Tribal Forest Stewardship and Restoration Program Research Coordinator

Tribal Forest Stewardship and Restoration Program Research Coordinator (NAU)
Northern Arizona University

• This position is an on-site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.
• This position is subject to the availability of funding. The incumbent is not eligible for Service Professional non-renewal notice, or Classified Staff layoff or recall status.
• This position is posted as Tribal Forest Stewardship and Restoration Program Research Coordinator which is a working title. The NAU system title for this position is Research Coordinator, Senior.
• Driving a vehicle on behalf of the university is anticipated to be a regular part of this position. Arizona Administrative Code Fleet Safety Policy requires all employees who drive on university business become authorized by submitting Driver's license information for driving record monitoring, and completion of training appropriate to the level of driving performed. The law applies to all faculty, staff, and students who drive personal or university-owned motorized vehicles for any business purpose.
  
  More information on the NAU Authorized Driver Policy can be found on the NAU website.

The Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) at Northern Arizona University serves diverse audiences with objective science and implementation strategies that support ecological restoration and climate adaptation on Western forest landscapes. The ERI is nationally recognized as a leader in primary and secondary ecological and social science, scholarship, information exchange, collaborative efforts, and policy analysis supporting forest restoration and fire use. The ERI is one of three congressionally-designated institutes, the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes (SWERI) located in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, focused on bridging science and management to restore western fire‑adapted forests.

The ERI has a Tribal Forest Stewardship and Restoration Program that focuses on building relationships with Tribes to support forest restoration and fire use on Tribal and ancestral lands throughout the Southwest. The ERI Tribal Forest Stewardship and Restoration Program Research Coordinator will implement interdisciplinary and applied science research, outreach, and coordination with partners for the ERI Human Dimensions and Partnerships unit, although they will also work across all ERI units as needed.

This senior research coordinator will be responsible for working closely with the Human Dimensions Program Manager (direct supervisor) and the Director of the Tribal Forest Stewardship and Restoration Program to maintain and develop relationships with Tribes and multiple, diverse partners in the SWERI footprint, primarily focusing on Arizona. This position is grant funded and is subject to the availability of funds.

The ERI has been funded continuously since 1999.

Working closely with Tribal partners, the research coordinator will determine Tribal research and information needs aligning with ERI’s mission of fire management and forest restoration; collaboratively work with partners to develop research projects related to these needs; complete research projects using a variety of social science, political science, and/or biophysical methods; synthesize and publish results in a variety of accessible formats;

ensure that information is readily available and communicated well to Tribal and other partners based on their needs. The research coordinator will work closely with Tribal partners to support increasing capacities for engagement. A key component of this position is not only research but also building relationships and connections to meet Tribal and restoration goals.

The research coordinator is passionate about working closely with Tribal nations and other restoration partners, advancing science‑based forest restoration, using a variety of research methods, and assisting ERI professional staff in communicating new knowledge to interested and affected audiences. These research, partnership, and communication activities serve the goal of accelerating the pace and scale of forest restoration to improve forest health and reduce the risk of catastrophic fire to Tribes, communities, and rural economies.

• 50% Research:
  Design, develop, perform, and guide research, analysis, application, and communication of research. Scientific methods include primary and secondary social science research methods, policy analysis, forestry methods, or other bodies of knowledge aligned with the ERI’s mission and this position’s focus on Tribes.
• Lead or collaborate in the development of publications (white papers, working papers, fact sheets, reports, etc.) as relevant to communicate science findings to Tribes, affected entities, and partners.