Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wildlife Research Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Wildlife Research Coordinator leads and coordinates applied wildlife research and monitoring programs that support conservation outcomes, regulatory compliance, habitat restoration, and species recovery. This role combines field survey design and implementation, animal handling and telemetry, data management and analysis, grant and budget oversight, partner and stakeholder engagement, and technical reporting. The ideal candidate balances strong field skills (wildlife surveys, capture/handling, telemetry, GPS/GIS), quantitative analysis (R, Python, SQL), and program management experience to deliver high-quality, timely conservation science.

Primary SEO keywords: Wildlife Research Coordinator, wildlife monitoring, field surveys, habitat assessment, GIS, telemetry, permit compliance, conservation research, data analysis, grant management.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Technician / Wildlife Field Technician performing species surveys and habitat assessments.
Research Assistant or Laboratory Technician supporting ecological studies.
Wildlife Rehabilitator or Seasonal Biologist with experience in capture and handling.

Advancement To:

Senior Wildlife Biologist or Lead Field Biologist responsible for multiple projects.
Research Program Manager or Conservation Program Manager overseeing staff and budgets.
Technical Director for monitoring and evaluation within NGOs or government agencies.

Lateral Moves:

GIS Analyst or Spatial Ecologist focusing on remote sensing and mapping.
Conservation Outreach Coordinator or Community Engagement Specialist working with stakeholders and education programs.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, implement, and coordinate comprehensive wildlife monitoring programs, including protocol development for point counts, transects, camera traps, acoustic monitoring, mist-netting, live capture, and telemetry, ensuring statistically robust sampling and alignment with project objectives.
Lead day-to-day field operations for multi-site studies: recruit and train field crews, develop field schedules, assign tasks, ensure quality control of field data collection, and maintain safety and permitting compliance.
Oversee capture, handling, and sampling of wildlife using approved methods (mist netting, live traps, darting, net guns, dip nets), ensure humane treatment, follow Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols, and maintain animal welfare documentation.
Manage wildlife telemetry projects, including deployment and retrieval of VHF/GPS/ satellite tags, troubleshooting transmitters, analyzing movement data, and coordinating telemetry flights or boat operations as required.
Prepare, submit, and maintain regulatory permits and authorizations (state and federal wildlife permits, ESA consultations, protected species handling permits), ensure permit conditions are met, and coordinate compliance reporting.
Develop and manage project budgets and grant proposals: prepare budgets, track expenditures, manage subcontractors, reallocate funds as needed, and deliver fiscal reports to funders and organizational leadership.
Serve as principal data steward: design data collection templates, enforce data standards, perform data QA/QC, maintain relational databases, and ensure secure long-term data archiving and metadata documentation.
Conduct data analysis and interpretation using statistical software (R, Python, or similar), implement occupancy, abundance, survival, and movement models, generate figures and maps, and translate quantitative results into actionable conservation recommendations.
Produce high-quality technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, management plans, and permitting documentation; edit and synthesize scientific literature and prepare written deliverables for diverse audiences, including regulators and community stakeholders.
Lead spatial analyses using GIS and remote sensing (ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth Engine), create habitat suitability models, map species distributions, analyze landscape change, and generate project maps for reports and presentations.
Coordinate and manage multi-stakeholder collaborations with government agencies, NGOs, landowners, industry partners, and academic institutions to align research objectives, share data, and implement conservation actions.
Oversee equipment procurement and maintenance: manage inventories of field gear, telemetry receivers, traps, cameras, GPS units, drones/UAS, and laboratory consumables; ensure equipment calibration and safe storage.
Train staff and volunteers in field methods, safety protocols (first aid, ATV/boat operation, wildlife handling), data collection procedures, and species identification; develop training materials and run in-person and virtual workshops.
Implement and enforce field safety and risk management practices: create site-specific safety plans, conduct pre-field briefings, maintain incident logs, ensure first aid supplies and emergency response procedures are in place.
Lead community outreach and education components of projects: host public meetings, prepare outreach materials, present findings to stakeholders, and develop citizen science protocols to expand monitoring capacity.
Manage sample processing and laboratory coordination: coordinate sorting, genetic sampling, tissue or blood handling, coordinate with labs for DNA, stable isotope, or disease testing, and ensure chain-of-custody documentation.
Monitor and evaluate project performance using adaptive management approaches: assess monitoring results, refine survey protocols, adjust field effort, and implement changes to improve data quality and conservation outcomes.
Coordinate logistics for complex field campaigns, including vehicle and vessel scheduling, remote camp setup, supply chain management, lodging, permits for access, and coordination with land managers and private property owners.
Ensure all project outputs adhere to institutional and funder data-sharing agreements and open-data mandates; prepare data packages, embargoes, and metadata for public repositories.
Supervise, mentor, and appraise field technicians and junior researchers: set performance goals, provide constructive feedback, conduct performance reviews, and support career development.
Support grant reporting and outreach materials for funders, including progress reports, presentations, infographics, and success stories highlighting conservation impact.

