Category Archives: Lighting

**POSITION FILLED**

Overview and Purpose
Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) is based in Gainesville, Florida, and was founded by renowned sea turtle expert Dr. Archie Carr.  STC is the oldest and one of the most accomplished sea turtle conservation organizations in the world. STC is hiring a Lighting Project Specialist to work on our Sea Turtle Lighting Project. This person will work as part of our lighting team implementing sea turtle lighting retrofits on beachfront properties in Florida, assisting with educational workshops, and coordinating dune planting projects to help further reduce lighting impacts to nesting turtles. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has funded STC’s lighting project as part of its investment toward mitigating the impacts to sea turtles caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The project’s goal is to increase sea turtle survivorship by reducing hatchling disorientation caused by lighting. The project works with private property owners to retrofit problematic beachfront lighting to sea turtle friendly alternatives using the best available technology.

Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of this position will be implementing sea turtle lighting retrofits and dune planting projects in the south west Florida peninsula. The position will involve collection of night-time photos and lighting measurements; contract negotiations with property owners and managers; developing exterior lighting plans; communicating with property owners and lighting distributors; and data entry, management, analysis and mapping using Access, Excel and ArcGIS Online. Travel to the south west Florida peninsula and other parts of the state over 3 to 5 day periods will be required. Duties also will include coordinating travel logistics; tracking the progression of multiple projects in various stages; and conducting lighting workshops developed for code enforcement and building professionals. The position will require flexible work hours, occasionally at night and on the weekends. The Lighting Project Specialist will be based in Gainesville and work directly under the Lighting Project Manager as part of a four-person team of lighting specialists.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in wildlife conservation, policy, management, communications or similar field.
• Experience with contract management, grant development and/or environmental regulation preferred.
• Organized and detail-oriented with the ability to simultaneously handle and prioritize multiple tasks.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Motivated professional with an ability to work closely with others, learn new skills and follow leadership directives.
• Skilled with MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)
• and familiar with ArcGIS software.
• Passionate about the conservation of threatened and endangered species.
• Training will be made available to the right candidate to boost knowledge about sea turtle lighting options and to improve skills in using ArcGIS.
• Position requires US citizenship.

Salary and Benefits

• Starting salary will be commensurate with experience (Range $35,000 – $40,000)
• Fully paid employee health and dental insurance.
• Paid holidays, sick time and vacation days.
• Retirement plan initiated after 12 months of employment.
• Work in a flexible, yet highly motivated non-profit environment with a close-knit team of professionals committed to sea turtle conservation.

Applications will be accepted until a candidate is selected. A start date prior to the end of 2019 is preferred. Apply by submitting your cover letter and résumé to the Project Manager at Rachel@conserveturtles.org.

STC’s Executive Director David Godfrey was recently interviewed by NBC Nightly News to discuss the importance of sea turtle friendly lighting in Florida, which STC has played a major role in implementing across the state. The story aired live on September 22, 2018 and can be viewed on NBC’s website by clicking the image below: