Our research crews brave all types of weather and environmental conditions to capture and band birds and bats. The crew here are capturing sea ducks.

Now hiring: Common Loon Field Biologist (SE Massachusetts)

Project: Common Loon Productivity Monitoring
Status: Full-time Seasonal
Research Center Appointment: Loon Program
Location: Southeastern Massachusetts
Work Environment: Field biologists will use both kayaks and motorboats (on occasion) to survey reservoirs, lakes, and ponds across southeastern MA (weather permitting). Research often requires long hours in the field.
Compensation: $17.50/hr paid bi-weekly. A vehicle is provided for all work-related travel, and mileage reimbursement at the federal standard rate of 67 cents per mile is available for any personal vehicle used for work related activities. Must live in SE Massachusetts area. No housing is provided.
Start/End Date: April 14th, 2025 through August 15th, 2025. End dates are flexible, but the applicant must be available in mid-April to begin work.

Project Overview:
BRI’s Loon Program is responsible for research studies assessing a variety of ecological stressors to Common Loons in New England. The Program is actively involved in assisting state and regional conservation agencies in loon monitoring efforts, capture and banding efforts, and the development of management plans to ensure long-term reproductive success. Loon field biologists are responsible for acting in support of ongoing loon studies involving loon ecology, toxin levels, demographics, behavior, and genetics. The successful candidate must possess a genuine interest in supporting BRI’s mission and a strong desire to be part of a dynamic and purpose-driven work environment.

Position Responsibilities: Field biologists will help BRI staff to deploy loon nesting platforms at the beginning of the breeding season and retrieve rafts at the end of the season. Biologists will then be responsible for conducting productivity surveys to assess nesting frequency, nest success, and total productivity throughout the field site. Other duties include:

• Locating loon nesting sites and recording coordinates.
• Re-sight banded individuals as part of long-term demographic and contaminant studies.
• Collect abandoned eggs, eggshells, and loon carcasses.
• Maintaining nesting platforms throughout the season.
• Upkeep and standard maintenance of field gear.
• Participate in the collection, recording, and reporting of data to ensure quality and methodology.
• Potential to participate in the live capture of loons.
• Submit weekly updates and enter collected data.
• Coordinate, communicate, and collaborate with state, federal, and private researchers as needed to ensure project goals.
• Uphold the legal requirements of permits.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience Required: Qualifications: Successful candidates should be working towards or have completed a B.A. or B.S. prior to the start date in wildlife biology, wildlife management, biology, zoology, ecology, or a related discipline. A valid driver’s license is required. Other desired qualifications include:

• Courses and/or work experience in wildlife biology, preferably with avian or aquatic species.
• Must have or be able to receive a certificate of safe boating before the start date as required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to operate a powerboat (online course, and BRI will reimburse costs).
• Ability to work independently as well as with a team of researchers.
• Detail-oriented and have excellent communication skills.
• Strong swimming ability.
• Prior experience driving and trailering powerboats is desired but not required.
• Experience or willingness to paddle kayaks or canoes.
• Working knowledge of Google platforms including maps, sheets, and drive.
• Patience to monitor banded individuals.
• Willingness to work in adverse weather conditions.
• A genuine interest in learning about wildlife conservation and their habitats.

Physical Demands: Physically demanding work requires that Field Biologists be in excellent physical condition and must possess the ability to tolerate weather extremes, rough water, hiking into remote lakes, and the company of biting insects. Need to be able to lift 50+ lbs.

Location: The field sites are located throughout Massachusetts, however, they will be concentrated in the southeastern Massachusetts (Lakeville) area. Field research will require long hours alone in the field. Housing is not provided and as such, applicants will preferably live in southeastern Massachusetts. At minimum, a 40-hour work week is expected, and many days may exceed 8 hours of work. Actual hours worked are based on business needs and may regularly exceed 40 hours per week to ensure their work and their department’s work is completed as needed.

