California Biodiversity Data Program Manager

About The Opportunity

Help us bring community-collected biodiversity data from iNaturalist into California state decision-making tools by leading the California Biodiversity Data Sharing Collaboration: a partnership between iNaturalist, the California Academy of Sciences, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). This partnership falls under the Academy’s Thriving California initiative, which aims to translate community-driven conservation science into policy and management outcomes and individual on-the-ground actions to regenerate ecosystems. This collaboration is generously supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The California Biodiversity Data Sharing Collaboration Manager (the Manager) will be an innovative, organized, and motivational leader responsible for collaborating with multiple organizations to increase the reach and impact of community-collected biodiversity data, including data shared on iNaturalist, in California. This goal will be accomplished by developing data-sharing pipelines, convening and supporting groups of taxonomic (and other) experts to improve data quality, and creating resources or systems that could be used for place-based collaborations throughout California and beyond. In addition, the Manager will be responsible for the thoughtful development of a decision-making framework for sharing sensitive species information with partners and other requestors. The Manager will be based at the California Academy of Sciences and will report to the Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science, who is also the Director of the Thriving California strategic initiative. The Manager will be a key member of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science team and will work together with this team by collaborating on and sharing their expertise as the team strategizes on community science campaigns, data analysis, and partnerships. This is a new and unique position, please read the announcement carefully and consider applying even if you do not meet every one of the qualifications. This is a full-time, temporary 4-year position, with the possibility for extension.

Organizational Culture

Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values ! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives .

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are intrinsic to Academy culture and operations, from recruitment and retention to science and advocacy.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every one of the qualifications for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. Staff are currently expected to work from the Academy offices at least 2-3 times per week, which may fluctuate based on business needs. Please do not apply if you are not able to work onsite. This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by Cal Academy Workers United. Once the Academy has a Collective Bargaining Agreement with Cal Academy Workers United this position will be subject to the terms and conditions of that contract. Candidates are required to have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment, absent qualifying exemptions in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals receiving a conditional offer of employment from the California Academy of Sciences will be provided the full text of the vaccination policy. The California Academy of Sciences is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace, to protect its employees, volunteers and guests.

About the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science and Thriving California:

The Center for Biodiversity and Community Science works to bring people together to document biodiversity, connect people to their local nature, collect data critical to science and management, and build partnerships to support community science and the use of community-collected data. We accomplish these goals through a variety of programs, including community bioblitzes, City Nature Challenge , and Snapshot Cal Coast , which scaffold collecting biodiversity observations using the iNaturalist platform with in-person community science field experiences. The Center for Biodiversity and Community Science also works on innovative approaches to integrate, analyze, model, synthesize, and visualize these community-contributed biodiversity observations with the ultimate goal to reveal patterns of biodiversity change and produce actionable insights in California and globally. Mobilizing species occurrence data (like iNaturalist data and the data held in the Academy’s collections) for science, policy, management, and conservation, is a core component of the Thriving California initiative.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the CDFW and California Academy of Sciences data teams to develop data-sharing processes that allow for integration of iNaturalist data into CDFW databases
• Develop a system to store, query, and share data shared by iNaturalist and a transparent framework with which to make data-sharing decisions; manage and fulfill data requests as needed
• Research to help identify geographic and taxonomic data gaps across State and iNaturalist datasets that could be addressed through targeted community science campaigns
• Facilitate an advisory committee to make decisions and help deliver on the main goals of the California Biodiversity Data Sharing Collaboration
• Set, organize, and facilitate California Biodiversity Network Community Science and Bioinformatics Roundtable meetings
• Work across the three organizations to identify areas where taxonomy does not align; reach out to other museum and academic partners to understand and address these discrepancies and (where appropriate) work with external taxonomic authorities such as the World Registry of Marine Species (WoRMs), Plants of the World Online (POWO), or the Reptile Database to resolve them.
• Set and run meetings; serve as a neutral facilitator who can guide the team and partners through discussion and decision-making, take notes, track action items, follow up with outstanding action items, and generally keep the work on track
• Help develop a toolkit or set of best practices that other geographies could use to have maximum positive impact on biodiversity by developing community science campaigns using iNaturalist and working with management partners to include the resulting data in decision-making tools
• Compile, monitor, and evaluate progress towards objectives and initiatives and support in report creation, e.g., “success stories” reporting to iNaturalist and objectives reporting to the Moore Foundation
• Manage internal and external communications including regular communication with the three collaborating partner organizations
• Help to research, design, and produce resources to support the Collaboration’s goals
• Help build and manage digital assets and engagement, including website and social media presence across different platforms
• Represent the collaboration across a range of audiences and forums including local, national, and international meetings
• Local travel (e.g., to Sacramento to meet with CDFW colleagues) as needed
  
  

Qualifications

A qualified candidate will possess a combination of the following education and/or equivalent experience:

• Demonstrated success in building and maintaining replicable and documented data pipelines (e.g., GitHUB) and working with species occurrence data including data from iNaturalist and GBIF
• Demonstrated programming experience working with biodiversity data in R or Python
• Experience sharing observations and making identifications on iNaturalist, and accessing data via the iNaturalist API
• Experience working with government agency data and databases and familiarity with California Department of Fish and Wildlife systems
• Knowledge of taxonomy, classification, and natural history collections
• Two to three years experience in project management and/or working on partnership projects
• Graduate degree, prior work experience, or a combination of these qualifications focused on some or all of the following areas: taxonomy, systematics, biogeographic data, biodiversity science
• Knowledge of and passion for the Academy’s mission, vision, and strategic plan
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Strategic and analytical thinker with strong attention to detail and the ability to shift from big picture to specifics while making meaningful connections
• Demonstrated ability to build authentic relationships with and coalesce diverse groups of partners
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills; ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities and deadlines; ability to manage projects and see them through to completion; ability to shift responsibilities quickly as circumstances require
• Experience working in or with natural history museums and understanding of taxonomy, systematics, and taxonomic schemes
• Experience developing data management systems and databasing solutions
• Thrives in a less structured environment under minimal supervision, including the ability to synthesize knowledge and set priorities based on requests and demands from multiple sources
• Experience developing reporting structures to keep all partners informed
• Experience with grant reporting and deliverables
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to analyze and convey complex information quickly and succinctly.
• Proficiency with Google apps
• Values diversity, equity, and cultural differences, bringing cultural competency to their daily work
• A high degree of emotional intelligence, demonstrating the ability to discern and manage complex interpersonal interactions with external parties
  
  

Physical Environment

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. The majority of this job will be computer-based. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to work at a computer for a large portion of the day (90%); review a variety of materials, including printed and electronic documents, websites, and emails; move from place to place around the Academy; and communicate with others in person, on the telephone, and online.

Compensation And Benefits

The salary range for this position is $ 86,000 - $89,000 . Actual compensation will be commensurate with experience, skills/knowledge set, and internal equity. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Please scroll down to "Other details" for this position's hiring range.

Schedule: Full Time, 40 hours per week

Application Deadline

This position will close on July 16, 2024 at 9pm . Review of applications will begin on June 26, 2024 .

Application Process

Please upload your resume, cover letter, and complete the brief online application

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).

We are committed to ensuring that all employees and applicants shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, placements, transfers, promotions, compensation, benefits, terminations, training, and social and recreational programs, will be on the basis of qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled. The Academy does not discriminate against qualified applicants or employees with respect to any terms or conditions of employment on account of any characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. Read our full Equal Opportunity Statement here .

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