Project FeederWatch Assistant - Lab of Ornithology
About The Position
The Project FeederWatch Assistant will join a vibrant team in administering, planning, developing, and servicing Project FeederWatch, an international participatory science program, feederwatch.org. FeederWatch is a wintertime survey (November–April) of birds that visit a network of backyards, nature centers, community gardens, and parks in the United States and Canada. When tens of thousands of FeederWatchers count birds in community and send their tallies to FeederWatch, the result is a treasure trove of numbers, which FeederWatch scientists analyze to learn more about bird populations and what we can do to help bird thrive. As the Project FeederWatch Assistant, you will provide participant support and help develop, schedule, and coordinate engagement and learning opportunities for participants. You will also work to maintain the integrity of the data that participants collect by developing instructional materials, corresponding directly with participants, and reviewing flagged records (i.e., observations of birds that are unusual). You will participate in program evaluation by running reports on number of participants engaged with different aspects of the project (e.g. registration, event sign ups). You will also participate in regular staff meetings and contribute to problem solving and strategic planning. This is a full-time one-year term appointment with possibility of renewal based upon performance and available funding. This position is expected to work on-site at the Lab of Ornithology.
Requirements
- Associate degree and up to 1 year of relevant experience or equivalent combination.
- More than one year of customer service, or related experience and possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Experience and savvy with database use and Excel spreadsheets.
- Willingness and ability to perform repetitive tasks such as data entry. Must be accurate, methodical.
- Mastery of common computer and mobile phone skills including Microsoft Office Suite. Willingness to learn new software as needed (e.g. Jira, HubSpot, etc.).
- Experience that demonstrates sound judgment and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written skills and ability to write stand-alone articles for blog posts and our annual report.
- Ability to research answers to bird biology questions independently using Cornell Lab informational resources.
- Be able to work independently while supporting the efforts of an overall team.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced experience with spreadsheets and database use highly preferred.
- Creativity, writing, proofreading, and editing experience preferred.
- Knowledge of bird identification and bird biology is useful to answer the publics’ questions but not required; this position is an opportunity for on-the-job learning.
- Experience with nonprofit social networking.
Responsibilities
- Support the public engaged in Project FeederWatch.
- Answer questions from participants by phone, email, and snail mail.
- Troubleshoot users’ technical difficulties with registration, online data entry, and our mobile app.
- Support the Project Leader in all aspects of program delivery and contribute ideas to overall program development.
- Maintain our databases, including creating, updating, correcting, and merging records.
- Review flagged records of bird observations.
- Create and maintain spreadsheets and to track program engagement.
Benefits
- Our benefits program includes comprehensive health care options, wellness programs, and many employee discounts.
- Generous retirement contributions.
- Our paid leave time include three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: including an end-of-year, paid time off winter break from December 25th through January 1st.
- Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Part-time Study and Employee Degree Program, Tuition Aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance program.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Associate degree
