Field Staff for Costa Rica Research and Conservation Expedition

25/02/2010

Filled

Long-term commitment (min 1 year)

The expedition is based on the northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, inside the protected areas collectively known as ACTo (Tortuguero Conservation Area). The area consists of lowland wet tropical rainforest, a network of fresh water canals and rivers, beach and estuarine areas and small local communities. There are no roads in the area, so all transport is by power boat, canoe or on foot. The area is reasonably remote, so health & safety is a top priority, although Tortuguero village has amenities set-up for ecotourism and is visited at least once a week.

Start of 2010

Terrestrial Conservation

Paid Work

The work carried out by Global Vision International (GVI) Costa Rica takes a holistic approach to the conservation of the area, helping to monitor every ecosystem of this incredibly diverse area: forest, canal, beach and sea, as well as conducting community work. As with all conservation, trained personnel, resources and accurate information are essential to make and carry out informed decisions and our programmes have been designed by our award winning team for just this purpose. During your time, you can gain vital skills and experience; living and working as part of our research team in a remote environment to attain experience essential for future work in the field of conservation or beyond. We have recently set up a new biological station at the request of the Environment Ministry, inside Tortuguero National Park. This unique opportunity makes us the only organisation or group of people to be living inside this protected area. As such, we try to minimise our impact in the way we live and conduct research; observing, recording and being as non-invasive in our work and daily lives as possible. As a result of our reasonably remote location, the main responsibility of this position is to provide assistance in continuous volunteer management and training, with a sound basis in GVI's Health and Safety regulations and project protocols. Staff are also required to assist with the planning and execution of the biological projects supporting the local partners, including the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment (MINAET), and community initiatives (teaching English language, providing environmental education, planning events & activities) where possible. Current biological projects include monitoring of sea turtle nesting, jaguar presence and predation of sea turtles, aquatic bird monitoring, camera trapping, mammal studies and other less intensive projects. Good chance of promotion for 2010 for those candidates with excellent management experience and skills. Finally all staff will be expected to participate in all projects, with increased responsibilty in certain areas. They are also expected to assist in all aspects of safely and efficiently running the operations of the expedition – from weekly shopping for the expedition food to finances, logistical help to scheduling surveys each week for staff and volunteers. Good organizational and time management skills are essential.

$100/week starting salary

2

GVI owns and operates more than 150 volunteer programs in over 40 countries worldwide. We are one of the world’s largest independent volunteer program providers and have worked for over 10 years to supply quality volunteer programs across the globe. Every year over 3000 volunteers join programs from 1 week to over 1 year. Our programs are regularly featured in the world’s press and scientific and humanitarian publications for their great achievements in the field. Through its international network of over 175 personnel in over 40 countries GVI continues to support many of the most critical conservation and humanitarian projects around the globe. GVI is incredibly proud of its culture. We believe in what we do and are totally committed to providing the very best programs and volunteer experiences. Although we work hard we have a tremendous amount of fun. Come and meet us to see why so many people want to work with GVI at home or abroad.

• Assist in continuous volunteer management with a sound basis in GVI's health and safety regulations.
• Provide leadership and training in tropical sciences, conservation and field survey techniques to up to 22 untrained Expedition Members.
• Rigorous project management, including protocol management, data management and report writing.
• Help plan and execute the biological projects, including solid data collection.
• Support local partners as well as local, national and international collaborators.
• Help plan and execute community projects (teaching English language and environmental education among others).
• Provide logistical support to the Field Coordinator in the day-to-day execution of the programme.
• Translate, interpret and facilitate communication in Spanish and English.

• Highest degree of fluency in Spanish and English. This requirement is a MUST.
• BSc or MSc in one of the following fields: conservation biology, wildlife management, biology, zoology, tropical ecology, entomology, herpetology, botany, or other relevant scientific discipline (MSc is preferred).
• Demonstrated field study experience (tropical rainforest experience is preferred).
• International volunteer experience / experience working with native English-speakers.
• Current First Aid qualification.
• Ability to work as part of a team and with minimal supervision.
• Ability to provide leadership and constant management of volunteers (up to 18).
• Willingness to accept basic communal living and very long hours of work in hot & humid/wet conditions.
• Willingness to work during the day and night (during turtle season) for 10-week phases.
• Must be passionate about wildlife and knowledgeable about current environmental issues.
• Full command of MS Office package.

• TEFL/TESOL qualification is a plus
• Boat handling and boat driving license (equivalent of RYA Powerboat level 2) highly desirable
• Volunteer management experience
• Working knowledge of canal bird identification
• Working knowledge of other animal groups
• EFR instructor qualification

Please send a relevant CV/Resume and one/two page cover letter to David Aneurin Jones at costarica@gviworld.com To give yourself the best chance of a callback, please be sure to highlight your experience in the following areas in your application: • Health & Safety procedures and protocols, • management, • data handling, • animal biology and conservation, • leading groups/volunteers, • working in remote and challenging environments, • report writing, • publications, • fundraising, • submitting permits, • power boat driving, • first aid qualifications / first aid course instructor qualifications, • English is the day-to-day language due to the international nature of the expedition, please highlight your level, • Very important for us at this time – Spanish language. Please quantify you level in as much detail as possible. You could also visit our blog for more information on life in the field: www.gvicostarica.blogspot.com

There is a 4 week paid trial period during which time you will be assessed. Successful completion of this period will result in a long-term contract (1 year) being offered.

• In field food, accommodation and $100 USD/week. Salary increases to $140 USD/week after 6 months to include flight allowance.
• Good opportunities for promotion for excellent staff members, with further benefits. Intensive training and experience can be gained in a wide range of skills and survey techniques.
• Please check http://gvicostarica.blogspot.com and http://www.scribd.com/doc/21262364/Programme-Overview-Training-Experience-Summary and http://www.gvi.co.uk/expeditions/central-america/costa-rica/coastal-rainforest-expedtion-costa-rica/home for more details of the work we are currently involved in.
• Personal medical insurance, including air evacuation and repatriation is required.