Biomonitoring Coordinator

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

The Wildlife Conservation Society is a nonprofit conservation organization established in 1895. It works in more than 60 countries to protect wildlife and wild places through science, conservation action, education and partnerships with communities and institutions.

WCS has worked in Nigeria since 2001, protecting critical habitats and species including the Cross River gorilla, savannah and forest elephants and other threatened wildlife. Its Nigeria programme supports protected-area management, community livelihoods and access to water, sanitation and hygiene services in Cross River and Bauchi states.

ROLE PURPOSE

The Biomonitoring Coordinator will support the design, implementation and management of biodiversity-monitoring systems across WCS Nigeria landscapes. The role will ensure robust ecological-data collection, analysis and reporting to support adaptive conservation management and donor compliance.

The position reports to the Program Manager.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and implement ecological and socioeconomic monitoring systems with the Conservation Impact Manager.
• Lead ecological-data collection and coordinate socioeconomic-data collection using SMART/EarthRanger, camera traps, bioacoustics, remote sensing, GIS and KoboToolbox.
• Manage data-quality control, storage and analysis.
• Produce scientific reports, publications and donor-compliant outputs.
• Supervise and support field teams implementing monitoring protocols and surveys.
• Lead biomonitoring training for staff and rangers concerning ecological tools, methods and data analysis.
• Collaborate with site coordinators, project leads and partner organizations to harmonize monitoring approaches and share data.
• Provide evidence-based conservation recommendations.
• Support assessments of threats including poaching, encroachment and human–elephant conflict.
• Contribute to scientific knowledge products, presentations and stakeholder workshops.
• Integrate ecological monitoring with community-engagement initiatives.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in Ecology, Conservation Biology, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Studies or a closely related field.
• A doctoral degree is an advantage.
• At least three years of progressively responsible experience in biodiversity monitoring, natural-resource management or conservation programmes.
• Experience in protected-area management or conservation landscapes, preferably in Nigeria.
• Experience with SMART/EarthRanger, GIS, remote sensing and field methods such as transects, camera trapping, bioacoustics and aerial surveys.
• Programme or project-management experience involving field-team supervision, administration, donor reporting and compliance.
• Demonstrated technical-writing ability and experience producing scientific reports and publications.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Ecological and socioeconomic-data analysis.
• Biomonitoring-system design.
• Data-quality assurance and information management.
• Conservation research and scientific reporting.
• Field-team supervision and capacity strengthening.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Organization, planning and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams and remote environments.
• Results orientation, initiative and solution-focused working.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Willingness to undertake regular field travel within Nigeria.
• Commitment to wildlife conservation and WCS values.

CONTRACT DETAILS

• Employment type: Full-time.
• Contract type: Fixed-term.
• Duration: Thirteen months, renewable subject to funding.
• Duty station: Calabar, Cross River State, with travel to Bauchi State.
• Reports to: Program Manager.
• Eligibility: Nigerian nationals only.
• Salary: Not specified.
• Benefits: Competitive compensation and benefits; exact provisions are not specified.
• Number of positions: Not specified.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

SAFEGUARDING AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

WCS is an equal-opportunity employer committed to an inclusive and diverse workforce. Women are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants are not required to pay any recruitment or application fee.

Role-specific safeguarding and background-check requirements: Not specified.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

This is an email application. No online application link is required.

Applicants must combine their cover letter and résumé into one PDF document and email it to nigeriajobs@wcs.org.

The email subject must be written in capital letters as:

BIOMONITORING COORDINATOR, CALABAR

Applications close on 26 August 2026 and are reviewed on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for assessment.