Associate Curator of Social Science

This position is located at:

4401 Zoo Parkway

Asheboro, NC 27205

Primary Purpose of Position:

The North Carolina Zoo seeks a dynamic, motivated and progressive individual to serve as the Associate Curator of Social Science within the Zoos’ Conservation, Education and Science (CES) program. The Associate Curator provides managerial, technical and administrative support for conservation and education programs. The Associate Curator of Social Science works closely with the Curator of Conservation and Research to ensure objectives of existing field projects are implemented and evaluated and works on international projects independently. The position also has responsibility for overseeing the Zoo’s community-based conservation initiative in Uganda. Position will also lead evaluation efforts related to existing education programs. The position has some responsibility for fundraising (both through grant applications and working with the North Carolina Zoological Society) and for communications outreach (website content, social media, and publishing report on zoo’s conservation program) in support of the Conservation Program in collaboration with Education, Marketing, and Animal staff. Work is performed with considerable independence under the general guidance of the Director of Conservation, Education and Science. Position requires ability to travel on Zoo business and work flexible hours including occasional weekends.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

Providing relevant expertise for international conservation and research projects, particularly those directly working with communities, as part of the Zoo’s larger conservation and research program. Conducting field research to inform or evaluate these programs, training staff in evaluation and human dimensions research, implementing project activities, providing strategic insight.

Managing NC Zoo UNITE conservation education project. Developing and implementing strategic plan and oversight for the program including managing project staff, tracking project budget, receiving and evaluating reports, and maintaining appropriate evaluation for overall program; tracking status of active grants and monitoring adherence to reporting schedules.

Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to translate mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) findings into actionable strategies to improving conservation outcomes.

Working closely with Curator of Education and Associate Curator of Research to implement research that informs and evaluates existing education programs and guest experiences, including managing overarching visitor satisfaction and experience surveys for the zoo.

Working to build skills and implement evaluation work and adaptive management for education programming.

In collaboration with other conservation and research staff, supporting communications and outreach associated with the Conservation Program. This includes writing articles for zoo publications, website, and social media and supporting integration of conservation into education programs or graphics.

Presenting research results and conservation outcomes in peer-reviewed journals, at professional conferences, to Zoo staff, and to the public.

Working with Director of CES, Curator of Conservation and Research, and Curator of Education to raise funds to support CES programs. Identifying and applying for appropriate grants and managing funds for any grants received. Contributing to the development of a funding strategy for the long-term increased support of CES.

Position/Physical Requirements:

Work occasional weekends and holidays. Travel on Zoo business.

Perform physical demands of the job under adverse conditions in all extremes of weather with or without an accommodation. Obtain and maintain a valid NC Driver's License within 60 days of employment to drive a state vehicle.

Participation in the Zoo’s Occupational Health Program due to potential hazards.

Must be able to communicate effectively in oral and written form and maintain detailed accurate records and files. Must be able to handle multiple projects/priorities simultaneously, both independently and with colleagues.

Must have good interpersonal relations/teamwork skills.

Must be able to work with a team of diverse skill level with minimal supervision.

Ability to interpret, synthesize, and communicate research findings to varied audiences required including demonstrated public speaking skills with experience presenting to both public and professional audiences.

Learn about the NC ZOO: https://www.nczoo.org

Learn about employee perks/benefits: https://oshr.nc.gov/state-employee-resources/benefits

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies:

To receive credit for your work history and credentials, you must provide the information on the application form. Any information omitted from the application form, listed as general statements, listed under the text resume section, or on an attachment will not be considered for qualifying credit.

In addition, please submit a cover letter along with a detailed list demonstrating how you meet each of the requirements listed below.

Qualified candidates must have or be able to:

• Proven knowledge in design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of education evaluation and social science research related to conservation, using both quantitative methods (surveys), and qualitative methods (focus groups, interviews, or observations).
• Demonstrated knowledge of appropriate social science implementation and analysis tools such as KOBO, Qualtrics, CyberTracker, R, and/or SurveyMonkey. 
• Demonstrated experience conducting international field conservation work and ecological research, particularly in relation to community-based conservation.
• Demonstrated experience in grant, scientific, and/or popular writing.

Management Preferences:

• Working knowledge of human dimensions, human-wildlife conflict resolution, and sustainability. 
• Experience in informal science education.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to work with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See of oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for details.

Bachelor’s degree in biology, zoology, or science curriculum related to the area of expertise from an appropriately accredited institution

and

two-years’ experience in specialty area:

or

a Master’s degree in a natural science area may be substituted for experience;

or

an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details and to apply go to: 

http://www.oshr.nc.gov/jobs/index.html