Dangermond Fellow

Position Summary

The Dangermond Fellowship is an exciting paid opportunity provided through the partnership between National Audubon Society and Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri).

The goal of the program is to provide Fellows with exposure to enterprise-scale geographic information systems (GIS), conservation, science, and applied technologies in Audubon’s Enterprise GIS department serving thousands of users. Fellows will gain experience through hands-on application of skills and knowledge on a professional team in the areas of data management practices; geographic information product development; spatial analytics, querying, and programming; user engagement, communications, and insights generation; GIS server and cloud technologies; and user and content curation. Throughout the year, Fellows will receive extensive and immersive training in the full ArcGIS platform. They will have the potential to attend industry conference(s) and establish mentorship relationships with leaders in the GIS and conservation sectors.

This prestigious fellowship is designed to foster the next generation of leaders in GIS for the nonprofit/conservation sectors and make the sector a more inclusive and equitable space for professionals of different backgrounds. Individuals from diverse disciplines— including but not limited to computer science, environmental science, data science, and geospatial information science—are encouraged to apply. The position is a one-year commitment running from June 2025 until June 2026. Fellows will work full-time over the duration of the year and are eligible for the benefits and time off categories associated with commensurate full-time roles. Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to be considered.

As a Fellow, your potential to contribute to enterprise GIS work that advances Audubon’s conservation strategy will be a strong consideration during the selection process. Examples of enterprise GIS efforts that Fellows may support include:

• Designing, expanding, and maintaining spatial data and products for Audubon’s user communities. For example, expanding Audubon’s geospatial open data library for staff and the public to easily find and access Audubon generated GIS data, maps, and apps by publishing and curating new content.

• Expanding and strengthening the relevance of GIS across Audubon’s network through the development of configurable maps, dashboards, StoryMaps, and other apps for teams to readily tailor their programs.

• Supporting and gaining exposure to an enterprise-level deployment for a hemisphere-wide organization including administering, responding to user needs, training, and managing enterprise data, maps, and apps

• Promoting effective and ethical use of geographic information data and technologies

• Integration of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in all aspects of the Enterprise GIS team’s work, processes, tools, and data

• Collaborating with a variety of teams in Audubon and generating data-driven geographic insights to support the work of internal departments

Compensation:

$25.35 / hour

Additional Job Description

Essential Functions

Under the supervision of the Senior Manager, GIS Products and other members of the Enterprise GIS team, Fellows will support and collaborate with departments and GIS users across Audubon to:

• Provide consultation and project management to create sustainable GIS solutions for complex issues that help Audubon meet its conservation goals. Engineer and deliver GIS-based web & mobile map/app templates to accelerate users to leverage the full Esri suite for Audubon’s large network of regions and programs (including StoryMaps, Hub, Experience Builder, Survey123, Field Maps, etc.)

• Build tools using Python (including Jupyter Notebooks), ModelBuilder, and other potential automation and programming platforms.

• Design and execute spatial analysis to support conservation needs including planning and decision support, impact evaluation and reporting, policy advocacy, and community engagement.

• Create, publish, and maintain web services, including authoritative data, maps, and apps using ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online.

• Train, educate, and empower GIS users throughout the Audubon network while serving as the initial point of contact for a variety of GIS questions. Present and discuss GIS concepts and projects to Audubon staff and partners.

• Help to maintain and expand existing data, maps, and apps created by past Fellows and Enterprise GIS team to ensure they continue to thrive into the future.

Fellows will support Enterprise GIS efforts such as:

• Modernize and maintain perennial GIS maps and applications such as Climate Watch and Birdability.

• Developing a spatial suitability analysis for prioritization of state forest initiatives.

• Integrating bird observation data with flood claims data into an ArcGIS Dashboard to advocate for water and coastal protection policies.

• Testing and calculating spatial statistics for dynamic area calculations for NASA-funded technology apps on international conservation initiatives.

Qualifications and Experience

Proven interest in the field of environmental science, wildlife conservation, sustainability, computer science, or ecology, demonstrated either through scholastic studies or prior employment or volunteer experience.

• Good interpersonal skills (empathy & sensitivity) and a desire to lead.

• Must have a strong understanding of cartography, GIS, and web GIS.

• Understanding of and ability to apply spatial analyses and models.

• Ability to effectively synthesize complex information.

• Ability to work independently and with strong time management skills.

• Strong organizational skills for project planning and developing project documentation.

• Demonstrated writing, design, and presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience:

• Coursework or experience in enterprise GIS including geodatabase design, data management, Esri APIs, geoprocessing, Python (including Jupyter Notebooks), ModelBuilder, server technologies, and SQL.

• Experience applying spatial analysis tools and methods to a variety of complex problems.

• Experience in software development or programming especially in Python, JavaScript, R Statistical Language, HTML, CSS, and Arcade.

• Experience working with policy administrators to prepare GIS datasets for public release.

• Experience manipulating complex data to create digestible GIS data products such as maps and apps.

• Ability to read and/or converse in other languages (e.g. Spanish, French, Portuguese).

EEO Statement

The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.

Accessibility Statement

The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users.  If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Accommodations@audubon.org. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.