Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wildlife Ecologist Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Wildlife Ecologist Coordinator leads and coordinates field-based wildlife monitoring and conservation programs. This role combines hands-on fieldwork, project management, technical analysis (GIS, telemetry, population modeling), stakeholder coordination, permitting, and reporting. The Wildlife Ecologist Coordinator ensures scientifically rigorous data collection and analysis to inform habitat restoration, species recovery, and adaptive management strategies. Ideal candidates demonstrate strong field skills, data management expertise, regulatory knowledge, team leadership, and excellent written and verbal communication.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Technician / Wildlife Field Technician
Research Assistant / Biological Science Technician
Conservation Technician / Habitat Restoration Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Wildlife Ecologist / Lead Ecologist
Conservation Program Manager / Project Manager
Species Recovery Coordinator / Regional Ecologist

Lateral Moves:

GIS Analyst / Spatial Ecologist
Habitat Restoration Manager
Environmental Compliance Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, implement, and lead standardized wildlife monitoring programs (e.g., transect surveys, point counts, camera trapping, remote sensing surveys) to assess population trends, distribution, and habitat use for target species.
Develop, write, and oversee field protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for wildlife surveys and telemetry operations to ensure data quality and safety in compliance with permitting requirements.
Coordinate and supervise field crews, seasonal technicians, interns, and volunteers — including hiring logistics, training, work scheduling, performance management, and ensuring adherence to health and safety procedures.
Manage multi-year study logistics: site selection, access coordination, vehicle and equipment allocation, remote site provisioning, and contingency plans for adverse weather and field hazards.
Conduct capture, handling, and tagging operations using best practices and regulatory standards (e.g., live-trapping, PIT tags, GPS collars, radio telemetry), ensuring animal welfare and permit compliance.
Deploy, maintain, and retrieve remote sensors (camera traps, acoustic recorders, GPS collars, automated telemetry stations), and coordinate remote data downloads and troubleshooting.
Lead habitat assessments and mapping efforts (vegetation surveys, habitat suitability assessments, restoration site evaluations) to link species data to habitat condition and restoration needs.
Use GIS and spatial analysis tools (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS) to produce maps, habitat models, and spatially explicit reports that support conservation planning and grant deliverables.
Perform statistical analysis, population modeling (Distance, MARK, occupancy modeling), and trend analysis using R, Python, or other analytical packages to transform raw field data into actionable science.
Oversee data management workflows: database design and maintenance, QA/QC protocols, metadata documentation, secure data storage, and compliance with data-sharing agreements.
Prepare technical reports, management plans, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and permit reports that summarize methods, results, and conservation recommendations for internal and external stakeholders.
Coordinate permitting and regulatory compliance processes (endangered species act consultations, research permits, collection permits, landowner access agreements) and maintain records for audits.
Administer project budgets, track expenses, prepare cost estimates for field seasons, assist with procurement, and manage vendor relationships for equipment and field services.
Serve as the primary liaison with federal, state, tribal, and local agencies, partner NGOs, landowners, and academic collaborators to ensure alignment of monitoring and conservation objectives.
Design and support adaptive management strategies by integrating monitoring outcomes into decision-making — recommending changes to management actions based on empirical results.
Lead outreach, education, and community engagement activities: public presentations, workshops, volunteer training, and collaboration with local stakeholders to build support for conservation projects.
Write and contribute to grant proposals, progress reports, and funding applications to sustain and expand monitoring and restoration initiatives.
Ensure compliance with workplace health and safety and field safety programs, including field risk assessments, emergency response plans, and first-aid readiness (WFR/WFA, CPR).
Maintain, calibrate, and repair field equipment (GPS units, telemetry receivers, traps, camera traps, batteries, drones/UAVs where applicable), and maintain detailed equipment inventories.
Conduct quality assurance reviews of field data, photo/video validation, species identifications, and provide training to improve consistency and reduce observer bias.
Use remote sensing and UAV data where appropriate to support large-scale habitat mapping, vegetation structure analysis, and monitoring inaccessible sites.
Prepare public-facing summaries, dashboards, and GIS web maps to communicate monitoring results to stakeholders and funders, emphasizing outcomes and conservation impact.
Respond to wildlife incidents (road mortality, human-wildlife conflict, stranded or injured wildlife) and coordinate appropriate agency reporting and mitigation actions.
Mentor junior staff and interns in field methods, ethics, data analysis, and scientific communication to build internal capacity and ensure continuity of monitoring programs.

