Conservation Monitoring Scientist

TITLE: Conservation Monitoring Scientist

SALARY & FLSA: $80,168.40 - $ per year; FLSA exempt

The annual starting pay is structured to be competitive and may extend up to the $88,088.00 midpoint of the annual range, reflecting our commitment to offering competitive compensation to qualified candidates.

OPENING DATE: 07/10/2026

CLOSING DATE: 07/24/2026 (This position may close early or be extended depending on how many qualified applications are received.)

JOB TYPE: Regular, Full-time

UNION: Non-Represented

OPENINGS: 1

LOCATION: Hybrid (on grounds 2-3 days/week and remainder work remotely). Frequent international travel is a requirement for this role.

DEPARTMENT: Wildlife Conservation

This position requires frequent international travel, occasionally for multiple weeks at a time.

More than 1.3 million people visit Woodland Park Zoo each year. We connect people with wildlife and remind them of what’s at stake in our changing world. Our job is to motivate people to take action and provide them with the tools needed to join us in saving endangered species. Working for the zoo means upholding our mission, “To save wildlife and inspire everyone to make conservation a priority in their lives.”

Apply today and show us how you zoo.

• You’re a strategic conservationist with a strong science and data foundation:
  You hold an advanced degree in a relevant field and bring experience designing and implementing robust monitoring systems across complex ecosystems. You have deep familiarity with protected area management, ecological fieldwork, and working collaboratively with diverse communities and stakeholders.
• You’re a skilled researcher and analyst:
  You confidently design species monitoring protocols, conduct demographic modeling, and manage ecological and social datasets. Tools like Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Vortex, and Meta Model Manager  are already in your toolkit, and you’re comfortable interpreting complex data for both technical and community audiences.
• You’re a systems‑thinker and effective collaborator:
  You thrive at the intersection of strategy and fieldwork, connecting monitoring insights with adaptive management and long‑term conservation outcomes. You work with government agencies, NGOs, and academic partners to ensure alignment, integration, and innovation.
• You’re organized, adaptable, and mission‑driven:
  Whether you’re developing a ranger patrol system in Papua New Guinea, preparing a grant report, or facilitating a multi‑stakeholder workshop, you balance detail‑oriented precision with big‑picture vision, always keeping species recovery and community priorities front and center.

• Lead the development and refinement of adaptive monitoring strategies across Woodland Park Zoo’s (WPZ) field conservation programs, including participatory methods, community engagement, and multi-level data analysis.
• Oversee program work plans for the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP), particularly in relation to monitoring and protected area management in the YUS Conservation Area.
• Design and implement monitoring protocols for target species, utilizing tools such as population viability analyses, Vortex, Meta Model Manager , and other modeling platforms.
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder engagement processes that align conservation priorities with IUCN and government recovery goals as well as community‑defined success measures.
• Support and evaluate protected area management systems, advising on opportunities for better alignment and integration across governance levels.
• Review and implement best‑practice tools and methodologies for ecological and social data collection, including GIS and SMART. Lead or coordinate field research projects to address knowledge gaps in species monitoring, threat assessment, and land‑use change.
• Collaborate with WPZ’s Animal Care teams and conservation partners to align in‑situ and ex‑situ programs, including species reintroduction and One Plan Approach efforts.
• Manage data integration across internal and external systems (e.g., ZIMS, partner databases), ensuring consistency in…