Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wildlife Manager

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires an experienced Wildlife Manager to lead and implement conservation programs that protect native species and habitats, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver measurable ecological outcomes. The Wildlife Manager will design and execute monitoring programs, supervise field crews and contractors, manage budgets and grants, engage stakeholders (government, NGOs, landowners, and the public), and translate science into practical, results-driven management actions. This role balances fieldwork and strategic leadership and requires demonstrated experience in wildlife biology, habitat restoration, and program delivery.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wildlife Technician / Field Technician
Wildlife Biologist / Ecologist (Entry to Mid-level)
Park Ranger or Natural Resource Technician

Advancement To:

Senior Wildlife Manager / Lead Biologist
Director of Conservation / Natural Resources Manager
Regional Species Recovery Program Manager

Lateral Moves:

Habitat Restoration Manager
Natural Resource Specialist / Environmental Planner
Conservation Program Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the design, implementation and evaluation of population monitoring programs (e.g., point counts, transects, camera trapping, telemetry, mark-recapture) to assess species abundance, distribution, trends, and demographic parameters, ensuring robust sampling design and statistically defensible methods.
Develop and execute habitat assessments and restoration plans that identify limiting factors for target species, prioritize restoration actions, coordinate contractors, and monitor vegetation and habitat response over time.
Oversee all field operations including planning field seasons, assigning tasks, supervising seasonal and permanent field crews, ensuring crew safety, and maintaining high quality, reproducible field data collection standards.
Prepare, manage and report on multi-year budgets for wildlife programs, including forecasting costs, tracking expenditures, managing contracts, and ensuring financial compliance with organizational and grantor requirements.
Coordinate permitting and regulatory compliance for wildlife-related activities (ESA consultations, state wildlife permits, hunting seasons, take permits, NEPA review, Section 404/401 coordination) and prepare permit applications and required environmental documentation.
Lead species-specific recovery and management plans for sensitive, threatened, endangered, or priority species including goal setting, action prioritization, timelines, and measurable success criteria.
Design and implement capture, handling, and tagging programs (e.g., banding, PIT tags, GPS/VHF telemetry) following animal welfare protocols, institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) approvals, and safety procedures.
Analyze ecological and monitoring data using statistical software (R, Python, or similar), population models, and GIS to produce actionable reports, technical memos, spatial products, and maps that inform management decisions.
Write and submit competitive grant proposals and manage awarded grants, including scope development, deliverable tracking, budget reconciliation, and compliance reporting to funders.
Build and maintain collaborative relationships with federal, state, and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, landowners, and academic partners to leverage resources and align conservation objectives.
Provide technical guidance and review for environmental impact assessments, habitat suitability modeling, land management plans, and project design to mitigate impacts on wildlife and habitat.
Develop and deliver clear, audience-appropriate outreach, education, and stewardship programs for stakeholders and the public, including presentations, workshops, field days, and interpretive materials.
Implement and oversee invasive species monitoring and control programs that prioritize threat reduction to native species and integrate adaptive management approaches.
Manage databases and GIS datasets (ArcGIS/QGIS) for tracking species occurrences, habitat condition, treatment implementation, and monitoring results; ensure data quality control, metadata, and long-term accessibility.
Negotiate and manage conservation easements, landowner agreements, and cooperative working arrangements to secure habitat protection and implement on-the-ground actions on private and public lands.
Develop and implement adaptive management frameworks by setting monitoring triggers, evaluating outcomes, updating management actions, and documenting lessons learned to improve program effectiveness.
Supervise, mentor, and evaluate technical staff and seasonal crews, including hiring, training, performance management, and fostering a safety-first, inclusive field culture.
Coordinate logistics for field operations (vehicles, boats, ATVs, equipment procurement, safety kits) and ensure compliance with occupational safety regulations and site-specific hazard plans.
Prepare clear, timely technical reports, permit-required documentation, scientific manuscripts, and internal briefings that synthesize monitoring results, management efficacy, and policy implications.
Lead rapid response and conflict mitigation efforts for wildlife-human interactions or emergency situations (e.g., disease outbreak, species stranding, catastrophic habitat loss), coordinating with relevant agencies and stakeholders.
Monitor and evaluate program performance through key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics; produce annual work plans, strategic plans, and performance summaries to inform leadership and funding partners.
Drive continuous improvement by integrating new technologies and methodologies (drones/UAS, remote sensing, automated recorders, eDNA) into monitoring and management workflows to increase efficiency and data quality.

