Position Description: Professors Dirac Twidwell and Craig Allen are seeking a coordinator to lead a regional sustainability initiative of the new Center for Resilience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Tree expansion into grassland ecosystems is a global phenomenon threatening the future of these ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide. Yet, management of tree invasions in grasslands is often ineffective at scales larger than individual properties and land parcels. This growing threat has spurred new partnerships among scientists, agencies, and large landowner coalitions to develop a statewide plan that better solves the woody encroachment problem. This position will meet stakeholders’ increasing need for a leader that coordinates this regional planning initiative and facilitates the adoption of new spatial technologies meant for large-scale resilience planning. Armed with a team of scientists and communications specialists in the Center for Resilience, the coordinator will lead the creation of a regional action plan that more strategically protects the last remaining large intact grassland regions in the central Great Plains and halts the continued expansion of woody encroachment at scales necessary for sustaining grassland wildlife and rancher livelihoods.
Primary responsibilities of the coordinator include: growing a regional network of partnerships that connects land managers committed to grassland conservation on working private lands; coordinating workshops and serving as liaison for the exchange of information and products across science-landowner-agency teams; and leading the creation of the first regional management plan for Eastern redcedar, the dominant species driving woody plant encroachment in the region. A critical component of this position is for the coordinator to serve as a technology transfer specialist, providing more rapid and real-time feedback to our conservation partners, based on readily updatable and newly available technologies derived from the USDA NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife Program, so partners can more rapidly learn, adapt, and improve the performance of their conservation investments.
Desired Qualifications: The ideal candidate is an individual with a strong desire to bridge science and conservation practice, a demonstrated ability to engage with private landowners and natural resource agency professionals, and the willingness to learn from scientist-landowner-agency teams how to co-produce ideas and solutions to conservation challenges. All degrees are encouraged to apply (BA, BS, MS, PhD).
To Apply: Interested applicants should send a single PDF with the following to Dirac Twidwell (dirac.twidwell@unl.edu) and Ronica Stromberg (Program Coordinator; rstromberg3@unl.edu) for immediate consideration: (1) statement of interest letter; (2) CV; and (3) contact information for three professional references. Salary will be $45,000 – $55,000, commensurate with experience and training. Funding is available to start immediately and ideally would start no later than January 2020. Application deadline is December 1, 2019.