Job Details

Job Description

Musekese Conservation is seeking a Senior Field Ecologist to support the coordination and execution of our research and monitoring program in Kafue National Park and Mumbwa GMA. This is a pivotal support role to the Research & Site Manager, with a strong focus on ensuring field teams carry out daily tasks in line with monthly monitoring and research objectives, coordination and collaboration with landscape partners, ensuring timely data annotation and management of databases for reporting purposes.

About Musekese Conservation

Musekese Conservation is an NGO working to protect Zambia’s Greater Kafue Ecosystem through intensive research and monitoring of large carnivores and their prey, resource protection, and community engagement. We work in close partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Greater Kafue Landscape Ltd. (GKLL), and several research institutions including Panthera and the Zambian Carnivore Programme.

Role Overview

The Senior Field Ecologist supports the Research & Site Manager by overseeing day-to-day field activities and ensuring the team effectively delivers on the ecological monitoring objectives for the month. These priorities are determined in collaboration with our partners and internal program goals.

The Senior Field Ecologist supports the research and site manager with leading junior field staff, coordinating survey efforts in the field and supports data quality control, and contributes to data analysis and monthly reporting. This role is ideal for someone with strong fieldwork experience, attention to detail, and technical proficiency in ecological data analysis.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Research & Site Manager in coordinating and delivering field activities in line with monthly objectives
• Ensure junior team members are effectively implementing monitoring tasks, including:
  – Intensive monitoring of large carnivores
  – Camera trap deployment and maintenance
  – Herbivore line transects
  – Vehicle-based surveys and opportunistic sightings
  – Collection of citizen science data
• Oversee collection and cataloguing of field data, including:
  – Use of SMART devices to record sightings and survey data
  – ID photography and individual identification of target species
  – Organising and maintaining data using PantheraIDS, Excel and SharePoint
• Assist with monthly reporting requirements for partners including GKLL and DNPW
• Support ecological data analysis and visualisation using RStudio and GIS
• Lead field team activities in the absence of the Research & Site Manager
• Mentor and supervise the Trainee Field Ecologist and Interns

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• BSc or higher in Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Environmental Science, or related field
• Minimum 1-2 years field experience, ideally with large carnivore monitoring
• Experience in monitoring large carnivores and identifying individuals from camera traps, citizen science and opportunistic sightings
• Strong skills in data organisation and management (Excel, SharePoint, file structuring)
• Proficiency in RStudio and ecological analysis (e.g., SECR, occupancy, distance sampling)
• Familiarity with GIS or other spatial analysis software
• Experience using SMART or similar mobile data collection tools
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to lead and coordinate a small team in remote field settings
• Valid driver’s license and comfort with manual 4×4 driving in areas with wildlife

Work Schedule

Work schedules vary depending on research demands and partner priorities. Days off—including Sundays and public holidays—are accrued and taken in blocks based on field schedules and team rotation.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to contribute meaningfully to wildlife conservation in a globally important landscape
• A supportive and hands-on role within a passionate research team
• Accommodation and board at Musekese Conservation’s field base
• Professional development through partner collaboration and training

To Apply

Send your CV, brief cover letter, and two references to [email protected]
Subject: Senior Field Ecologist Application – [Your Name]