Job Summary: Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Science Program helps conserve birds and their habitats through community science. Focusing on key local habitats and pressing regional conservation issues, our goals are to gather novel information about local avian ecology, inform habitat restoration and stewardship, and engage a diverse community in scientific data collection. The Director of Conservation is responsible for providing strategic direction for conservation efforts across the organization, managing 3-5 staff members in the department, forging and maintaining partnerships with other conservation organizations, and implementing a number of local and regional community science programs.

Tracy Aviary (www.tracyaviary.org) is an AZA-accredited institution located on eight acres in the heart of Salt Lake City, UT. In early 2020, we opened Tracy Aviary’s second campus, Tracy Aviary’s Nature Center at Pia Okwai (https://tracyaviary.org/jordan-river/) which furthers our mission to inspire curiosity and caring for birds and nature through education and conservation. The Conservation Ecologist will split his/her/their office time between workstations at Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park and the Nature Center at Pia Okwai, and will conduct fieldwork at local study sites.

Primary Duties:

• Provide strategic direction and leadership for Tracy Aviary’s conservation efforts
• Manage and support members of Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Science Program, including the Conservation Ecologists, Manager of Conservation Outreach, and seasonal Conservation Science Interns and Field Technicians
• Develop and lead ongoing community science research and monitoring projects, and provide data analysis, reports, and presentations to project partners and the professional scientific community
• Oversee Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Fund; maintain and follow an allocation plan for distributing grant funding, announce and advertise annual RFPs, coordinate proposal review and selection, create grant agreements, coordinate report review
• Provide expertise to regional conservation and planning initiatives, such as the Utah Wildlife Action Plan revision committee, the Utah Motus Working Group, the Partners in Flight Western Working Group, the Bird-Window Collision Working Group, and the Rosy-finch Working Group
• Support grant writing and other fundraising efforts, including Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Field Trip program
• Chair Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Science Committee, a board-level committee that helps guide Tracy Aviary’s conservation efforts
• Communicate project results and conservation messaging with different audiences; give media interviews, present to the general public and at scientific conferences, write reports and articles
• Serve on Tracy Aviary’s Senior Management Group (SMG)

Minimum Qualifications:

• MS or PhD in Avian Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Conservation Science, etc., or equivalent work experience
• Experience with various field survey methods, including distance-sampling and nest monitoring
• Data management and analysis experience; ability to analyze bird survey data, including distance sampling and occupancy modeling
• Experience producing research reports and writing manuscripts to be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Experience managing and mentoring others

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with volunteers or members of the public
• Experience developing and managing community science projects
• Grant-writing experience
• Familiarity with Utah’s birds and ability to identify bird species by sight and sound
• Bilingual candidates (Spanish/English) are preferred

Salary: Beginning at $65,000, commensurate with experience

Job Status: Salaried, Full Time

Start Date: Position open until filled, ideally starting summer 2024

Reporting Relationship: Supervised and managed by the President/CEO

Disclaimer: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by an employee within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of an employee assigned to this job.

To Apply: Send a cover letter describing relevant experience and skills (no more than two pages) and a resume to Tim Brown (timb@tracyaviary.org). Please indicate your desired start date and compensation expectations in cover letter. Applications will be reviewed as they are received.