Job Title: GIS and Research Specialist
Type of Employment: Part-time (10-20 hours per week), temporary (through September 30, 2023), remote
Compensation: $35/hr
Deadline to apply: May 17
Who We Are:
Rocky Mountain Wild works to protect, connect, and restore wildlife and wildlands in the Southern Rocky Mountain region.
We envision a biologically healthy future for our region – one that includes a diversity of species and ecosystems, thriving populations of wildlife, and a sustainable coexistence between people and nature. Using research, community science, legal action, and advanced geospatial analysis, we offer solutions for conserving our most at-risk animal and plant species and landscapes.
Protecting biodiversity is a BIG job, and we know that we can’t do it alone. We are actively building a diverse community of educators, students, activists, philanthropists, and community scientists to help us make our vision a reality. From providing guidance on our board of directors to helping us collect data in the field, our community makes our work possible – and fun.
The Problem This Position Tries to Solve:
Organizations, communities, and individuals should have clear and detailed information on the activities occurring on our public lands, and that authoritative data should come from the agencies that are approving of these activities. As the conservation community prioritizes 30×30 efforts and works to make public lands a part of the climate solution, we continue to receive requests for spatial data that shows areas open to oil & gas leasing on public lands. Understanding where these lands are located can be the first step in reconsidering areas to be allocated or designated for other resources, and can assist groups in analyzing potential risks or threats associated with development.
About the Job:
We are seeking a GIS and Research Specialist to compile and organize a comprehensive geospatial dataset on public lands open to oil and gas leasing. This role reports to Alison Gallensky, Conservation Geographer at Rocky Mountain Wild. The successful candidate will combine GIS and research experience with a passion for wildlife and wild land protection.
As the GIS and Research Specialist, you’ll have the opportunity to collect data associated with the federal oil and gas leasing program with Rocky Mountain Wild and The Wilderness Society.
Specifically, the GIS and Research Specialist will collect and compile a comprehensive dataset on Bureau of Land Management (the Bureau) lands available for oil and gas leasing, with an associated table of reported acreages. The GIS and Research Specialist will reach out to Bureau field offices to obtain this data and also document where the reported acreage is listed in Resource Management Plans (RMPs) as a method of quality assurance.
Outreach to Bureau field offices may require a fair amount of persistence and thoughtful communication, while the data maintenance and construction will require GIS data processing and data management skills. Both tasks will require an understanding of public land planning and policy, and attention to detail.
What We’re Looking for in a Candidate (position requirements):
To be successful in this job, you will possess most or all of the following:
- 2 – 5 years experience doing similar work (education can partially substitute for work experience)
- Strong communication and diplomacy skills in writing and over the phone
- Well-organized with demonstrated skill in documentation and tracking of work
- Effective time management skills
What We’re Looking for in a Candidate (requested requirements):
- Proficiency in Spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or similar)
- Data acquisition using online resources and email and phone contact
- Understanding of public land planning and policy
- Experience with collecting and processing GIS data in multiple formats
We do not expect candidates to necessarily have experience in all the skills we’ve outlined for this role and are willing to train the right candidate. If you don’t have direct experience with any of these areas, feel free to let us know how other experiences have equipped you to succeed in those parts of the role.
We encourage applications from candidates who identify as members of systemically marginalized communities, including people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or other people of color (BIPOC), LGBTIQA2+ people, previously incarcerated people, refugees, people with Disabilities, etc.
We believe that life experiences can count just as much as formal education or traditional work experience. If you think you’d be great at this job but are worried about the qualifications, you should apply anyway!
Transparency, Accountability, and Aspirations Statement:
Like many other environmental nonprofits with all-white leadership, Rocky Mountain Wild as an organization largely saw issues of social justice as “mission creep” until George Floyd’s murder in the summer of 2020. During the height of the Black Lives Matter and racial liberation movement, the organization began to recognize that our work to protect wildlife and wild lands can’t be removed from and must be informed by human affairs and historical and current systemic racism.
Since January 2022, the new leadership team has restructured our organization into a non-hierarchical format to be a more just, equitable, and inclusive workspace, where everyone feels empowered to speak to their experience, create abundance for discussion and innovation, and create an organization that embodies rather than includes these principles.
We are on this journey together and know we have a long way to go. We seek an individual who is willing to meet us where we are and is invigorated to help us grow into the humanistic and liberatory workspace we eventually hope to be.
Why Work for Rocky Mountain Wild or in This Position?
- Be part of a small but mighty group based in the Western U.S.
- The ability to work remotely on a flexible schedule
- Help answer outstanding questions about what areas are open to oil and gas leasing on public lads (as a first step to reconsidering areas to be allocated or designated for other resources)
- Benefits:
- Vacation accrued at the rate of 4 hours for every 32 hours worked
- Up to 15 hours paid health and wellness leave
- Stipend to help cover the cost of health insurance
Possible Barriers:
For this position, workers will need to provide their own workspace, computer, telephone, and internet service. Rocky Mountain Wild has access to nonprofit companies and discounts to help you obtain a refurbished and reduced-cost computer if needed. Contact Chris at chris@rockymountainwild.org if you would like more information.
How To Apply:
To apply, please send a resume or proposal to Alison Gallensky at gis@rockymountainwild.org no later than May 17. Please include an explanation of your interest and relevant experience with the requested experience (or transferable skills). Rocky Mountain Wild will accept and encourage applicants to send any materials they believe will present them in the best light. That could mean a short video or audio file explaining what they bring to the position, a traditional resume, a skills-based resume, a curriculum vitae, or whatever works best for you and highlights what you wish to highlight.
All applications, regardless of form, will be given the same consideration.
We thank you for your interest in working with Rocky Mountain Wild and appreciate the effort required to apply for this position. All candidates will be contacted by May 24, whether they have been selected for an interview or not. Our schedule for this process is a single virtual interview by phone or video meeting with a possible follow-up.
Employment Equity:
Rocky Mountain Wild is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law.
Rocky Mountain Wild will make accommodations to enable applicants and employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you require any accommodations to submit your application, please contact Chris at chris@rockymountainwild.org.