Secondary Functions

Support development of public-facing content including webpages, press releases, and social media posts highlighting program achievements and volunteer opportunities.
Assist with community science programs, volunteer coordination, and training materials to expand monitoring capacity and public engagement.
Conduct periodic internal and external audits of data management and field protocols to ensure compliance with institutional standards and funder requirements.
Provide subject-matter expertise for interdisciplinary teams working on land use planning, wildfire management, and climate adaptation strategies that intersect with wildlife conservation.
Participate in regional working groups, technical advisory committees, and stakeholder forums to represent organizational priorities and foster collaborative solutions.
Identify opportunities for operational efficiency, cost savings, or revenue generation (fee-for-service surveys, consulting, educational programs) to support program sustainability.
Maintain and calibrate field equipment (telemetry receivers, camera traps, GPS units, water quality instruments) and coordinate repairs or replacements as needed.
Contribute to post-project evaluations and lessons-learned documents to inform future bids, proposals, and program designs.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in field-based wildlife survey techniques (point counts, transects, trapping, camera trapping, acoustic monitoring) with demonstrated experience designing statistically-sound sampling protocols.
Advanced competency with GIS software (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS) for spatial analysis, habitat mapping, and producing publication-quality maps.
Experience with telemetry and tagging technologies (VHF, GPS, satellite tags) including deployment, tracking, data processing and analysis.
Strong quantitative analysis skills with experience in R, Python, or similar statistical packages for population modeling, occupancy modeling, and trend analyses.
Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state wildlife regulations, endangered species act (ESA) requirements, NEPA processes, and permit application procedures.
Proven grant writing and fund management skills, including preparation of scopes of work, budgets, deliverables, and funder reporting.
Experience in habitat restoration techniques (native revegetation, erosion control, wetland restoration) and the ability to create and supervise restoration work plans.
Ability to manage large datasets and use database platforms (MS Access, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, or similar) and maintain rigorous data QA/QC and metadata standards.
Project management skills, including creating timelines, managing subcontractors, overseeing procurement, and ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery.
Familiarity with remote sensing, drones/UAS operations for ecological surveys, and processing of imagery for vegetation and habitat assessments.
Certifications/permits as applicable: IACUC oversight familiarity, state wildlife handling permits, commercial driver’s license (CDL) or boat operator license, pesticide applicator license where relevant.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and team management skills with a track record of supervising multidisciplinary teams and seasonal field crews.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for technical report writing, public speaking, and stakeholder engagement.
Proven ability to build consensus and maintain productive partnerships across agencies, NGOs, tribal governments, and private landowners.
Strategic thinker with the ability to translate scientific data into practical, implementable conservation actions and measurable outcomes.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities, adaptable in a dynamic field environment and capable of prioritizing multiple concurrent projects.
Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills and the ability to maintain accurate records under tight deadlines.
Cultural competency and the ability to work respectfully with diverse communities and Indigenous partners.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills for working through landowner concerns, stakeholder disputes, and interagency issues.
Safety-minded with experience managing field safety programs and promoting a culture of risk mitigation and incident reporting.
Mentoring and capacity-building skills to develop junior staff and seasonal workers into competent field practitioners.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Ecology, Natural Resources, Environmental Science, or closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree (MSc) or higher in Wildlife Biology, Ecology, Conservation Biology, Natural Resource Management, or related discipline; doctoral degree advantageous for research-intensive positions.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Biology
Ecology / Conservation Biology
Natural Resource Management
Environmental Science
Fisheries Biology (where multi-taxa management is required)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5–10 years of progressively responsible experience in wildlife management, field ecology, habitat restoration, or related conservation work.

Preferred:

7+ years of program or project management experience, with at least 2–3 years in a supervisory role and demonstrated success managing budgets, grants, permitting, and multi-stakeholder projects.
Documented experience leading species recovery or habitat restoration programs, publishing or presenting monitoring results, and successful grant acquisition.

Certifications (preferred): First Aid/CPR, Wilderness First Responder (WFR), professional certifications in project management or GIS, relevant state/federal wildlife permits.