Snow Leopard Trust Job Announcement 

Conservation Scientist: Ecology

 Background

The International Snow Leopard Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving  the endangered snow leopard and its high-mountain ecosystems in Asia. We work in collaboration with local communities and governments across the snow leopard's range to develop and implement conservation programs. We are committed to promoting ethical conservation worldwide.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Conservation Scientist to join our team. The Conservation Scientist will play a crucial role in contributing to projects dedicated to the study of wildlife ecology in snow leopard habitats. This role includes a wide range of responsibilities, including helping design and implement projects, management of camera trap and other population survey data, conducting threats assessments, supporting on-going research, data analyses and modeling (including GIS modeling), and supporting various research and conservation initiatives.

This is a full time remotely based position with a flexible schedule to be determined in consultation with the supervisor. In order to connect remotely with internationally-based staff distributed across multiple time zones, this position will require meeting outside of regular business hours, including evening and weekend hours. Snow Leopard Trust supports flexible schedules to accommodate for these off-hour meetings and to foster a healthy work/life balance.  

Core Responsibilities

Coordination of the ongoing Population Assessment of the Worlds Snow Leopards (PAWS):

• Support collaboration with international and field teams to ensure the robust implementation and management  of the PAWS initiative.

Data Management and Analysis:

• Collect, organize, and analyze spatio-temporal, camera trap, genetic and/or other types of datasets and lead/support data analyses and paper writing

Help design and execute new ecological studies

• Conduct research on the impact of climate change, linear infrastructure, illegal wildlife trade and/or other ecological questions focused on snow leopard habitats and populations.

Grant and Report Writing Support:

• Assist in writing grant proposals to secure funding for conservation projects, prepare scientific reports and publications to communicate research findings and conservation progress.

Supporting Country Teams:

• Collaborate with country-based teams across the snow leopard range including the on-going long-term studies to provide scientific and technical support as and when required.

Writing Skills:

• Contribute to and lead writing of peer-reviewed publications, scientific reports and policy advisories.

Supporting Science and Conservation Teams:

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to advance the Snow Leopard Trust's mission.

Training:

• Delivering training programs remotely or in person to various audiences on topics including but not restricted to techniques in wildlife population assessments, monitoring and evaluation of conservation efforts, and research design.

Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g., wildlife biology, ecology, environmental science) with a strong publication record
• Work/Research experience of at least 3 years in a relevant field
• Experience of field work and living in remote conditions
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Willingness to travel to remote field locations as needed
• Proficiency in data analyses and modeling

Desirable skills:

• Camera trap data management and analysis
• GIS Data Management and Analysis
• Climate change impacts on ecosystems and conservation
• Wildlife captures and animal handling
• Grant writing and report writing experience

Location & Physical Demands:

This position is remote and the work location is preferably based in a snow leopard range country. This position requires extensive travel to field sites within the snow leopard's range. The ability to work independently and effectively in remote and challenging environments is essential. This position will require international and overnight travel, and will require participation in online meetings beyond regular business hours with an international team.

Compensation & Benefits:

The compensation package for this position will be competitively set at a senior postdoctoral level based on work location commensurate with experience and the benefits offered will be customary for the work location approved for this position. Salary ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.