Sage Grouse Conservation Specialist

The
Calgary Zoo is a conservation leader whose mission is to take and inspire
action to sustain wildlife and wild places. As a not-for-profit charitable
institution, all revenue is reinvested back into conservation activities at the
zoo and around the world.

As an organization, we value effective and collaborative communication and honesty and integrity with an emphasis on customer focus, safety and conservation. If you would like to be part of this team, we have the following limited term position available in our Conservation & Research department:

Sage Grouse Conservation Specialist

Limited Term: February 2015 – January 2018

The main focus of the Centre for Conservation & Research (CCR) is the science of recovering at risk species. The Calgary Zoological Society has recently committed to the establishment of North America’s first zoo-based captive-breeding population of the Greater Sage Grouse. To assist the recovery of one of Canada’s most imperilled species, captive breeding efforts need to be meshed with provincial and national conservation actions that will best improve the long-term sustainability of the species. The Sage Grouse Conservation Specialist will be tasked with collaborating with other stakeholders to optimize research techniques in captive populations that yield applicable solutions to conservation challenges and facilitate adaptive management in both captive and wild situations. In addition, the Sage Grouse Conservation Specialist will be tasked with designing field studies that allow for optimal exchange between wild and captive settings to ultimately benefit the reinforcement or reintroduction of wild sage grouse populations in Canada.

Responsibilities:

• Experimental design in captive and wild settings
• Conduct research at the zoo’s wildlife conservation breeding centre in regards to the successful captive breeding of sage grouse
• Field work in prairie regions of Alberta and Saskatchewan, which may involve radio tracking, capture/release of sage
       grouse and monitoring populations
• Respectful engagement of landowners
• Provision of husbandry recommendations
• Assistance to non-zoo stakeholders
• Co-author publications in high-impact journals
• Present at conferences as requested
• Complete media interviews as necessary
• Act as a collaborative team player in the Centre for Conservation & Research, completing other duties as
       assigned

Qualifications:

• Previous experience with experimental design
• Previous research and/or management experience with Galliforms, ideally in both captive and wild settings
• Demonstrated competency in statistical analyses and modelling
• Good publication record
• 1-2 years of experience in a supervisory role
• A collaborative, respectful, and open-minded team-player
• Achievement of MSc by Phd preferred

Working
Conditions: 

The position will entail an office space in an open-concept environment.  Frequent work will be required in the Calgary Zoo’s offsite-breeding facility, as well as in prairie settings during either summer or winter months.

If you are a highly motivated and experienced individual we invite you to send your resume, along with a covering letter, in confidence, no later than January 25, 2015. Please quote the position in the subject line.