Avian Biologist, Coastal

Position Summary

Reporting to Audubon Texas’s Coastal Senior Program Manager, the Avian Biologist, will lead Audubon’s coastal monitoring, stewardship, and research projects in Texas. The Avian Biologist will be responsible for managing all aspects of Audubon’s breeding season surveys for beach-nesting birds in the Matagorda Bay/Mid-Coast region. The position will develop new scientific protocols to monitor bird populations and inform management of Audubon Texas leased bird islands. The Avian Biologist will contribute to stakeholder and partner management, scientific analyses, and fundraising needs. This position will serve as a coastal bird expert for other programs at Audubon Texas and have a working knowledge of wildlife and habitat management monitoring techniques. The Avian Biologist will collaborate with Audubon Texas’s conservation, science, policy, engagement, and communications teams, as well as the science and GIS teams at the national level, and collaborate with partner organizations, including state and federal agencies, NGOs, and academic universities.

The standard work week is 40 hours, Monday through Friday, including mornings, evenings, and weekends, and will require some flexibility because of weather and tidal conditions.

This position is a remote with work being done in the field, specifically in the mid-Texas Coast region, with duties spanning the entire Texas Coast.

Compensation:

$48,000 - $55,000 / year

Essential Functions

• Lead Audubon Texas’s beach-nesting bird surveys and stewardship activities.

• Recruit and coordinate volunteers to assist with field surveys and beach stewardship as needed.

• Cooperatively work with science and stewardship staff to develop and implement a volunteer training program focused on proper monitoring, stewardship, and habitat management protocols.

• Develop and lead implementation of waterbird monitoring protocols for broad implementation across Audubon Texas leased bird islands from Galveston to Brownsville.

• Lead the training of coastal wardens to implement the new monitoring protocols.

• Manage field data, develop databases as necessary, perform analyses, and report conclusions on all data collected to advance the National Audubon Society’s Flight Plan conservation milestones and Audubon Texas’s Coastal Bird Stewardship Programs’ conservation priorities.

• In collaboration with the Senior Coastal Program Manager, design and implement research projects to understand species outcomes and improve effectiveness of monitoring, stewardship, and habitat management.

• In collaboration with Audubon Texas Coastal staff, interpret and disseminate program and project findings and outcomes; lead and assist in writing technical reports and scientific manuscripts; prepare and deliver presentations to various audiences.

• Assist state, regional, and national communication and community engagement/outreach staff in developing and delivering compelling messages, releases, publicity, social media, and reporting about the program and projects, both verbally and in writing to various audiences.

• Properly maintain field equipment, including binoculars, spotting scopes, GPS units, boats, and trailers, and organize supplies and materials.

• Follow safety standards for remote work and operation of Audubon boats and related equipment.

• In collaboration with the Senior Coastal Program Manager, maintain permits and access agreements with state and federal partners as well as private landowners.

• Assist Audubon Texas’s science and conservation staff with pursuing funding opportunities, including writing grants and preparing content for donor communications.

• Cultivate and maintain productive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including other National Audubon field offices, program teams, and local chapters, state and federal agencies, universities, other non-governmental organizations, and community and government leaders.

• Work with private landowners, partners, and stakeholders as necessary to accomplish conservation goals.

• Partner with Audubon staff to ensure equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging principles exemplify our work.

• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor of Science degree in biology, ecology, natural resource management, or a related field and at least three years of relevant experience in a related field. An equivalent combination of experience and education will be considered.

• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills that can be adapted to reach a wide range of individuals and used to build consensus.  Ability to synthesize and communicate technical and complex information to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Demonstrated knowledge of bird monitoring, and bird banding protocols and methods for recording, assessing, and reporting monitoring data, including using electronic reporting portals (eBird).

• Must have strong organizational skills and great attention to detail.

• Basic knowledge of the identification and ecology of birds and habitats of coastal Texas.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

• Experience with statistical computing software, such as R, and geographic information systems, such as ArcGIS, is desired.

• Demonstrated success managing volunteers.

• Demonstrated ability to partner with key stakeholders, such as community and agency personnel.

• Must be reliable, self-motivated, and able to work comfortably in a dynamic, non-structured environment.

• Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.

• Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to and experience in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

• Willingness and flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, and weekends as the job demands.

• Ability to perform tasks requiring physical exertion, outdoors, in all weather conditions and on varying terrain while maintaining a positive attitude, with or without accommodation.

• A valid driver’s license required for travel to work sites. Must have reliable transportation and comfortable traveling as job demands.

EEO Statement

The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.

Accessibility Statement

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