Community Science Coordinator

About CNPS

The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a statewide non-profit conservation organization (www.cnps.org) founded in 1965, with more than 11,000 members in 35 chapters across California and Baja California Mexico. The mission of CNPS is to increase understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to conserve them and their natural habitats through scientific study, education, advocacy, horticulture, and land stewardship. 

The Project

The “Fire Followers” project is an attempt to capture California’s pyrodiversity after 2020’s historic fire season, activate people to explore the plant diversity revealed after fire, and compile the photos and stories to help change the perceptions around wildland fire. This project coordinates and amplifies work by chapters, partners, and associated CNPS initiatives such as the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt (RPTH), an ambitious effort that brings together expert botanists and dedicated volunteers to find, map, and preserve California’s rare plants.

Job Summary

The Community Science Coordinator is a full-time non-exempt position directly supervised by the Director of Plant Science. This position looks to “game-ify” and socialize data collection, relying on large numbers of volunteers and observations and smaller numbers of experts and data management to extract trends and stories from available information. The Community Science Coordinator will coordinate with CNPS chapter representatives, partners, and community members, to activate photo-based data collection of fire-following plants in California. The Community Science Coordinator may lead some surveys, but will primarily focus on engaging local efforts and connecting people to local opportunities. 

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of the Community Science Coordinator include:

• Working with other CNPS science and communications staff, design outreach and engagement campaign calendar.
• Recruit and coordinate partners and volunteers, with a focus on providing a positive, educational environment for volunteers and a supportive and cohesive campaign with partners. Work with RPTH Manager to create online training in data collection and field safety protocols for volunteers.
• Oversee data management and conduct QA/QC to ensure data quality. Coordinate volunteers and experts to identify species from submitted records.
• Coordinate with CNPS chapters, partners, landowners, agencies, and others to coordinate access to sites and maintain strong positive relationships.
• Prepare status reports quarterly, with informal monthly updates, which are combined into a full annual report that is of presentation quality. Report as needed to funders.
• Occasional field trips, participation in CNPS meetings.
• Other tasks as required.

Job Requirements

• Demonstrated strong organizational skills, propensity to develop processes that can then be applied consistently, and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong volunteer outreach and coordination experience.
• Experience with community science projects.
• Strong data management skills. Experience extracting and summarizing data from at least one community science platform an important plus.
• Strong “people” skills, commitment to sharing discovery with a diversity of people, and authentic appreciation of the unique and valuable contribution each individual brings to CNPS

Desired Skills

Applicants that do not possess any or all of the desired skills will still be considered.

• Fluency in Spanish.
• Familiarity with ESRI ArcGIS, or other mapping expertise.
• Experience with plants of California or plant identification.
• Ability to use media to engage new audiences in action.

Physical Requirements

This job requires prolonged sitting, use of computer and mouse, and ability to participate in field trips including traveling off trail in sites with variable grade. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Additional Job Information

• Work requires occasional travel to beautiful sites throughout California. Work travel is reimbursed.
• Work schedule is generally eight hours a day, Monday to Friday. Flexible schedules are possible.
• Some evening and weekend work may be required to meet deadlines or to participate in meetings.
• A valid California driver’s license is required.
• This is a remote position, but may transition to a Sacramento- or Berkeley-based position if work dictates and safety allows.

Compensation and Benefits

The hourly rate offered is $24-$26/hour. CNPS provides a comprehensive benefits package, paying 100% of employee premiums for health, life, dental, and vision insurance with low cost family coverage options. CNPS offers a 401K retirement plan with up to 6% matching contributions. Annual paid leave benefits include 12 holidays, 12 sick days, and generous paid vacation.

Equal Opportunity Policy

CNPS’s policy is to afford equal employment opportunity to all persons. This policy demonstrates CNPS's commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive environment that values different perspectives and fosters belonging. To better understand the demographic profile of applicants, CNPS requests candidates to fill out the volunteer questionnaire that is part of the application form. Your responses will remain confidential, anonymized, and not shared with the hiring committee.

To Apply

Submit a cover letter and resume. Please include any pertinent information, including professional and personal experience, that is relevant to the position. Review of applications will begin on January 11, 2021, and the deadline to apply is January 25, 2021.

CNPS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.