To apply: Applications should be sent to jobs@briwildlife.org, or mailed to Biodiversity Resource Institute, Attn: Human Resources (MPFC), 276 Canco Rd., Portland, ME 04103, 207.839.7600. Applications will be reviewed as they come in, so applicants are encouraged to apply early.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Now hiring: Quantitative Ecology Research Associate

Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) seeks a conscientious and detail-oriented scientist to conduct marine ecology research and risk assessment focusing on offshore wind and wildlife for our non-profit organization in Portland, ME. Dedicated to assessing emerging threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research, BRI uses scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision-makers. This position will be a research associate appointment to the Quantitative Wildlife Ecology Research Lab (QWERL) in support of a project assessing benthic change in marine ecosystems. Offshore wind affects benthic communities in ways that influence the connected marine food webs, and in this project, we will translate knowledge from prior studies to project impacts in the Northwest Atlantic. Specifically, this position will work to establish benthic food web models, synthesize information about offshore wind-mediated benthic changes, develop risk assessment models, and create a research and monitoring plan for this field. This position is an appointment of up to three years and will work with a multinational, collaborative team, including Duke University, Rutgers University, the University of St. Andrews, and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. This position will also work on related QWERL projects.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Duties are expected to consist of:

• Conducting research on marine ecosystems, with the goals of advancing knowledge of the system and informing conservation decisions in the region;
• Coordinating multiple working groups within the project, for example, the benthic food webs group that will develop marine trophic and energy flow models for the Northwest Atlantic;
• The primary research focus is on developing population consequence models to assess the potential impacts of benthic change scenarios on benthic systems and their higher trophic predators;
• To support the consequence modeling effort, this position will be synthesizing information on the effects of offshore wind development on benthic and marine communities and their trophic interactions in the Northwest Atlantic;
• Design a research plan designed to prioritize key questions, develop new methods for data collection and analysis, and maximize the probability of assessing key changes to marine ecosystems;
• Contributing to other related projects like Project WOW or other efforts to understand the effects of offshore wind on wildlife;
• Writing and publishing papers in scientific journals;
• Traveling to meetings to communicate project results;
• Working with a collaborative team of colleagues to achieve project objectives, where this position will often play the role of analysis lead or support;
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including occasional weekend work or overnight travel; and
• All other duties as directed or assigned.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will be an independently motivated, highly organized scientific communicator and creative analytical thinker. Other essential qualifications include:

• An M.Sc. or Ph.D. in wildlife ecology or a related field;
• Experience and ability to analyze ecological data, ideally focusing on marine species, using R or another statistic modeling environment. In particular, we seek experience with spatial analysis, information synthesis, conceptual modeling, and pathway analysis. Past work with Bayesian modeling tools is preferred;
• Experience with data synthesis, study design, and experimental design;
• A background in population modeling with matrix or individual modeling methods; experience with population consequence models (e.g., Population Consequences of Disturbance) is preferred;
• Data visualization and mapping skills for scientific reports and publications and/or online resources using ArcGIS or other similar spatial mapping and analysis platforms;
• Excellent scientific and technical communication skills, including published work in scientific journals;
• Strong work ethic and ability to effectively prioritize and address needs as they arise;
• Capacity to work independently as well with a collaborative project team;
• Intellectual curiosity paired with the ability to integrate new information into logical or statistical frameworks; and
• Leading or contributing to working groups, stakeholder engagement activities, decision science efforts, and other collaborative efforts focused on coordinating individuals to achieve specific goals; and
• A valid US driver’s license.

Work schedule and location: This is a full-time (40 hours/week), salaried position based at BRI offices in Portland, Maine. Flexibility for remote work is possible depending on job duties and experience. Travel for work is expected. We are looking to hire for this position by Spring/Summer 2025.

Compensation: Salary dependent on education and experience. BRI offers a fully paid employee health insurance premium, plus optional dependent coverage, dental, long-term disability, and life insurance, 401k with match, and generous paid PTO and holidays. Costs associated with work travel are reimbursed.

