Job Description

Research Ecologist, IS-0408-12

Application Deadline: 17 August 2026

Department: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Bozeman, MT

Reporting To: Supervisory Ecologist

Compensation: $89,508 / year

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated as low risk.
• Complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

• Cutting-edge science and technology to conserve and restore imperiled species and advance our understanding and management of grassland ecosystems. Identify how and why grasslands respond to global change and land management.
• Impactful education and capacity building to train and foster the next generation of conservation leaders and practitioners in local communities through workshops, training courses, intern and fellowships.
• Effective partnerships that connect land managers and communities with scientists to ensure effective long-term land management that supports both people and nature.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• The incumbent is responsible for developing, planning, and executing a highly competitive and innovative research program. The program will focus on theoretical and applied science of restoration and conservation of ecology of grassland and rangeland habitat, primarily in North America’s Great Plains. The incumbent will have a broad range of skills allowing them to lead and integrate diverse program components, such as plant identification and inventory, vegetation and habitat monitoring, landscape-scale experimental design, as well as excellent communication skills and experience collaborating with diverse partners including conservation practitioners, ranchers, federal land managers, and Native Nations. The program of research will be consistent with SI’s overall mission for understanding and sustaining a biodiverse planet, and SI’s mission to aid in the survival and recovery of species and habitats that ensure the health and well-being of animals and ecosystems.
• Designs, develops, and executes a comprehensive research program with multiple scientific research projects focusing on landscape-level conservation, ecology, and restoration of grassland plant communities. The program will span across thematic areas including but not limited to floristic diversity and functional traits, phenology, plant-soil and plant-animal interactions, and plant community response to disturbance regimes including grazing dynamics. The program will also advance prairie conservation and restoration science by linking plant ecology and vegetation dynamics to ecosystem function, resilience, and biodiversity outcomes, and habitat quality for prairie wildlife.
• Utilizes new technology and analytical approaches advancing conservation and restoration of grassland plant communities. Develops, plans, and conducts extensive field work to collect critical data for addressing theoretical and applied research questions.
• Demonstrates ability to independently perform all phases of the complete research process, including problem definition, planning, execution, data analysis, and interpretation of findings. Ensures that all field-based research follows international and institutional standards for animal care and use.
• Secures funds to support research program and field missions from both internal and external sources.
• Prepares scholarly publications of basic and applied research, which address important and novel questions in the scientific field, account for previously unexplained phenomena, or represent an important validation or modification of scientific theory in the topic area.
• Collaborates with scientific researchers from within the SI community and from around the world, to encourage and promote conservation of grassland ecosystems at the landscape scale, as well as research and studies to advance the SI Mission for understanding and sustaining of a biodiversity planet.
• Participates in scientific meetings and symposia, develops scientific papers for presentation and corresponds with scholars and other members of the scientific community involved in the same or similar research.
• Develops a significant academic training program by supporting research of graduate students and post-doctoral students, as well as other professionals carrying out related work.
• Incumbent disseminate research and conservation results to a wide variety of audiences ranging from professional organizations, peer-reviewed scientific journals, funding agencies, students, and the general public.
• This position directs more than one kind of work, each kind representing a requirement for a distinctly different additional body of knowledge, and for which this position provides both technical and administrative supervision.
• This position works in an operation in which work processes and procedures vary constantly because of the impact of changing technology, creating a requirement for extensive training and guidance of the subordinate staff.
• Directs team members in the development and assessment of scientific, educational and training materials.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS