Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wildlife Conservation Program Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Wildlife Conservation Program Coordinator is a hands-on program lead who designs, coordinates, and evaluates conservation projects that protect wildlife populations and their habitats. This role combines strategic planning, field leadership, stakeholder engagement, grant and budget management, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and communications. The Coordinator ensures projects are scientifically rigorous, legally compliant, financially sound, and impactful—delivering measurable conservation outcomes while building partnerships with landowners, communities, agencies, and NGOs.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Technician / Field Biologist supporting monitoring and surveys
Conservation Assistant or Outreach Coordinator in NGOs or government agencies
Volunteer Coordinator or Community Engagement Specialist with habitat programs

Advancement To:

Senior Program Manager / Program Director for regional conservation portfolios
Conservation Science Manager or Director of Field Programs
Regional or Landscape Conservation Lead with multi-site responsibility

Lateral Moves:

Grants & Development Manager (conservation fundraising)
GIS & Spatial Analysis Specialist for conservation planning
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist or Data Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the design, planning, and implementation of multi-year wildlife conservation programs, including scoping, objectives setting, theory of change, and delivery schedules to achieve targeted species and habitat outcomes.
Develop, manage, and monitor program budgets; prepare financial forecasts, track expenditures, ensure compliance with funder restrictions, and produce budget reports for senior management and donors.
Research, write, and submit competitive grant proposals and funding applications; cultivate relationships with foundations, government funders, and private donors to secure program support and manage reporting requirements.
Coordinate field-based monitoring and survey programs (avian, mammal, amphibian, plant, wetland assessments), ensuring standardized data collection protocols, sampling design, and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC).
Use GIS and spatial analysis tools (ArcGIS/QGIS) to map habitats, analyze land-use change, prioritize restoration sites, and create spatial products for planning and reporting.
Design and oversee habitat restoration and enhancement projects (e.g., riparian planting, invasive species removal, nest box installation), coordinating contractors, volunteers, and partner organizations.
Build and maintain collaborative partnerships with local communities, landowners, Indigenous groups, government agencies (wildlife, fisheries, natural resources), and other NGOs to enable landscape-scale conservation actions.
Ensure program activities comply with local, regional, and national environmental regulations and permitting requirements (e.g., endangered species consultations, wetland permits), and coordinate permit applications and documentation.
Develop, implement, and refine monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks, including indicators, data collection plans, and adaptive management cycles to measure biological and social outcomes.
Recruit, train, supervise, and schedule field staff, interns, and volunteers; develop safety protocols and deliver field training in survey methods, permit compliance, and first aid.
Manage consultants and subaward partners—draft scopes of work, contracts, deliverables, timelines, and performance evaluations to ensure technical and contractual compliance.
Produce technical reports, peer-reviewed publications, and accessible outreach materials that translate scientific findings into actionable recommendations for conservation practice and policy.
Lead community outreach and environmental education programs—organize workshops, school programs, community science initiatives, and volunteer events to increase awareness and participation in conservation actions.
Oversee data management systems for species observations, habitat condition assessments, and project monitoring; ensure secure, standardized, and interoperable datasets for analysis and reporting.
Coordinate logistics for field operations, including vehicle and equipment maintenance, procurement of supplies, scheduling of field deployments, and ensuring health and safety of field teams.
Track program performance against KPIs and targets, prepare monthly and annual progress reports for funders and governance bodies, and present findings to stakeholders and boards.
Facilitate stakeholder meetings, advisory committees, and multi-party conservation planning sessions to align goals, resolve conflicts over land use, and negotiate conservation agreements or easements.
Integrate climate resilience and landscape connectivity considerations into conservation actions—apply vulnerability assessments and design projects that increase long-term habitat viability.
Represent the organization at public meetings, technical working groups, and inter-agency forums; advocate for evidence-based policies and contribute to regional conservation strategies.
Manage inventory of field equipment, vehicles, and consumables; prepare procurement requests, track asset use, and ensure regulatory compliance for equipment (e.g., boats, ATVs).
Implement volunteer and citizen science programs that expand monitoring capacity, improve community stewardship, and co-produce datasets for adaptive management.
Conduct site risk assessments and implement health, safety, and emergency-response plans for fieldwork, including training staff in wildlife handling protocols, biosafety, and first aid.
Evaluate and incorporate new technologies and methods (remote sensing, eDNA, camera traps, acoustic monitoring) into monitoring programs to increase efficiency and data quality.
Support internal and external communications—write web content, newsletters, social media posts, and impact stories that highlight program successes and support fundraising and community engagement.

Secondary Functions

Support preparation and execution of fundraising events, donor site visits, and stewardship communications to deepen funder relationships and secure recurring support.
Provide technical support to other teams by sharing datasets, methodologies, and lessons learned to facilitate organization-wide conservation planning.
Contribute to organizational strategy and annual planning cycles by identifying programmatic risks, opportunities, and scalable interventions.
Assist with translation of scientific materials into multilingual outreach resources and culturally appropriate engagement strategies for diverse communities.
Support policy and advocacy initiatives by preparing technical briefs, testimony, or position papers that inform local and regional wildlife management decisions.
Mentor junior staff and volunteers, contribute to staff training programs, and support capacity building for partner organizations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program management and project lifecycle expertise (planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting) tailored to conservation programs.
Grant writing, donor reporting, and fundraising experience with track record of securing and managing restricted funds.
GIS mapping and spatial analysis skills (ArcGIS, QGIS, spatial datasets, geoprocessing, cartography).
Field survey and species monitoring techniques (point counts, transects, camera trapping, acoustic sampling, eDNA sampling).
Habitat restoration and invasive species management methods, including planning and contractor oversight.
Data management and analysis (Excel, R or Python for ecological analyses, relational databases, data cleaning, QA/QC).
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) design, indicator development, and impact assessment methodologies.
Regulatory and permitting knowledge (endangered species acts, wetland regulations, environmental impact assessment processes).
Technical report writing and scientific communication for diverse audiences (technical reports, policy briefs, public materials).
Health and safety management for field operations (risk assessments, emergency protocols, first aid/CPR certification).
Experience with remote sensing, drone imagery, or other spatial data sources preferred.
Budget development and financial tracking for multi-source funded projects, including subaward management.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills for diverse audiences (community members, scientists, funders, regulators).
Leadership and team management—ability to recruit, motivate, develop, and coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
Stakeholder engagement and negotiation—build trusting relationships and manage conflicting interests on shared landscapes.
Problem-solving and adaptive thinking—iterate project design based on monitoring results and emerging threats.
Cultural sensitivity and community-centered facilitation—work respectfully with Indigenous communities and local stakeholders.
Attention to detail and high organizational skills for managing complex workplans and compliance documents.
Time management and prioritization under competing deadlines and field constraints.
Collaboration and interpersonal skills to work across internal teams and external partners.
Resilience and capacity to work in variable field conditions and handle logistical challenges.
Mentoring and teaching ability to grow team skills and community capacity.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Conservation Biology, Environmental Management, Ecology, Natural Resources, or Wildlife Science; or equivalent professional experience.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Biology / Wildlife Ecology
Conservation Biology / Biodiversity Conservation
Ecology / Ecosystem Science
Natural Resource Management / Forestry
Environmental Science / Environmental Policy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of relevant experience in wildlife conservation, field program coordination, or natural resource management.

Preferred:

5+ years managing or coordinating conservation programs with responsibility for budgets, staff supervision, and reporting to funders.
Demonstrated experience in grant writing and securing project funding.
Proven field experience in species monitoring, habitat restoration, GIS, and regulatory permitting.
Experience working with community partners, Indigenous organizations, government agencies, and multi-stakeholder coalitions.
Supervisory experience managing field crews, seasonal technicians, or volunteers.