Contract Employment Opportunity with Defenders of Wildlife

Advance Coexistence with Florida Panthers

Defenders of Wildlife is seeking a part-time contractor (Panther Coexistence Coordinator/ Enclosures) to further our Florida panther coexistence work over the next 12 months to meet current needs and achieve the following primary objectives under our Predator Resistant Livestock Protection Enclosure Program:

1. Help create and expand awareness and interest in Defenders’ predator-resistant enclosure program in rural communities to reduce human-panther conflict and increase acceptance for sharing the landscape with panthers and other predators.

2. Coordinate planning and implementation of predator-resistant enclosure construction projects in rural neighborhoods to secure small livestock and pets from panthers and other predators.

3. Evaluate the effectiveness of projects, monitor compliance and recommend changes to the program based on actual experiences on the ground.

This role is a limited, project-based opportunity in which the contractor will operate as a 1099 consultant.

Qualifications: The contractor should have experience with small building and/or construction projects, negotiating agreements for supplies, recruiting and managing a (volunteer) workforce, and working with people to get construction projects completed. Contractor will also be expected to have basic construction tools. A minimum of 2-3 years of experience is preferred.

Skills Required: The contractor should be a strong self-starter with the ability to communicate and cooperate effectively with a diverse population that includes program participants/rural resident landowners, volunteers, local businesses, partners, and agencies, as well as the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Proficiency in the use of computers for communications and information management required. The contractor should be able to lift construction items up to 40-50 pounds and use an array of common building tools. The ability to speak Spanish is a strong plus.

Location: The Contractor must be in Florida and ideally situated in a location that allows for travel throughout Southwest Florida (panther country). Contractor will be expected to have reliable transportation, the ability to haul construction supplies and to travel for meetings, site visits and work-related duties as necessary.

Time Commitment: Although the work may vary from week to week, we anticipate the contractor will spend up to 16 hours a week for up to 12 months of work. This position may frequently involve working on weekends and after business hours.

Compensation: Terms and conditions of the contract including pay rate and schedule are to be determined and negotiated on a case by case basis.

To Apply: Please submit a current resume and cover letter by July 20, 2020. Position open until filled.

____________________________

Background: One of the priority species that Defenders of Wildlife works to conserve is the Florida panther. Our goals guided by our Strategic Plan are to secure and protect large interconnected tracts of wild land panthers need to expand their range northward, to foster understanding of these wide-ranging and secretive predators and to address a leading cause of panther deaths: collisions with vehicles while crossing roads. In recognition of our longstanding commitment to panther recovery, Defenders serves as the conservation representative on the federal Florida Panther Recovery Implementation Team.

Through partnerships, education, research support, public outreach, and advocacy, Defenders is working to foster understanding of Florida panthers and to help people share the landscape with these endangered predators. We launched our Florida panther coexistence program in 2004 to respond to an increase of panther depredations on livestock and pets. In rural neighborhoods, we help fund and construct sturdy enclosures to protect pets and small livestock from panthers and other predators to avoid conflict. And since 2010, there has been an uptick in panthers preying upon calves in commercial ranching operations. The predator-resistant enclosures that we use in rural neighborhoods are not applicable to these larger landscapes, so we are working with ranchers and other members of the Panther Recovery Team to improve incentive programs to help offset monetary losses when panthers kill commercial livestock.

Current Need: The Panther Coexistence Coordinator under our Predator Resistant Livestock Enclosure Construction Program (“Enclosure Coordinator”) assists the Southeast team with coexistence program activities and reports to Elizabeth Fleming, Senior Florida Representative (supervisor). The Enclosure Coordinator will be primarily responsible for organizing and overseeing livestock enclosure construction projects that foster coexisting with the endangered Florida panther in Southwest Florida and in other areas as needed. The Enclosure Coordinator will also help recruit, manage and retain a workforce of construction volunteers; give educational program information to potential program participants; and in close coordination with the Southeast team will manage logistics and communications to carry out related activities aimed at reducing conflicts, and increasing acceptance and support for panthers. The contractor will provide clear, timely and effective updates to the supervisor. The position includes, but is not limited to, performance of the following program activities:

Predator Resistant Livestock Enclosure Construction Program: “Protecting, People, Pets, Livestock and Panthers” (“Program”)

1. Oversee Program and assist rural residents in Southwest Florida and north of the Caloosahatchee River in building or retrofitting enclosures (the goal is a minimum of ten (10) annually) to protect pets and small livestock from panthers and other predators (e.g. bobcats, coyotes, domestic dogs, foxes -- and bears when enclosure is surrounded by electric fencing).

2. Serve as primary contact for Program.

3. Proactively contact and make site visits with residents who need a new enclosure or retrofitting of an existing enclosure, with direction and assistance from Defenders and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

4. Obtain locations and make site visits of existing enclosures and follow up with property owners on repairs or retrofitting that may be needed, including Defenders’ enclosure display and educational signage at Collier County Extension Office on Immokalee Road.

5. Coordinate with Defenders and Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge staff to explore installation of a permanent demonstration enclosure and educational signage at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center near Immokalee.

6. Maintain the protocol and requirements for ensuring that an enclosure is “safe” with direction and assistance from Defenders and FWC.

7. Maintain up-to-date permitting requirements for Hendry, Lee and Collier counties.

8. Help recruit, train, manage and retain a work team of volunteers, including Panther Citizen Assistance Taskforce (PCAT) members and 4-H families, who will assist residents in constructing or retrofitting enclosures and installing fencing, lighting and other predator deterrence devices.

9. On the day of the build, supervise volunteers and oversee construction project to ensure successful completion.

10. Communicate with volunteers on a regular basis in order to foster ongoing support and participation.

11. Arrange for cost-sharing materials with direction and help from Defenders and FWC. Note: The Conservancy of Southwest Florida partners with us to cost-share and build enclosures, given certain parameters.

12. Provide information to residents on preventing future incidents.

13. Contact and work with a home improvement or retail farm store to create an affordable, prepackaged kit containing all enclosure components and building instructions.

14. Assist Defenders with drafting and distribution of outreach materials that explain the Program and describe kits, permitting requirements, and available financial and volunteer assistance.

15. Provide information about living responsibly with Florida panthers and the enclosure program and communicate and coordinate closely with Defenders’ Outreach Coordinator about potential Livestock Enclosure Construction Program participants engaged through outreach events and work with them to ensure the smooth transfer of information and relationships.

It is the policy of Defenders of Wildlife to provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified individuals without regard to their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law, in all personnel actions.

Defenders of Wildlife embraces the values of fairness and equity in society – including our workplace and our movement. We are committed to providing a professional, fair and safe workplace free of harassment and discrimination. We believe that the conservation of biological diversity is best advanced by the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and cultures.  We strive toward a collective goal of including all people in the conservation of our Nation’s wildlife and wild places. More than co-workers, we are teammates and partners in our mutual goal of respecting our planet and all who live on it.

Visit Our Values and Diversity page to learn more about who we are and how we operate.