Please send a cover letter, CV, three references, and a link to your GitHub repository or another location of completed work to jobs@briwildlife.org with ‘QWERL Postdoc 2025’ in the subject.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Now hiring: Maine Loon Project Field Research Lead

Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) is a scientific nonprofit dedicated to environmental research that supports the protection of biodiversity and ecological health. BRI’s mission is to assess emerging threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research, and to use scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision makers. Since 1993, BRI’s Loon Program, as part of BRI’s Center for Waterbird Studies, has assisted state, federal, and regional conservation agencies through standardized monitoring, tracking, and health assessments, particularly for Common Loons. Much of our 30+ year work revolves around long-standing capture, marking, and sampling methodologies to meet these objectives, which have resulted in the longest continuous running research program of a color-marked breeding population in North America. The Maine Loon Project Field Research Lead is responsible for conducting and assisting on-going investigations of demographics, behavior, contaminants (e.g., mercury, lead, PFAS), and genetics under the direction of the Loon Program Director. BRI’s loon field work begins in April and continues into October, so this will require a substantial commitment to field-based research in western Maine and elsewhere as need arises.

Currently this is a seasonal position but could develop into a full-time, year-round position provisional on work performance, funding, and other organizational needs. The intent is to train the right candidate to lead fields crews to meet the needs of a variety of long-term research opportunities. There will also be opportunities to collaborate with other BRI biologists to capture raptors, waterfowl, and fish, potentially including travel across North America and elsewhere to assist with research on loons and other wildlife.

Key Responsibilities:

The Maine Loon Project Lead collects, records, and reports data on loon demographic and nesting ecology, including marking and resighting color-banded individuals as part of a long-term study assessing the impacts of environmental mercury on loons. Management tasks include deploying, maintaining, and removing artificial nest rafts; assisting with capture, banding, and sampling of loons; sampling fish for dietary and contaminants studies; and collecting other samples such as abandoned eggs, eggshells, and loon carcasses.

This is a field-intensive position requiring a wide diversity of field-related skills, including competency in a variety of data collection techniques, field hardiness, and a love of the outdoors. Loon populations are monitored on large reservoirs (e.g., Aziscohos, Mooselookmeguntic, Flagstaff, and Richardson Lakes) using motorboats and on small lakes using kayaks and canoes. These sites often lack cell service and biologists must rely on other means for navigation and communication (e.g., satellite communicators, GPS, and maps). As such, proficiency in boat safety and navigation on larger waters and being comfortable in remote regions is essential.

Unexpected challenges inevitably arise in field settings, so problem-solving ability and creativity are required skills. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are key to oversee field operations and collaborate with other BRI staff and multiple state, federal, and industry partners. Successful candidates must be detail-oriented and able to work independently, in small groups, and have a valid driver’s license. A strong work ethic, professionalism, and sense of humor are a must.

Responsibilities:

Field Needs

• Participate in the collection, recording, and reporting of data to ensure quality and methodology;
• Conduct and oversee survey efforts to document occupancy, reproduction, and survival of loons;
• Resight banded individuals as part of long-term demographic and contaminant studies;
• Deploy, maintain, and remove artificial nest rafts;
• Participate in the live capture of loons, including banding and taking samples according to the scope of work and approved protocols;
• Collect abandoned eggs, eggshells and loon carcasses;
• Submit weekly updates and regularly enter collected data into BRI’s database;
• Coordinate, communicate, and collaborate with state, federal, industry, and private partners as needed to ensure project goals;
• Maintain and track all essential field equipment: vehicles, motors, trailers, boats, etc.; and
• Uphold the legal requirements of permits.

Data and Sample Needs

• Maintain all data and sample QA/QC procedures and reporting duties as assigned by the Loon Program Director and Database Team Lead;
• Catalog and process all loon samples including blood, feather, and eggs;
• Ensure that all banding information, sample data, and results are digitized and updated in the Loon Database (e.g., the Reproductive, Individual Performance, Mercury, Recovery, and Re-observation databases);
• Report all loon banding information to the Permit Coordinator as required by permits, and;
• Work with the loon data team to development and continually update methods for improved data collection and storage of loon related data.