Secondary Functions

Support cross-program data requests and synthesize monitoring results for broader conservation policy discussions.
Assist communications and development teams with content for websites, newsletters, and social media highlighting project milestones and conservation outcomes.
Contribute to internal process improvements, including automation of data ingestion, creation of reproducible analysis pipelines, and standardization of metadata.
Participate in interagency working groups, technical advisory committees, and stakeholder meetings to represent program findings and recommend management actions.
Provide technical input to environmental reviews (NEPA, EIS), environmental impact assessments, and land management plans when asked.
Help coordinate volunteer and community science programs (e.g., bird counts, citizen camera trap programs) and provide training materials and quality control guidelines.
Maintain field vehicles and coordinate routine servicing, licenses, and insurance documentation.
Assist with procurement processes, tracking of expendables, and ordering of specialized field equipment in compliance with organizational purchasing policies.
Support fundraising activities by compiling monitoring results and impact metrics for donor reports and stewardship materials.
Provide back-up coverage for related ecology roles during peak field seasons or staff absences, including occasional weekend or extended field deployments.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced proficiency in wildlife survey design and implementation (line transects, point counts, camera trapping, acoustic monitoring).
GIS and spatial analysis (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS): habitat mapping, spatial querying, and cartographic outputs for reports and presentations.
Telemetry and tracking experience: VHF/UHF radio telemetry, GPS collars deployment and data handling, automated telemetry systems.
Camera trap program management: deployment strategies, species ID workflows, time-lapse scheduling, and image management (e.g., CameraBase or similar).
Statistical analysis and population modeling: R (packages like unmarked, distance, lme4), occupancy models, survival and abundance estimation, and power analysis.
Data management and database skills: relational databases, SQL, data cleaning, metadata creation, and reproducible analysis pipelines.
Remote sensing and UAV (drone) experience for habitat assessment and monitoring (image processing software, orthomosaics, NDVI).
Scientific writing and technical report preparation for regulatory agencies, peer review, and funding partners.
Permit and regulatory knowledge: species protection statutes, research permitting processes, land access agreements, and compliance documentation.
Field safety certifications and skills: Wilderness First Responder (WFR), CPR, safe animal handling techniques, and field risk assessment.
Proficiency with field hardware and sensors: GPS units, rangefinders, portable weather stations, acoustic recorders, camera traps, and telemetry receivers.
Familiarity with conservation planning tools and frameworks (habitat suitability modeling, threat assessment, adaptive management).

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and crew management: mentoring, conflict resolution, and performance coaching in field teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills targeted at scientific, regulatory, and general audiences.
Stakeholder engagement and diplomacy: experience working with agencies, landowners, tribal governments, and community partners.
Project management: task prioritization, scheduling, budget tracking, and milestone reporting for multi-year projects.
Problem-solving and field adaptability: troubleshooting equipment failures, access issues, and unexpected ecological conditions.
Attention to detail and data quality focus: consistent protocols, QA/QC, and documentation to ensure reproducible science.
Time management and ability to balance concurrent field seasons, data analysis, and reporting deadlines.
Cultural sensitivity and inclusive outreach experience when working on public lands and with diverse communities.
Initiative and independent judgment: able to make field decisions within established protocols and escalate when required.
Teaching and presentation skills for training staff, volunteers, and delivering public-facing education.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, or closely related biological science.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or PhD in Wildlife Ecology, Conservation Biology, Population Ecology, or related field preferred for senior coordinator roles and modeling-heavy responsibilities.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Ecology / Wildlife Biology
Conservation Biology
Ecology / Environmental Science
Forestry / Natural Resource Management
GIS / Spatial Ecology
Statistics / Quantitative Ecology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive field and analytical experience in wildlife monitoring, habitat assessment, or ecological research.

Preferred:

5+ years of professional experience coordinating wildlife monitoring programs, supervising field staff, and leading multi-stakeholder projects.
Demonstrated experience with regulatory permitting, grant writing, and producing technical reports accepted by agencies or funders.
Proven track record of data analysis and publication or technical reporting (peer-reviewed articles, agency reports, management plans).
Field season leadership experience in remote and challenging environments, with relevant safety certifications (WFR or equivalent) and valid driver’s license.
Experience with budget management, procurement, and logistical coordination for multi-site field programs.

Keywords: wildlife ecologist coordinator, wildlife monitoring, camera trap surveys, telemetry, GIS, habitat restoration, population modeling, conservation planning, field research, species recovery.