Secondary Functions

Provide technical support for ad-hoc data requests, exploratory analyses, and internal decision-support products used by conservation planners and managers.
Assist in the development of organizational data management plans and contribute to the long-term monitoring strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with internal and external IT teams to translate ecological research needs into data infrastructure and software/tooling requirements.
Participate in project planning meetings, sprint planning, and agile-style coordination for multi-disciplinary research teams.
Maintain and update online project portals and dashboards to communicate real-time monitoring results to partners and stakeholders.
Help develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and laboratory protocols to ensure reproducibility and regulatory compliance.
Support procurement and contracting processes by drafting scopes of work, evaluating vendor bids, and managing purchase orders for specialized services.
Conduct occasional weekend or extended remote field deployments outside normal business hours as projects require.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Wildlife survey design and implementation: proven experience designing and executing point count, transect, camera trap, acoustic, and live capture surveys tailored to target taxa.
Species identification: strong ability to identify regional fauna (birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates) by sight, call, tracks, and sign.
Animal capture and handling: experience with humane trapping, mist-netting, animal restraint, banding/tagging, tissue sampling, and IACUC-approved protocols.
Telemetry and tracking: experience deploying and analyzing VHF, GPS, or satellite telemetry; familiarity with triangulation, home-range estimation, and movement modeling.
GIS and spatial analysis: proficiency with ArcGIS Pro or QGIS, spatial data manipulation, habitat mapping, landcover analysis, and map production.
Statistical analysis and modeling: advanced competency in R or Python for ecological statistics, occupancy/abundance modeling, GLMs, mixed models, and survival analyses.
Data management and QA/QC: experience designing data schemas, relational databases or spreadsheets, implementing QA/QC workflows, and preparing datasets for repositories.
Remote sensing and imagery analysis: experience processing and interpreting satellite/airborne imagery and LiDAR for habitat classification and change detection.
Laboratory and sample handling: experience with field-to-lab workflows, chain-of-custody procedures, genetic or disease sampling coordination, and basic lab processing.
Permit and regulatory compliance: demonstrated record of obtaining and maintaining federal, state, and local wildlife permits, and ensuring project compliance.
Grant writing and fiscal management: experience preparing grant applications, managing project budgets, tracking expenses, and reporting to funders.
Field safety, first aid, and risk management: certifications such as Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and experience developing field safety plans and emergency response protocols.
Equipment management: proficiency with GPS units, rangefinders, camera traps, autonomous recording units (ARUs), drones/UAS, and field data loggers.
Remote field operations: experience planning and executing logistics for remote or multi-day field camps, including supply planning and transportation coordination.
Technical writing and reporting: ability to draft technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, permits, and management recommendations with clear scientific communication.

(At least 10 of the above should be present in most professional Wildlife Research Coordinator postings.)

Soft Skills

Leadership and team management: ability to lead multidisciplinary field teams, mentor junior staff, and maintain positive team dynamics under challenging field conditions.
Communication: strong verbal and written communication skills for technical reports, stakeholder briefings, grant narratives, and public outreach.
Project management: excellent organizational skills, prioritization, time management, and ability to keep projects on schedule and within budget.
Problem-solving and adaptability: capacity to troubleshoot field and analytical challenges, adapt to changing conditions, and apply creative solutions.
Collaboration and diplomacy: experience working with diverse stakeholders — landowners, government regulators, NGOs, and academic partners — to achieve shared conservation goals.
Attention to detail: rigorous focus on data quality, protocol adherence, and precise documentation.
Cultural sensitivity and community engagement: ability to engage respectfully with local communities and indigenous groups, incorporate local knowledge, and build trust.
Decision-making under pressure: capability to make sound, timely decisions in remote or emergency situations.
Teaching and training: experience developing and delivering training for volunteers and staff, including virtual and in-person formats.
Ethical judgment: strong commitment to animal welfare, data integrity, and professional research ethics.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology, Ecology, Conservation Biology, Zoology, Natural Resources, Environmental Science, or related biological sciences.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or higher in Wildlife Ecology, Conservation Biology, Ecology, or related field with demonstrated research experience.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Biology / Ecology
Conservation Biology
Zoology
Natural Resource Management
Environmental Science
Geographic Information Science (for GIS-rich roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of progressive field and research experience for Coordinator-level roles.

Preferred:

5+ years of experience coordinating multi-site wildlife monitoring projects, demonstrated permit and grant management, telemetry expertise, and supervisory experience.

Additional desirable qualifications: published peer-reviewed research, demonstrated success securing external funding, advanced statistical modeling experience (e.g., occupancy models, mark-recapture), and certifications in wilderness first aid, boat/ATV operation, or professional GIS credentials.