The National Audubon Society is hiring a
The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. We work throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state, regional, national, and international programs, nature centers, and chapters have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. As a sentinel species, we recognize that the fate of birds is inextricably tied to the fate of us all.
Audubon has more than 700 staff working across the United States and seven countries in 17 state and regional offices, 41 nature centers, and 23 wildlife sanctuaries. Together as one Audubon, we aspire to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss, leading to healthier bird populations and reversing current trends in biodiversity loss.
Audubon is committed to a culture of workplace excellence, where our talented and diverse staff are deeply engaged, with a strong sense of belonging. The birds Audubon pledges to protect differ in color, size, behavior, geographical preference, and countless other ways. By honoring and celebrating the equally remarkable diversity of the human species, Audubon will bring new creativity, effectiveness, and leadership to our work throughout the hemisphere.
Reporting to the Director of Climate Science, the Senior Associate, Climate will apply skills in ecological and climate data management, cleaning, and processing (including big monitoring datasets and remotely-sensed data products), as well as geoprocessing and spatial data analysis, to support Audubon’s climate science team and climate initiative. This position has a particular focus on ecological and climate data curation, analysis, and visualization using tools such as ESRI GIS desktop and ArcGIS Pro and web mapping applications, as well as supporting data analyses using R and/or Python.
One area of work will involve collaboration with Audubon’s quantitative science team, including working closely with a Quantitative Ecologist, as well as external partners at Michigan State University, to provide the processed spatial data needed (e.g. climate and land use projections) for estimating and forecasting the response of bird communities to climate and land use factors. This position will work with team members to process, curate, interpret, and visualize ecological and spatial data on birds, climate, and land use from across the United States.
Other areas of work will include geospatial data management for the Bird Friendliness Index and data curation and outreach for the Important Bird Areas and Key Biodiversity Areas program. We are looking for an energetic team member with the capacity to work closely with collaborators to generate ideas and deliver products efficiently. The Senior Associate will also contribute to the process of publishing Audubon science work including, but not limited to, peer-reviewed articles and reports.
• Conduct climate and land use data management and processing, including building and/or managing ArcGIS file geodatabases, analyzing processed data to assess patterns and trends, and visualize data for reporting
• Curate bird survey data from multiple sources, including eBird, North American Breeding Bird Survey, Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions, NEON, Important Bird Areas, and other monitoring datasets
• Prepare climate and/or remotely-sensed environmental covariates needed to estimate and forecast bird responses to climate and land use changes as well as Bird Friendliness indices
• Support additional science program areas, including data management and GIS tool development for Important Bird Areas and Key Biodiversity Areas
• Perform statistical and spatial analyses using R, Python, and/or ArcGIS Pro
• Give presentations, either virtually or in-person, for professional conferences, meetings, and on internal and external working groups, such as other NGOs, Universities, and state and federal agencies
• Support science teams, including the climate, quantitative, and spatial conservation planning staff as needed with data processing and management, preparation of presentations, maps, web apps, and figures/infographics for reports and scientific publications
• Partner with Audubon staff to incorporate equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB) into our programmatic work and participate in the science team’s EDIB working group.
Other duties as assigned.
• MS/MA in GIS, data science, climate science, spatial ecology, biology, or related field; and a minimum of 2 years of professional GIS or applied science experience or a Bachelor’s and 3-5 years relevant work experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• Technical skills, to include experience with some or all of the following:
o Demonstrated ability to script statistical and spatial analyses in Java, R and/or Python
o Demonstrated cartographic (map design) experience
o Demonstrated ability to automate geoprocessing tasks using large remote-sensing or downscaled modeled datasets, specifically those related to climate and/or land use preferred (e.g., netCDF, GRIB, HDF, GeoTIFF, ASCII, BSQ, BIL, BIP, and/or other derived products)
o Skilled in the use of ArcGIS Desktop/Pro including analysis with both vector and raster datasets
o Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel
o Experience with data visualization tools such as Esri storymaps and web mapping applications
o Familiarity with relational database concepts preferred
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking, public presentation, and the ability to synthesize and communicate technical and complex information to both technical and non-technical audiences. Background in scientific writing to support peer-reviewed publications a must.
• Strong project management skills, including but not limited to setting and implementing effective goals and objectives, problem-solving, and time management.
• Detail-oriented, a self-starter who can work independently, and efficient at meeting deadlines
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, facilitating connections with team members within and outside of Audubon
• Personal and professional commitment to and experience in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging
• Ability to be resourceful and focused in a flexible and remote work environment
• Interest in working to promote bird conservation across the US, and passion for the mission of the National Audubon Society
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.
The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Accommodations@audubon.org. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
All new hires must be fully vaccinated prior to their start of employment unless they are pre-qualified by HR for exemption.