Wildlife Ecologist North-East

About AWC:

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a global leader in conservation providing hope for Australias wildlife with a scienceinformed land management partnership approach which delivers high impact results. We protect endangered wildlife in iconic regions such as the Kimberley Cape York the Top End and Kati ThandaLake Eyre.

AWCs mission to deliver effective conservation for all native animal species and their habitats is achieved by:

• Science delivering a nationallycoherent program of ecological surveys with a focus on monitoring key conservation assets and threats conducting applied research relevant to wildlife conservation implementing conservation programs including reintroductions and providing advice to currently employs over 70 professional ecologists to deliver our conservation science program.
• Operations delivering effective largescale land management including fire management feral animal control control and infrastructure management.
• Fundraising mobilising finance (primarily tax deductible donations) from the general public and philanthropists including through effective communication of AWC conservation programs.
  

AWC manages five wildlife sanctuaries in Queensland: Bowra near Cunnamulla in southwest Qld; Curramore in southeast Qld; Mount ZeroTaravale and Brooklyn in northeast Qld; and Piccaninny Plains on Cape York Peninsula. In addition AWC manages a reintroduced population of the Northern Hairynosed Wombat on Richard Underwood Nature Refuge (RUNR) in southwest Qld; and for a number of years has conducted a conservation science program focused on the Northern Bettong on Mt Spurgeon/ Mt Lewis National Park northeast Qld.

About the role:

The Wildlife Ecologist will be responsible for the implementation of AWCs science program at one or more AWC properties and partnership sites in the region. The role has significant intellectual component related to the design analysis and reporting of elements of the science program commensurate with the professional skills acquired in a PhD or equivalent. The role also has a substantial field work component.

The position is based at AWCs Cairns office with substantial time in the field at AWC properties and other sites. This is a fulltime three year contract.

Key duties:

Reporting to the Regional Ecologist key duties of the Wildlife Ecologist include:

• Taking a lead role in the development implementation and reporting of the science program at AWC properties in the region. Major tasks in the program include ecological monitoring the reintroduction of locallyextinct species and ecological research.
• Leading a team of AWC ecologists implementing the science program at one or more sites in the region.
• Working in an integrated way with AWC Operations staff to design and implement conservation and land management strategies at AWC properties in the region.
• Working effectively with key stakeholders including AWC partners government agencies recovery teams the conservation science sector Indigenous groups and local communities to scope develop and implement AWCs conservation program in the region.
• Communicating AWCs science program to the stakeholders the scientific community and the public through scientific publications reports presentations participation in workshops etc.
• Assisting with AWCs fundraising activities.
  

Key relationships:

• The Wildlife Ecologist reports to the Regional Ecologist for the region and ultimately to AWCs Chief Science Officer.
• The Wildlife Ecologist may be responsible for daytoday management of one or more AWC ecologists in the region as delegated by the Regional Ecologist.
• The Wildlife Ecologist will work as part of a team with other AWC ecologists Interns and volunteers in the region and more broadly as part of AWCs science team nationally.
• In AWC the Science Team works in an integrated manner with the Operations Team to design and deliver effective land management and to measure and report on ecological health.
• All AWC staff help the Development and Communications teams present our conservation model to the public as we rely heavily on philanthropic support to fund our work.
  

Critical Competencies:

1. Advanced knowledge of the conservation of Australian wildlife and ecosystems including the nature and functioning of the Australian biota; and major threats to native wildlife and their habitats and how these threats can be mitigated. Ideally you will have experience working with land managers to design applied conservation strategies (e.g. for fire feral animal and management).
2. Excellent ecological field and research skills including high level knowledge of the ecological literature; advanced knowledge of experimental design and sampling methods; strong skills in vertebrate ecology and sound skills in field ecology generally; advanced skills in statistical analysis of ecological data and the use of computer software packages relevant to the position.
3. Commitment to conservation: you must have a strong drive to make a positive difference to the conservation of Australian wildlife.
4. Getting things done: you need welldeveloped planning and organisational skills including a demonstrated ability to prioritise tasks in an effective manner to deliver your role.
5. Leadership: you need strong leadership and teambuilding skills including the ability to manage and coordinate a team of staff and volunteers working in a remote area.
6. Collaboration: you will want to work as part of a highperforming team of conservation ecologists contributing what you can and learning from the skills and ideas of your colleagues. More generally you need to have good relationshipbuilding and collaborative skills. You need to be willing to learn from the experience and worldview of the diverse range of stakeholders involved in the program including Operations managers AWC partners Traditional Owners and the broader community.
7. Scientific communication skills including a welldeveloped capacity to write and review scientific reports and publications compose funding applications and reports and communicate science and conservation messages to a general audience.
8. Competence in financial management paperwork and compliance: the ability to deliver projects in a costeffective manner and to manage financial resources and to ensure contracted obligations are met and reported on in accordance with the contract requirements.
9. Resourcefulness: the ability to improvise and problemsolve developing practical solutions with the resources at hand and/or the ability to obtain additional resources if required.
10. Willingness to travel as required to conduct the requirements of the position.
    

Qualifications:
A PhD in ecology or a related discipline or equivalent (e.g. a relevant higher degree and substantial professional experience in conservation).

Licenses Certificates and/or Training:
Valid Australian drivers licence. You will need to be able to drive a manual 4WD vehicle in difficult conditions. Training in relevant competencies may be required.

Inherent requirements of the role:
The of tasks associated with the position will involve fieldwork in remote locations and can sometimes be away from an established field base often in isolated locations working alone. The working environment will include extremes of weather hot and wet and/or dry. The position can be physically demanding and may require walking and climbing over rough terrain heavy muscular activity including lifting carrying pushing and pulling loads bending climbing and driving a variety of vehicles. In addition the applicant will conduct office work planning and supervising projects. The successful applicant must be physically capable of performing these activities in the locations required in order to carry out the inherent role responsibilities.

Position Description:

To view the detailed position description for this role click here:Wildilfe Ecologist NorthEast (Cairns Based) Position Description
NOTE: If you are viewing this ad on a recruitment website such as Seek we recommend you view the PD and apply via our AWC careers portal.

Join our Journey:

Take the leap and start your next adventure with the AWC! AWC reserves the right to start screening applicants and interviewing throughout the recruitment process.

Initial enquiries:

Applications:To submit an application click Apply and follow the prompts to complete an online application form. Your application must include CV and covering letter briefly addressing the critical competencies listed in the detailed job description attachment.

Please note:

1. Applicants must be an Australian citizen/permanent resident or have a suitable visa in place in order to apply. Sponsorship is not available.
2. Applicants will under go relevant preemployment checks which may include an online medical and a values based assessment.
3. If you apply for this role AWC will include you in its ongoing updates and communications about its events activities and fundraising initiatives. You may opt out of these communications at any time.
4. Any application submitted to AWC will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy available at By providing us with your contact details your consent to receive communications and direct educational material will remain current until you advise us otherwise.

AWC is a welcoming and inclusive organisation that invites individuals from diverse backgrounds such as those who identify as First Nations and Torres Strait Islander individuals with disabilities the LGBTIQA community neurodivergent individuals and those from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds to apply for the opportunity. AWC values and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves and where a range of perspectives cultures and voices are respected and recognised as a key part to the success of AWC. To be eligible for consideration applicants must also have the right to live and work in Australia.