Senior Ecologist

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The Senior Ecologist provides ecological and biodiversity expertise across Peace Parks’ operations, ensuring programmes and projects are grounded in sound science, aligned with environmental safeguards, and support organisational goals. Based in the Geospatial, Planning and Science (GPS) Unit, the role strengthens conservation practice and enhances the ecological integrity and resilience of priority landscapes by driving evidence-based decision-making and promoting innovative conservation approaches.

Key functions include providing strategic ecological advice and capacity building; supporting research, monitoring, surveillance, and MEL processes to inform adaptive management and assess conservation impact; overseeing environmental safeguards to mitigate risks and ensure compliance; guiding conservation planning and management of protected areas and landscapes; and contributing to programme development and resource mobilisation to advance ecological and biodiversity priorities. The role connects science to practice, promotes innovation, and ensures standards compliance (national and international).

Based at head office with regular field travel, the Senior Ecologist collaborates with internal teams, external partners, and government authorities to coordinate technical inputs, build capacity, and uphold ecological integrity across transfrontier conservation initiatives.

This role includes both strategic advisory responsibilities and direct leadership of ecological programme implementation in priority landscapes (e.g., coordinating and implementing wildlife monitoring, habitat restoration, and species protection programmes).

• Provide expert ecological and biodiversity guidance to field teams and head office units to ensure the integration of scientific knowledge and adaptive management approaches into policies, strategies, plans and operational programmes.
• Identify and advise on ecological priorities across landscapes, including habitat restoration, species conservation, invasive species management, climate change adaptation, and ecosystem connectivity.
• Lead and coordinate the development, review, and implementation of ecological management instruments, ensuring alignment with best practice, risk mitigation considerations, and adaptive management principles.
• Chair and/or actively participate in cross‑functional committees, forums, and working groups to promote evidence‑based decision‑making and influence ecological and conservation priorities across regions and programmes.
• Lead knowledge exchange and capacity building efforts by synthesising and sharing ecological insights through platforms such as the Peace Lab, workshops, and learning events, and by providing structured mentorship, supervision, and professional development support to landscape ecologists and field staff where required.

• Lead and support teams to design and establish ecological research, surveillance, and monitoring frameworks, including the selection of key attributes and indicators, development of methodologies, and alignment with organisational and landscape level conservation objectives and environmental safeguards.
• Provide guidance and technical support or lead the implementation of monitoring and research programmes and activities in priority landscapes, including advising on innovative technology, tools and approaches, data collection, data analysis for reporting, and the development of adaptive management responses based on findings.
• Ensure robust ecological and biodiversity data management processes, including quality assurance, ethical and scientific integrity, secure storage, and accessibility to support ongoing decision‑making and learning.
• Conduct ecological and biodiversity field assessments where required (e.g., flora and fauna surveys, habitat mapping, ecosystem evaluations) to support baseline understanding and outcome tracking.
• Provide advice on organisational‑level Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning…