Dear All, Below is a job announcement for a Collections Manager at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Galapagos. Fluency in Spanish is a must.
If you have questions about this job, please write to: [email protected] Cheers, Heinke Natural History Collections Manager at the Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands has the custody for the Government of Ecuador of the largest natural history collections in Galapagos. The collections are maintained under a comprehensive management policy and on the basis of an annual permit emitted by the State. The collection records are all managed within an electronic database and 99% of data is online via our web platform Datazone (www.darwinfoundation.org/datazone). We have curators working in our four collections consisting of invertebrate, vertebrate, botany and marine species. We are now looking for a Collections Manager with a broad experience in database management and taxonomy, and a collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit to come and join our team to keep this world-class suite of collections physically intact and easily accessible. The collections manager will be in charge of the technical supervision, management and maintenance of the entire natural history collections; and of designing a long-term funding plan involving key partners. He/she will report to the Science Coordinator. The manager will be responsible for: 1. Executing the Collections Management Policy and action plans for individual collections. 2. Developing and implementing a strategic plan to fill the gaps in knowledge of Galapagos biodiversity. 3. Supervising collections staff including curators, assistants and database programmers. 4. Coordinating the local presence of taxonomic experts (e.g. through Ecuador’s Prometeo project) and inviting leading specialists to work on less well represented groups or taxa. 5. Enhancing the use of citizen science applications such as the Darwin for a Day (iNaturalist) with support from virtual curators and science projects. 6. Promoting the scientific and educational value of the natural history collections. 7. Other tasks including coordinating with national state agencies, training personnel and volunteers, and assisting in grant proposal preparation. The ideal candidate for this job would have at least 7 years demonstrated experience in curation and/or management of natural history collections; in addition, he or she would have a profound knowledge and understanding of taxonomy. The candidate must be proficient in database functions and have the ability to resolve computer issues with support from our IT and programming staff. We are looking for someone who is fluent in both Spanish and English and interested in building local capacity. Our reference collections need a practical hands-on person who has proven excellent people skills in team management. Ideally the candidate will be willing to participate in fieldwork and research when appropriate. Our mandate is to provide science-based advice to the Government of Ecuador for conservation of the Galapagos Islands. And the natural history collections should provide essential tools to conservation managers to distinguish species, understand their ecology, and ultimately, find the best strategies for conservation management. Please circulate this amongst your contact groups. We look forward to hearing from motivated candidates. Please send your CV and letter of interest in English or Spanish to [email protected]. Closing date 15th August.
