Research Assistant III - Florida Grasshopper Sparrows
Full-time • Venus, FL
Benefits:
- Paid Vacation & Sick Leave
- Paid Holidays
- 403B Retirement Plan
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Training & development
- Vision insurance
- Wellness resources
About the Role:
We are seeking a Research Assistant III to join our team at Archbold Biological Station - Avon Park Florida. This role offers the opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, conducting important research in the long-term demographic research and management of the federally threatened Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus, FGSP) at Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) in Avon Park, Florida.
The Conservation Science of Military Landscapes Program at Archbold Biological Station reports to Dr. Todd Jones. This position is part of a 30+ year study on threatened, endangered, and at-risk species (TES) at APAFR, funded through a cooperative agreement with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U. S. Air Force (USAF).
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Under minimal supervision, perform research tasks (field work, data management and analysis, lab work, and report writing) relevant to management and conservation of FGSPs and other TES at APAFR.
- Field work including but not limited to mapping territories, trapping and banding birds (including nestlings, juveniles, and adults), resighting color-banded birds, conducting censuses, conducting habitat assessments, finding, monitoring, and protecting nests, and coordinating and releasing captive bred sparrows. May also assist colleagues with field work on FGSPs at a nearby private cattle ranch and with other TES including the Florida Scrub-Jay and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Coordinate with program staff to ensure all fieldwork is complete.
- Coordinate with program staff to manage inventory, care, and use of technical equipment.
- Be responsible for data entry and database management for FGSPs.
- Assist program director with writing annual reports to USFWS and USAF, and potential collaborations on peer-reviewed manuscripts drawing from long-term databases.
- May present papers at scientific meetings (e.g., Archbold and statewide meetings) in collaboration with supervisor and/or collaborators.
- Collaborate with USFWS liaison, USAF biologists, and land managers for APAFR activities
- Participate in and work with collaborators in the FGSP working group
This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) requiring lab and field work. Base pay starting at $17.50 per hour - pay commensurate with experience. Archbold also offers a variety of health benefits and paid time off such as sick leave, paid vacations and holidays.
Travel/Housing
- Station vehicles are provided for all research activities.
- Position may require occasional travel to conferences, scientific meetings, workshops, or other professional gatherings.
- Housing not provided; temporary housing at relocation may be available.
Work Environment
- With oversight from supervisor and Archbold human resources, conduct recruitment, training, supervision, and evaluation for staff and students/interns/volunteers engaged on projects within the program.
- Will regularly navigate and work alone in the field with a map (paper and on Field Maps on smart phone) and operate a radio to communicate with Air Force Range Control.
- Tolerance for early mornings, extreme heat/humidity, rain, and biting insects
- Work on some weekends when necessary
Required Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent level of scientific experience
- Valid driver’s license required
- 1-2 years experience watching, recording, and interpreting bird behavior, banding birds, managing projects, nest searching and monitoring, conducting wildlife surveys and vegetation sampling, mentoring technicians/interns preferred
- Experience communicating to the public a plus
We seek a candidate expected for a minimum tenure to the end of the current cooperative agreement funding the position:
June 2027 - 2 years
June 2027 - 2 years
This information is not designed to be a complete inventory of the job duties, responsibilities, and qualifications. Rather, it’s designed to give the general nature and level of work to be performed by an employee assigned to this job title. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Questions about this role may be directed to Dr. Todd Jones (tjones@archbold-station.org)
To Apply:
For full consideration please apply online at Archbold Careers page by January 5, 2025.
You will be asked a few questions before you are prompted to upload the following in a single pdf titled with your name:
Cover letter outlining experience relevant to the job responsibilities listed and describing how this position aligns with your personal goals, a CV/resume, and the names and contact information for three references.
For full consideration please apply online at Archbold Careers page by January 5, 2025.
You will be asked a few questions before you are prompted to upload the following in a single pdf titled with your name:
Cover letter outlining experience relevant to the job responsibilities listed and describing how this position aligns with your personal goals, a CV/resume, and the names and contact information for three references.
Compensation: $17.50 per hour
Archbold is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected status. Archbold will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Archbold stands proud of its collaborative culture and all dimensions of diversity in the workplace equally and works to ensure that everyone feels a sense of inclusion and belonging.
Archbold's mission is to build and share the scientific knowledge needed to protect the life, lands, and waters of Florida, and beyond. Archbold’s footprint encompasses the ancient scrub habitats of the Lake Wales Ridge; the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape; the vast, open ranchlands of Central Florida; and the many waterways that flow south into Lake Okeechobee and then drain to the coasts, touching the lives of millions of Floridians. Archbold studies and protects these natural wonders as ecosystems: as complex networks shaped by measurable natural processes. Our dozens of research sites encompass the pristine sand dunes of the Lake Wales Ridge; the ranchlands and wetlands that make up much of Central Florida; and the rivers that flow south into Lake Okeechobee and beyond.
Today Archbold stewards a rich mosaic of natural habitats, native ecosystems, working lands, and historic buildings at Archbold Biological Station and Buck Island Ranch. The Station and the Ranch serve as the place-based crucible for our innovative science, conservation, and education programs. These draw from a long, deep history, dating back from our beginnings, founded by Richard Archbold in 1941.
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