Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) Position: Biometrician Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that creates solutions for bird and habitat conservation through an integrated approach of Science, Education, and Stewardship. Science is the foundation of our work and we collect and interpret data to help drive conservation action. Education is essential for connecting people of all ages with nature and empowering everyone to make a difference. Through stewardship, we collaborate with private landowners, and both public and private land managers to enhance land for the benefit of birds, people, and other wildlife. We work across the breeding, wintering, and migratory ranges of bird species in the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Mexico and beyond. We are headquartered in Brighton, Colorado with a satellite office in Fort Collins. Additionally, several staff members work out of partner offices in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. The Bird Conservancy supports nearly 50 full-time team members as well as approximately 50 seasonal staff members. Our annual budget is $4 million (~$2 million for the Science Team) and we have doubled in size in the last five years. We collaborate with more than 200 federal, state, university, and other non-government partners and administer 150 active contracts. To learn more about the Bird Conservancy, visit www.birdconservancy.org. Position Summary: The person in this position will work within a team to develop study designs, extract and format data from various sources, apply statistical methods, program analyses in R, and write reports to communicate, interpret and present results. The biometrician will also review analyses and reports and advise on various projects. The Bird Conservancy manages one of the largest coordinated bird monitoring programs in the nation entitled Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program (http://www.birdconservancy.org/what-we-do/science/monitoring/imbcr- program/). The biometrician will assist in the development of quantitative conservation applications to address conservation needs of the IMBCR partnership. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: • Work within a team to apply sampling design and data analysis techniques. Common estimation and modeling methods include point- transect distance sampling, hierarchical abundance models, site occupancy, and spatial-temporal analysis of long-term monitoring data. • Collaborate and consult with internal and external colleagues to conduct data analyses for reports and scientific manuscripts. • Communicate results, including writing proposals, reports and manuscripts, interpreting results for land managers and public audiences, and presenting results. Required Qualifications • Experience with models of abundance and occupancy that account for incomplete detection • Proficiency in habitat relationship and landscape modelling • Strong R programming skills beyond basic model implementation Desired Qualifications • Bayesian estimation and modeling • Geographic Information Systems • Structured Query Language • Knowledge of various field methods to monitor bird populations Education/Experience: The minimum education requirement is a MS degree in ecology, statistics, wildlife biology or zoology, with a strong understanding of math/stats and relevant experience in ecology or wildlife biology. Terms of Employment: This is a full-time regular, salaried position based out of the Bird Conservancy’s Fort Collins office. The person in the position will report directly to the lead biometrician and work closely with the Science Team. The annual salary will be $40,000 - $45,000 depending on experience. The Bird Conservancy offers generous paid time off (holidays, annual leave, and sick leave), a Simple IRA match, and health, dental, and vision insurance. The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies is an equal opportunity employer. How to Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume and three references IN ONE DOCUMENT named “Last Name – biometrician 2015” via email to David Pavlacky at [email protected]; Microsoft Word or PDF files only. Application deadline: 28 September 2015. All applications will be reviewed as they are received.
