Conservation Planning Scientist, Bronx, NY

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. WCS seeks to conserve the world's largest and most ecologically intact wild places. These places are home to more than 50 percent of the world's biodiversity and sustain over 300 million of the world's poorest people.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position, Location: Conservation Planning Scientist, Bronx, NY

Department, Division: Conservation Solutions, Global Conservation Program

Reports to: Hedley Grantham, Conservation Planning Lead, Global Conservation Program

Coordinates with: Conservation Planning Specialist, Climate Adaption Scientist, and WCS Education Department

Principal Responsibilities: This is a full-time position responsible for developing biodiversity models and applying conservation planning analyses to help with WCS conservation projects around the globe. The job will particularly focus on improving methods and approaches for integrating climate change adaptation into conservation planning approaches. These analyses will help inform where and how WCS and partners work. The position will also support the developing of training and capacity building for in-country personnel and partners. The position will also be responsible for teaching ~1 course a semester as a part of the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP), a Miami University Masters degree program that is hosted at WCS. The position will be based at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with occasional travel required to field locations.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Applying biodiversity modelling, such as prediction of species distributions and abundance
• Perform spatial prioritization analysis to inform conservation planning processes
• Undertake climate vulnerability assessments for biodiversity
• Assist in designing data collection and monitoring strategies for climate adaptation
• Assist in capacity-building and training initiatives for WCS personnel and partners
• Facilitate collaboration for conservation planning and climate adaptation initiatives across WCS programs and with partners
• Teach Masters-level courses related to ecology and conservation; potential courses include Regional (local) ecology, global biomes, urban ecology, and literature seminars.
• Assist in other education programming where applicable

Qualifications: The successful candidate must have strong analytical and quantitative skills. They must have excellent written and oral communication skills. They must be organized, self-motivated, resourceful, flexible, effective and efficient at coordinating multiple resources to get things done. The ideal candidate will be able work independently while simultaneously managing to integrate their contributions seamlessly with those of collaborators.

Minimum Requirements:

• Ph.D. in ecology, conservation, geography, wildlife biology, or a related discipline.
• Experience with teaching and education (especially adult audiences)
• Commitment towards wildlife conservation.
• Proficiency with GIS software (ArcGIS/QGIS) and spatial prioritization software (Zonation/Marxan). Proficiency with scientific computing (e.g. R) a plus.
• Proven experience and comfortable with living and working in a multicultural environment in isolated areas.
• English fluency required.

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About WCS Conservation Solutions. Conservation Solutions partners with over 3,000 field staff across 60 countries around the biggest challenges facing WCS's long-term conservation efforts: climate change, sustainable financing, economic and food security, and data and science gaps.  Leveraging WCS's 100-year leadership in science and field conservation, Conservation Solutions is also home to some of our newest, most innovative partnerships that transcend boundaries, including the MacArthur-funded Intact Forests initiative to protect the world's vital carbon stores, the European Union-funded Sustainable Wildlife/Wildmeat Initiative, the USAID Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group, the Science for Nature and People Partnership, and the Doris Duke Climate Adaptation Fund.  Working at multiple scales-- from indigenous engagement to global policy fora--Conservation Solutions helps WCS and its partners deliver on a mission to save the world’s wildlife and wild places, for all people and for generations to come. 

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Please apply online at www.wcs.org/about-us/careers