Work at Wild Animal Initiative

 

Applications closed

As of 28 July 2022, we are no longer accepting applications for this position.

This is an archived copy of the job description for your reference.

Basics

Job title: Research Specialist - Physiology

Department: Science - Research program

Application deadline: June 5, 2022

Application materials:

Please submit an application using this form. The form will ask you to attach two PDFs:

  • A 1- to 2-page resume (PDF) concisely describing your educational, professional, and other relevant experiences.

  • A 1- to 2-page cover letter (PDF) that (i) includes a brief personal statement outlining how your past experience is relevant to the position and (ii) responds to the following questions:

    • What interests you about conducting research to identify priorities in support of wild animal welfare?

    • What makes you especially capable of conducting wild animal welfare research?

    • What do you think are the three most important questions that need to be answered to further the field of wild animal welfare science?

    • What would you consider is the most important element required for developing the field of wild animal welfare science?

Application process timeline:

  • Stage 2 (paid work test): Mid June.

  • Stage 3 (video interviews): Mid July.

  • Target start date: August 1, 2022.

Duration:

  • One-year contract with the opportunity for extension as opportunities arise or if you take on other responsibilities within the organization.

About our mission

Wild Animal Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to understand and improve the lives of wild animals. 

Even in nature, most wild animals struggle to survive every day. Unfortunately, preserving habitats or species does not guarantee that animals themselves have good lives. At Wild Animal Initiative, we believe we have a responsibility to act to improve the well-being of wild animals, whether they live in captivity or somewhere else. 

Yet, responsible action requires sound science. There is still so much we don’t know about which animals are sentient, what their lives are like in the wild, and how we can responsibly help them. Our work supports the study of wild animal welfare by funding cutting-edge science, supporting the careers of researchers in the field, and contributing original research.

The success of our mission depends on the diversity of our team. We are looking to work with people that approach our mission as an inherently inclusive endeavor and celebrate the differences of others. We strongly encourage people of every color, religion, age, origin, class, citizenship, parental status, disability status, genetics, veteran status, sexual orientation, and gender to apply. Note that we are unfortunately not able to sponsor work visas at this time and require candidates to already be eligible to work in the jurisdictions where they live or will live by the start of their employment.

Please feel free to reach out to Hiring Manager Emily Sharp at emily.sharp@wildanimalinitiative.org if:

  • You have any questions about our hiring process or open positions;

  • You would like to help us find excellent candidates to join our team; or

  • You are interested in working with us in a capacity we’re not currently hiring for (in which case, a resume and some details about your professional interests would be helpful to receive).

Thank you for considering Wild Animal Initiative as the next part of your vocational journey, we hope to hear from you!

Terms of employment

Location:

  • Full-time remote

  • Must be able to meet with colleagues in Eastern Time (US) and European time zones most days of the week and to meet with colleagues in Pacific Time (US) a few times a week.

  • Note: We are not able to sponsor work visas and are only considering applicants who are eligible to work in the country they plan to live and work in.

Reports to: Science Director Vittoria Elliott

Travel:

  • Travel within the United States and Europe required about 2-8 times per year for staff retreats, conferences, and stakeholder meetings.

Salary:

  • $48,384.00 to $59,136.00, depending on the approximate cost of living in your area. For a complete description of how we set and raise salaries, see our salary algorithm.

Benefits:

  • Comprehensive health and dental insurance.

  • Four weeks of paid vacation, 12 additional holidays, and two weeks of sick leave.

  • A fully remote work environment that allows you to choose when and where you work.

  • A friendly, open work culture that encourages feedback, collaboration, experimentation, and evidence-based innovation.

  • Opportunities for advancement as our team and programs continue their growth trajectory.

  • Note: This benefit structure is what we use for our US staff and largely similar to what we offer to many non-US staff, but may be different depending on the legal requirements of the country you work in.

Responsibilities

Position mission statement:

As Wild Animal Initiative’s Research Specialist - Physiology, you will enable WAI to improve the lives of as many wild animals as possible by as much as possible by conducting primarily desk-based research and meta-analysis to identify research priorities for wild animal welfare. You will produce high-quality examples of wild animal welfare research that will contribute to the growth of knowledge on the welfare of wild animals, illustrate core concepts from our unique perspective, and serve as a model for others to follow.

Supervisory responsibilities:

  • None currently, but if you are interested and capable, it is possible that your responsibilities could evolve to include managing other staff as opportunities arise.

Core Responsibilities:

  • To identify research priorities for the wild animal welfare field.

    • Summaries and reviews:

      • Generate summaries and reviews to inform strategic directions and priorities for wild animal welfare research.

  • To produce high-quality examples of research that contributes to our knowledge of the welfare of wild animals.

    • Research:

      • Contribute scientific output to help define the scope and illustrate the viability of wild animal welfare science.

      • Generate robust scientific evidence that helps inform policy and encourages responsible interventions to improve wild animal welfare.

  • To support and promote Wild Animal Initiative’s unique perspective on wild animal welfare and serve as a model for other researchers to follow.

    • Presentations and publications:

      • Prepare high-quality peer-reviewed publications on priority topics in wild animal welfare.

      • Deliver presentations on research priorities and developments in the field.

      • Represent WAI at academic meetings, including conferences.

    • Grants and services program support:

      • Participate in and develop content for workshops, webinars, and seminars.

      • Support grant proposal development.

      • Contribute to the review of grant proposals, as well as outreach and communication of WAI research.

      • Inform strategic directions and priorities for our grants and researcher services programs.

Qualifications

This role will require you to have the following qualifications:

  • PhD or PhD-equivalent scientific research experience.

  • Ability to thrive in a remote work environment while working effectively as part of a remote team.

  • Excellent time management and organization skills, and ability to set and meet deadlines.

  • Demonstrated ability in and applied knowledge of the physiology of animals, preferably in the context of animal welfare or related disciplines.

  • Knowledge and understanding of wild animal welfare or related disciplines and ability to apply this knowledge to develop research outputs, including peer-reviewed journal articles and conference presentations, by conducting metanalysis; reframing and reanalyzing existing datasets to better understand wild animal welfare; identifying and communicating research priorities; and preparing content for grant proposals.

  • Experience presenting at academic conferences and meetings.

  • Ability or willingness to learn to use Google Drive, Airtable, and Asana.

This role might also benefit from you having some of the following qualifications. You should still apply even if you don’t have any of these qualifications:

  • Experience preparing academic events, meetings, workshops, or experience with other aspects of outreach and meetings preparation.

  • Experience preparing grant proposals and conducting peer-review.

  • Motivated by a desire to improve the lives of wild animals.

  • Proficiency with Google Drive, Airtable, Asana.

  • Interested in and capable of managing other staff as opportunities arise.

Credentials and experience:

  • Besides the PhD or PhD-equivalent research experience, we do not require any other specific academic credentials or prior work experience for you to be considered for this position, as research shows that such requirements can diminish the quality of candidate pools by deterring from applying individuals who would otherwise be a great fit for a role.

Feel free to email emily.sharp@wildanimalinitiative.org with any questions about the role or the application process.