Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wildlife Research Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Wildlife Research Manager leads the design, implementation and synthesis of applied wildlife research and monitoring programs that inform conservation actions and policy. This role combines field leadership, quantitative data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and program administration to deliver robust ecological science on schedule and within budget. The Wildlife Research Manager oversees field crews, manages permits and equipment, secures and manages funding, and translates scientific results into clear recommendations for managers, partners and the public.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Biologist / Wildlife Technician with supervisory experience
Research Assistant or Postdoctoral Researcher in ecology or wildlife biology
Conservation Program Coordinator or Monitoring Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Research Scientist / Principal Investigator
Conservation Program Director or Head of Science
Director of Monitoring and Evaluation

Lateral Moves:

Conservation Policy Analyst
Protected Areas Manager
GIS & Spatial Analysis Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, develop and implement rigorous field research and long-term monitoring programs for target species and habitats, including sampling design, statistical power analysis, and data quality protocols to ensure scientifically defensible results.
Lead and supervise multi-disciplinary field teams (seasonal technicians, students, contractors), including recruitment, training, scheduling, safety oversight, performance evaluation, and mentoring to maintain high-quality field operations.
Oversee telemetry and tracking programs (VHF, GPS/GSM, satellite, acoustic tags), including deployment planning, receiver arrays, data retrieval, quality control, and troubleshooting of field hardware and software.
Manage large-scale camera trap, acoustic monitoring, and remote sensing deployments, including site selection, permitting, equipment maintenance, data ingestion, and scalable workflows for image/audio processing.
Develop and implement standardized data management systems and metadata practices (databases, cloud storage, backups) to maintain data integrity, reproducibility, and accessibility for internal teams and external partners.
Conduct advanced quantitative analysis of ecological data using R, Python, or other statistical software (population models, occupancy, survival, movement, habitat selection, species distribution models) and clearly document analytical workflows for reproducibility.
Produce high-quality technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and management-ready summaries that synthesize findings, interpret conservation implications, and provide clear recommendations for decision-makers and stakeholders.
Prepare, manage and report on research budgets, procurement, grant funds, and contracts; ensure fiscal accountability, track expenditures, and optimize resource allocation to meet project objectives.
Lead proposal development and grant-writing efforts to secure external funding from government agencies, foundations, and partners; develop scopes of work, budgets, and timelines tailored to funder requirements.
Ensure compliance with federal, state/provincial and local regulatory requirements, including wildlife permits, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols, handling and transport regulations, and land access agreements.
Coordinate logistics for complex field operations (transportation, accommodations, equipment shipping, safety protocols, seasonal planning), balancing cost-efficiency with field effectiveness and staff welfare.
Build and maintain partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, Indigenous groups, private landowners, and community stakeholders to align research with management needs and foster collaborative outcomes.
Translate scientific results into outreach materials, presentations, and workshops for lay audiences, stakeholders, and the media to increase the visibility and impact of conservation actions.
Implement rigorous health and safety programs for fieldwork, including risk assessments, emergency response planning, training in wilderness first aid, and COVID-19 or other relevant biosecurity protocols as appropriate.
Supervise and mentor students, interns and early-career researchers to cultivate research capacity, provide training in field and analytical methods, and support professional development opportunities.
Develop and standardize field protocols, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) measures to ensure consistency across multi-year and multi-site studies.
Manage inventory and maintenance of specialized equipment (traps, telemetry receivers, drones, boats, vehicles, lab gear), coordinate repairs, and plan for equipment replacement and calibration schedules.
Coordinate spatial analyses and mapping products using GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS) and remote sensing data to produce habitat maps, distribution models, and visualizations for reports and stakeholder briefings.
Monitor and evaluate program performance using metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), prepare progress reports for funders and governance bodies, and adapt research plans responsively to emergent findings or management priorities.
Facilitate interdisciplinary integration of research findings with policy and management teams to ensure science is actionable, including participation in advisory panels, working groups, and stakeholder negotiations.
Lead post-field data curation, archiving, and deposition of datasets to institutional or public repositories with appropriate metadata and data-access agreements to support transparency and reuse.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc analyses and rapid-response monitoring for management needs, including emergency assessments after disturbance events (fires, oil spills, infrastructure development).
Contribute to organizational strategy by identifying research priorities, emerging technologies (eDNA, bioacoustics, automated image recognition), and opportunities for program scale-up or innovation.
Assist communications and fundraising teams with technical review of proposals, outreach collateral, and science messaging to strengthen public engagement and donor relations.
Provide subject matter expertise to inform environmental impact assessments, mitigation planning, and permitting processes for land-use and development projects.
Participate in internal project planning, budgeting cycles, and strategic planning meetings to align research objectives with organizational goals and conservation outcomes.
Maintain active professional networks by presenting at conferences, contributing to professional societies, and publishing methods and findings in accessible formats.
Coordinate with GIS and data teams to improve automated workflows for data ingestion, QA/QC, and visualization to accelerate decision-making for managers and partners.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced field research design and implementation for wildlife ecology and monitoring programs.
Proficiency in statistical analysis and ecological modeling using R (tidyverse, lme4, unmarked, mgcv) and/or Python (pandas, scipy, PyMC).
Experience with telemetry systems (VHF, GPS/GSM, satellite) and movement ecology analyses (e.g., home range, step selection functions).
Strong GIS and spatial analysis skills (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, spatial R packages), including habitat mapping and species distribution modeling.
Established data management practices: relational databases (Postgres/PostGIS), data cleaning, metadata standards, and cloud-based storage/workflows.
Familiarity with remote sensing and imagery analysis (Landsat, Sentinel, LiDAR) for habitat and landscape change detection.
Practical knowledge of bioacoustics and automated detection workflows, camera trap image classification, or eDNA sampling where relevant.
Grant writing and fund development experience, including proposal drafting, budget preparation, and funder reporting.
Project and personnel management skills: creating timelines, managing budgets, contractual oversight, and supervising multi-disciplinary teams.
Regulatory compliance and permitting expertise: wildlife collection/handling permits, IACUC, environmental assessment processes, and land access agreements.
Strong technical writing: peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, SOPs, and management-oriented synthesis products.
Field safety and logistics management: wilderness first aid, risk assessments, emergency planning, and field equipment maintenance.

Soft Skills

Leadership and team-building: motivating diverse field teams, mentoring students, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.
Clear oral and written communication: translating complex science into actionable recommendations for managers, stakeholders and the public.
Stakeholder engagement and diplomacy: building partnerships with agencies, Indigenous communities, landowners and NGOs.
Problem-solving and adaptability: making evidence-based adjustments in dynamic field conditions and evolving research questions.
Time management and prioritization: balancing multiple projects, deadlines, and funding cycles effectively.
Attention to detail and organizational skills for rigorous data stewardship and QA/QC.
Initiative and creativity: identifying new methods, technologies, or partnerships to advance conservation outcomes.
Ethical judgment and integrity in research conduct, animal welfare, and data-sharing practices.
Facilitation and presentation skills for workshops, training sessions, and community meetings.
Resilience and stress tolerance for demanding field seasons and remote work environments.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology, Ecology, Conservation Biology, Zoology, Environmental Science or closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree or PhD in Wildlife Ecology, Conservation Science, Ecology, or related discipline preferred for senior roles or programs with strong research emphasis.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Biology
Ecology / Conservation Biology
Environmental Science
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Statistics / Quantitative Ecology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–10+ years of field and research experience in wildlife monitoring, with at least 2–3 years supervising field teams or managing projects.

Preferred:

7+ years leading applied wildlife research or monitoring programs, demonstrated success securing external funding, managing budgets, and publishing scientific results.
Proven experience coordinating multi-stakeholder projects, navigating permitting/regulatory frameworks, and delivering management-relevant products on schedule.