**POSITION FILLED**

Job Announcement: Senior Accountant

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 Senior Accountant to assist the STC Controller in managing and accounting for projects in the US, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Caribbean.

Duties and Responsibilities

This position is full time, based in our Gainesville, Florida office.  Accounting tasks will be many and varied, under the direct supervision of the Controller.  They will include:

• General Ledger
• Accounts Payable
• Grant administration of the Sea Turtle License Plate grant program
• Grant administration of the NFWF Lighting and Predation grant programs
• Grant reporting to Foundations
• Sorting and coding reports from Costa Rica and Panama
• Managing gift shop sales reports
• Preparation of 990 schedules and documents
• Payroll
• Human resource tasks
• Bank statement and investment reconciliation
• Board reports
• Budgeting
• The senior accountant should possess the ability to work with and support the many members of our conservation team.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in Accounting or Finance.
• Experience with non-profit accounting, grant or contract management preferred.
• Organized and detail-oriented with the ability to simultaneously handle and prioritize multiple tasks.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Skilled with MS Office (Word, Excel).
• Skilled with general accounting software programs such as DacEasy or Peachtree.
• Strong conservation ethic desired.
• Position requires US citizenship.
• Non-Smoker

Salary and Benefits

• Starting salary will be commensurate with experience (Range $55,000 – $65,000)
• Fully paid employee health and dental insurance.
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick days.
• Retirement plan initiated after 12 months 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.  Apply by submitting your cover letter and resume to the Controller, Pat McCloskey, at pat@conserveturtles.org.

POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED

This job description is available in English and Spanish. Click here for Spanish version.

POSITION TITLE:

Visitor Center Coordinator at the Tortuguero Biological Field Station (Costa Rica) for Sea Turtle Conservancy

POSITION SUMMARY:

Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) announces an opening for Visitor Center Coordinator at its Biological Field Station at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. STC’s Tortuguero Biological Field Station is home of the longest-continuous sea turtle research and protection program in the world. Spanning 55 years, the program at Tortuguero is monitoring and protecting one of the largest green turtle rookeries in the world; providing intense field research training to young biologists; and is a global model for volunteer eco-tourism.

STC’s Visitor Center (VC) is open daily to provide interpretive exhibits, video presentations and one-on-one information sharing about STC’s work with visiting tourists and local residents. The VC also includes a small store that sells sea turtle and conservation-themed merchandise to support STC’s work.

The VC Coordinator will staff and oversee the daily operation of the VC and associated store. The Coordinator is an important public liaison for STC in Tortuguero – often hosting as many as several hundred visitors per day. The job requires an outgoing, bi-lingual individual who is both knowledgeable and passionate about STC’s work in Tortuguero. Through the operation of the store and management of entrance fees, the VC Coordinator will be required to manage and track money, complete retail sales, manage inventory, run video presentations, answer questions from the public and generally present a positive face for STC in Tortuguero. This position will not specifically include scientific responsibilities, though the VC Coordinator is encouraged to occasionally participate in nightly sea turtle research and community outreach projects when feasible.

The VC Coordinator will be provided full room and board at the STC station, along with a modest salary enabling one to live comfortably in the unique and beautiful setting of Tortuguero, Costa Rica. This is a permanent, full-time position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in public relations, hospitality, eco-tourism, management or similar field
• Fluency in both English and Spanish is required
• Excellent managerial and organizational skills
• Good communications and public relations skills
• Basic office and computer skills for record keeping and tracking sales/income
• Willingness to work hands-on to get the job done

DESIRED TRAITS:

• A dedication to the mission of STC
• Good interpersonal skills – ability to converse with and relate to a range of people from tourists to visiting scientists to local community members
• Ability to work independently, with little direct supervision
• Someone who leads by example
• Experience in retail management and/or environmental education

PAY AND HIRING TIMELINE:

Applications are being accepted now, with the goal of filling the position by the end of January 2020 to overlap with the current Visitor Center Coordinator. This full-time position to be based in Tortuguero includes a compensation package consisting of free lodging, full meals while at the station and starting pay of $900 per month.

HOW TO APPLY:

Submit cover letter, resume, and references via e-mail to: david@conserveturtles.org. Prefer to receive in English.

**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.