High Divide Headwaters Range Ecologist

Overview

What We Can Achieve Together:
The High Divide Range Ecologist serves as TNC’s primary contact for our collaborative work with ranchers, landowners, and the conservation community to test new technologies, tools, and knowledge aimed at improving the profitability and flexibility of the ranches while improving sagebrush steppe and grassland ecosystem biodiversity and resilience, through purposeful, planned livestock grazing. The Range Ecologist will provide technical leadership and support to achieve collaborative conservation planning, implementing, monitoring, and assessment of livestock grazing plans on ranches across private and/or public lands within the High Divide Headwaters geography of Southwest Montana. The major focus of this body of conservation work will be to seek and test science-based methods (tools, technologies, knowledge) to help keep working ranches profitable and sustainable while improving soil and habitat health and then to foster cross-site learning by sharing economic and environmental outcomes widely within the High Divide Headwaters and beyond. The Range Ecologist will develop and foster relationships to work collaboratively and effectively within conservation planning teams that include ranchers, agency specialists, academia, conservation groups and/or community members. The Range Ecologist will also provide support to colleagues addressing the four key threats affecting the sagebrush ecosystem: conifer encroachment, invasive species management, mesic or riparian degradation and fragmentation caused by human modifications.

Responsibilities and Scope:
• Develops and leads monitoring work groups consisting of staff, interns, partners, and volunteers in western Montana.
• Financial responsibility may include working within a budget to complete projects, negotiating and contracting with vendors, assisting with budget development, and fundraising targets.
• Networks with diverse groups, including ranchers, landowners, academia, neighbors, conservation partners, Tribes, government officials, donors, board members and the general public to recruit support for the Conservancy and publicize Conservancy programs/outcomes.
• Serves as project lead to oversee collaborative development of livestock grazing projects and plans and coordinating plan/project implementation, completing follow-up monitoring, sharing of data, and reporting when required.
• Works under minimal and/or distant supervision; will make some independent decisions based on analysis, experience and context.
• Will work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, in occupied grizzly bear habitat, and under physically demanding circumstances.

What You’ll Bring:
• BA/BS in Rangeland Ecology/Management or similar field and 5 years’ experience in natural resource management or related field OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with plant identification and soil classification.
• Experience in managing, and training staff or volunteers.
• Relationship building experience to work closely with a variety of partners.
• Experience completing tasks independently with respect to timeline(s).
• Experience using applications such as Word, Excel, web browsers.
• Experience using spatial software apps, including ArcGIS Field Maps & Pro, Survey123.
• Experience with communication via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.

Additional Position Information:
This is a term position with secured funding through September 2029.

Salary Information:
The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $62,000 – $68,000 for annual base salary depending on experience. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate’s location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.