Reporting and End-of-Season Needs

• Help ensure that rented field cabins are maintained and closed according to the specifications of the property owners;
• Ensure samples are transported and stored at BRI’s office freezer or lab in Portland;
• Transfer boats from storage locations to field locations prior to the field season and vice versa post-season;
• Participate in data summaries, analysis, reports, and presenting results at meetings as needed;
• All other duties as directed or assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Applicants should have:

• At least a B.S. degree in a relevant field (Master’s degree is preferred) with a demonstrated interest in wildlife management and/or biology through coursework, previous employment, or volunteering;
• Three or more years prior experience with avian field monitoring, data collection and management, or other relevant wildlife/ecology experience;
• Initiative, motivation, and self-direction necessary to productively work unsupervised, both independently and in a team;
• Demonstrated experience utilizing sound judgment in field-based wildlife research and management projects; demonstrated strong attention to detail;
• Experience with motorboats, canoes, and kayaks and confidence in safely operating and maintaining equipment while in remote locations, including outboard motors, trucks (4WD) and towing boat trailers;
• Ability to work long and irregular hours outside (including through the night for the night-time capture of loons) in all weather conditions and be able to lift and carry up to 40 lbs across varied terrain; and
• Interest in gaining new and diverse field skills.

Work Schedule and Physical Demands: This is a lead seasonal position located in the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine, with field work occurring from April to October. Field research often requires long days (regularly >8 hours daily) and irregular hours (e.g., night-time) may vary greatly according to weather and other factors. A flexible approach to work is necessary as is a willingness to work weekends and holidays as needed.

To Apply: Applications should be sent to jobs@briwildlife.org (preferred) or mailed to Biodiversity Resource Institute, Attn: Human Resources, 276 Canco Rd., Portland, Maine 04103

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status

Now hiring: Climate Change Finance Manager

Overview: Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) seeks a Climate Change Finance Manager who will collaborate and lead financial planning and analysis to support the development of climate change related carbon projects. Dedicated to assessing emerging threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research, BRI uses scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision-makers.

The Climate Change Finance Manager will oversee all the financial and accounting responsibilities for the Carbon/Climate Change consultancies at BRI, including overseeing the accounting relationships and foreign exchange tracking with foreign partner entities. As the financial needs of carbon projects involve specialized work, this position will operate within the Center for Conservation and Climate Change, but work closely with BRI leadership and finance teams. In addition, this position will liaise with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the partner client, CarbonSolve, to provide useful financial modeling, forecasts, analysis and reporting of project-specific and enterprise-wide financial outcomes. It is intended that this position be based at our BRI headquarters in Portland, ME.

Key Responsibilities:

• Modeling: Maintain existing and develop new complex business models.
• Forecasting: Develop and update rolling 12-month financial forecast.
• Budgeting: Develop and manage the annual and bi-monthly budget process, including variance analysis and reporting.
• Cash Flow Management: Monitor cash flow and prepare cash flow forecasts to support operational needs. Manage cash transfers between domestic and foreign accounts.
• Controls: Help establish and maintain accounting controls and procedures.
• Reporting: Support capacity building with foreign partners to produce high quality monthly and quarterly reporting and budgeting processes.
• Accounting Oversight: Oversee accounting in foreign offices to ensure timely and accurate reporting.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPA or MBA a plus;
• 5+ years of experience in accounting or finance, with a focus on startup or high-growth environments;
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial regulations;
• Proven experience with financial modeling, forecasting, and budgeting;
• High level of competency with Microsoft Excel;
• Ability to consolidate financials from multiple entities and currencies;
• Experience with Xero accounting software a plus;
• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; and,
• International experience, particularly in Africa, is a plus.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a passionate team working on projects with global reach, dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and local communities in Africa and other regions.
• Be part of supporting dynamic nature-based startup companies essential for developing a growing voluntary carbon market.
• Enjoy opportunities for growth and professional development in a growing non-profit with strong intersection with for-profit businesses

Compensation: BRI is committed to salary equity. We strive to meet federal Grade-Step (GS) levels that align with education and experience. BRI offers a fully paid employee health insurance premium, optional dependent coverage, dental, LTD, life insurance, 401k with match, and generous PTO and paid holidays. Costs associated with work travel are reimbursed. Ultimately, BRI’s benefits package, workplace flexibility, international travel options, professional development opportunities, and ability for vertical movement within the organization create an unparalleled workplace culture. BRI is a member of the United Nations Global Compact and as such meets Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion interests in the US.

To Apply: Please send a cover letter, CV, and three references to jobs@briwildlife.org with subject “Finance Manager”, or by U.S. mail addressed to: Biodiversity Resource Institute, Attn: “Finance Manager”, 276 Canco Rd., Portland, ME 04103, 207.839.7600.

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.