists in other agencies and organizations to identify research needs and facilitate projects that address the assumptions and uncertainties associated with the Joint Venture’s biological planning and conservation delivery efforts.
• Partnership Development and Support: The CHJV Science Coordinator will bolster and maintain an effective partnership infrastructure that includes standing and ad hoc working groups focused on developing and progressively refining the scientific foundation of the conservation actions of Joint Venture partners.
• National and International Coordination: The CHJV Science Coordinator will represent the Joint Venture partnership in broader science arenas as deemed necessary by the JV Coordinator.

Position Requirements:

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. with an emphasis in wildlife management, conservation biology, ecology or related fields, or an equivalent combination of education or experience.
• Knowledge of the CHJV region’s birds, habitats, and ecosystems.
• Professional knowledge of, and experience with, theories, principles and methods of wildlife science and conservation biology and their application to bird habitat management and conservation.
• Demonstrated understanding of the development and applications of bird population and habitat relationship models and decision support tools, and the application of those in assessing, predicting, or monitoring the ability of landscapes to support and sustain bird populations.
• Demonstrated skills and experience with the use of Geographic Information Systems and the development of spatial models at landscape and regional scales, and the application of those in assessing, predicting or monitoring the ability of landscapes to support and sustain bird populations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of field techniques and procedures in monitoring and assessing bird population status and habitat conditions.
• Experience and demonstrated success working with a diversity of partners, including government agencies and other stakeholders
• Excellent communication (oral and written), partner coordination, and interpersonal skills with technical proficiency in writing, synthesizing, and review of technical documents, scientific research, and grants
• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Background screening required
• Ability to accommodate moderate amounts of travel throughout the year (averaging up to 2-6 days’/month)

Benefits:

• Benefits include medical, dental, flexible spending accounts, and retirement savings.
• Paid vacation days (starting at 15), holidays (approx. 13), and sick leave (12 annual)
• Office and equipment expenses provided with supervisory approval.
• Professional training and workshop expenses covered.
• Lodging, meals, and transportation covered for work-related travel.