Ecology Officer

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

Greater Ruaha-Katavi Landscape Program

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. WCS is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a Ecology Officer under the auspices of the Greater Ruaha-Katavi Landscape Program. The Program Ecologist will provide technical leadership and oversight to all aspects of biodiversity monitoring conducted in partnership with government and local communities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Species Monitoring

• Support the planning and implementation of carnivore studies in selected sites across the landscape.
• Coordinate vulture monitoring work, including the placement and retrieval of portable satellite units on vultures, management of vulture movement data and resulting aerial/ground truthing data. (This work is conducted in partnership with North Carolina Zoo).
• Plan and implement studies on other species – for example puku antelope, hippopotamus, giraffe or other.
• Coordinate and help lead freshwater studies including associated fisheries, bird or mammal components for example.
• Support the development and implementation of any other species monitoring or studies.
• Analyze species-specific ecological data to produce reports on population trends, species distribution, and key ecological factors affecting the health and viability of target species.

Other Biodiversity Monitoring

• Support the implementation of 3-yearly system reconnaissance flights (landscape aerial surveys), supporting this work as required – on the ground and/or in the air.
• Support the WCS GIS department as needed to conduct periodic land cover analyses or other spatial ecological work.

Collaborative Studies and Monitoring

• Collaborate with government stakeholders to ensure alignment with national policies, regulations and action plans, fostering strong partnerships that support effective wildlife conservation and management strategies.
• Act as point of contact between WCS and partner organizations to ensure effective coordination related to all field-associated aspects. Support community-based wildlife monitoring programs, including wildlife monitoring through the implementation of reconnaissance surveys and other studies.
• Support the identification and implementation of common wildlife/habitat monitoring studies in wildlife corridors or other areas.

Human-Wildlife Conflict Monitoring

• Support the monitoring of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) in specified geographies (including wildlife corridors), developing suitable HWC monitoring methodologies, data management, analysis and dissemination.

Fieldwork and Logistics

• Conduct extensive fieldwork in remote and challenging environments.
• Supervise and mentor field staff, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills, tools, and guidance to execute their tasks effectively.
• Manage and produce detailed budgets and timelines for field operations and related activities, ensuring efficient resource allocation and adherence to project deadlines and financial constraints.
• Oversee field operations, ensuring safety protocols and ethical standards are adhered to.

Other Duties

• Support fundraising and proposal development as part of a wider team.
• Secure necessary research permits as needed.
• Develop media materials and success stories for wider WCS dissemination in collaboration with the WCS Communications Dept. and others.
• As directed, communicate with program donors, partners or others on specific issues and in various ways (conferences, meetings, concepts, briefing documents etc.).
• Play a leading role in preparing publications related to this work in collaboration with others.
• Provide succinct written monthly progress reports to the WCS Program Director, including images and any recommendations or suggestions regarding the implementation of present or future project activities.
• Take responsibility for personal capacity building by pursuing professional development opportunities and actively participating in relevant training sessions, workshops, and conferences to enhance skills and expertise.
• Integrate with a dynamic and mixed team of conservation professionals, to work under pressure, meet deadlines and remain flexible regarding other work requests.

General: Always lead by example, maintaining the good name of WCS. Provide any other assistance as requested by the Program Director/Assistant Program Director.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree/qualification in biological studies/related fields or MSc or higher is strongly desired.
• At least 3 to 4 years working experience in wildlife-related positions with proven capability leading as many of the following as possible:
• Familiar with Tanzanian biodiversity.
• Familiar with different research and monitoring approaches and their application.
• First-hand experience working with government and community rangers in ecological or species monitoring.
• Experience in securing research permits from TAWIRI.
• Proven research experience, including study design, data collection, and analysis.
• Proven publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
• Working knowledge of SMART and Ecological Records.
• Experience in training and managing field assistants.
• Experience with aerial-based survey and monitoring approaches.
• Experience in coordinating ecological studies with other partners.
• Fluency in spoken and written Swahili and English.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, good report writing skills.
• A strong desire to be field-based and to develop/apply pragmatic field study solutions to typical monitoring challenges.
• Proven experience working with and managing other technical staff.
• Proven IT literacy and familiarity with all standard office software. Ability to work with GIS and other conservation-related software is an added advantage.
• Ability to work with a dynamic/mixed team of conservation professionals, to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Desire (and ability) to work under challenging field conditions with limited supervision.
• Highest level of integrity, honesty, and sense of responsibility.
• Valid driving license and extensive 4WD experience.
• Position is open to Tanzanian nationals only

Project Location & Reporting: The position reports to WCS Greater Ruaha-Katavi Landscape Program Director. S/he will be joining WCS’s team in Mbeya with frequent travel to the landscape and occasional travel to the Country Office.

Application Instructions: Qualified candidates should send a cover letter and CV only to wcshrtanzania@wcs.org with the subject: “Application for Ecology Officer Vacancy”. Applications should be submitted by January 3rd, 2025, 5:00 PM EA TIME. Position is open for Tanzanian Nationals Only. Note: WCS does not receive money in exchange for employment.