Intermountain West

Position Title: Science to Implementation Specialist

Organization: Intermountain West Joint Venture

Location: Negotiable within the Intermountain West

Organization Overview: One of 18 U.S. Habitat Joint Ventures, the Intermountain West Joint Venture was established in 1994 to catalyze bird habitat conservation through the collaborative power of diverse public-private partnerships. The IWJV operates across all or parts of 11 western states and encompasses some of the most diverse and intact landscapes in the West. At the IWJV, they envision an Intermountain West where people, birds, and other wildlife thrive. Their mission is to conserve and enhance bird habitats at meaningful scales through capacity building, science, communications, and partnerships.

Position Overview: The Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) is hiring a Science to Implementation (S2I) Specialist that works across the 11-state region of the Intermountain West, contributing to IWJV’s efforts to integrate science, data, tools, local, and traditional knowledge 1 into strategic habitat conservation planning and delivery with measurable impacts for bird habitats. The IWJV has increasingly recognized the persistent gap between the development of science and its integration into conservation plans and actions. The IWJV has a legacy of advancing on the ground conservation with evidence-based approaches through the power of longstanding relationships with a multitude of partners.

The initial emphasis of this position will be supporting partners in applying the Wetland Evaluation Tool, Rangeland Analysis Platform, and other geospatial resources to their conservation and management needs related to wetland, sagebrush, and forest habitats. Additionally, the S2I Specialist is expected to provide technical transfer support to partners beyond spatial tools at the direction of the S2I Coordinator. Work is guided by the IWJV’s Strategic Plan, Implementation Plan and Annual Operational Plans. The areas of emphasis, geographies, and partners may shift over time, requiring a high level of adaptability and interest in a variety of conservation issues and bird habitats. The position is expected to integrate with all IWJV programs as part of a collaborative and interdisciplinary team. This position is hosted by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and supervised by the IWJV S2I Coordinator. The location of the position is negotiable within the Intermountain West, but the preferred location is the IWJV Headquarters Office in Missoula, Montana. This position requires periodic travel within the Intermountain West (20-35 nights per year).

Duties: The fundamental focus of this position is to serve as a bridge between the research and partners who deliver conservation actions on the ground. This position will support a broad array of partners to deliver strategic habitat conservation by providing science in usable formats to inform decision making, design, and approach for projects, support conservation funding, and measure conservation outcomes. This position was built from an understanding that science is only as good as it can be accessed, interpreted, and applied. Primary duties include:

• Help partners access science, data, and tools that are relevant to and could support strategic habitat conservation delivery with an emphasis on spatial planning and decision-support tools. This involves meeting partners where they are in terms of technical capabilities (e.g., GIS skills), professional disciplines, and organizational science support.
• Work with partners to understand on-the-ground approaches, needs, and insights to further integrate science into their specific conservation activities.
• Develop and strengthen relationships and partnerships with a wide array of science producers and knowledge holders—across agencies, academic institutions, and disciplines—to impact on-the-ground conservation delivery.
• Interpret scientific findings and other relevant information to inform strategic conservation delivery. This consists of brokering mutual respect among scientists and partners to enable the understanding and adoption of science into conservation programs and on-the-ground delivery.
• Support partners in applying science to address key landscape threats through voluntary, proactive conservation delivery. Develop, lead, and/or support workshops, landscape-based collaborations, and a host of technical transfer approaches designed to help partners apply science to their work.
• Elevate the needs identified by partners into the co-production of research and science applications to address information gaps that are most relevant to managers.
• Work closely with the IWJV communications staff in sharing key findings, decision-support tools, and other science via digital platforms, success stories, and workshops.
• Provide cartographic expertise to IWJV staff and partners in collaboration with IWJV communications staff including development of public-facing maps for IWJV planning documents and events.
• Engage with and support the work of the IWJV Management Board and committees as needed.

Qualifications:

(1) Ability to connect, communicate, and learn from people with diverse perspectives, experiences, and values.

• Excellent communication skills—both in the receiving of information and sharing of information. Ability to share information effectively with wide-ranging audiences through appropriate and effective platforms using oral, written, visual, and other manners of information sharing.
• Demonstrated ability to work with a multitude of partners including, but not limited to, private landowners, tribes, researchers, locally and nationally based organizations, funding entities, industry partners, and state and federal agencies.
• Ability to forge lasting relationships and build partnerships to find common ground among those with diverse perspectives on issues involving natural resource management.
• Demonstrated practice of emotional intelligence through self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

(2) Skills, abilities, and experience expected at the time of hire for this candidate to be proficient in performing.

• Detailed knowledge of Geographic Information Systems, spatial modeling, and other science tools and their role, utility, and application in characterizing, analyzing, and assessing ecological processes, systems, and conditions. Experience with mapping and spatial analysis platforms such as Google Earth Engine, ArcGIS, QGIS, Python, or R.
• Ability to synthesize science and technical information and translate that information through spatial tools and other means to inform and effect change. 2
• Detailed knowledge of bird, wildlife, or landscape ecology, and other facets of ecological science utilized in strategic habitat and landscape conservation.
• Demonstrated abilities in written and oral communications with proven ability to translate complex concepts into succinct, clear, and accessible language for multiple audiences, such as academia, habitat managers, and/or the public.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace applications.
• Experience with Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams, video, or other online presentation formats.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in GIS, wildlife biology/management, range science, restoration ecology, forestry, or related field with advanced GIS and remote sensing training/coursework. Advanced degrees are preferred.
• Minimum of three years of experience working with or for organizations focused on conservation implementation associated with wildlife, water, range management, land conservation, or other aspects of natural resource management.

(3) Experience or knowledge that is desired but can also be learned on the job for the right candidate.

• Knowledge of habitat conservation actions, approaches, and programs utilized to conserve wetland, sagebrush, or forest habitats of the Intermountain West.
• An understanding of how state and federal natural resource agencies plan and deliver conservation programs and projects.
• Familiarity with western water management frameworks and challenges.
• Experience developing web-based map applications.

Start Date: October 31

Salary/Pay: $55,000-65,000

Application Deadline: September 25

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.