Vacancies at Natural State

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented Head of Field Research to join our team focused on revolutionising the monitoring of carbon and biodiversity, with an initial focus on African rangelands but broadening to other biomes. The Head of Field Research will work with Natural State’s Head Biometrician to coordinate the successful delivery of research activities and ensure the timely achievement of the department’s milestones. As a young organization, Natural State requires employees to be flexible, quick to learn new skills, and ready to tackle evolving responsibilities and challenges.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Scientific
• Manage, train, and mentor the Field Implementation and Botany teams in the implementation of their data collection and research activities to meet Natural State’s goals and commitments to donors and partners.
• Work with the heads of the Biometrics, Carbon Sciences, Technical Delivery, and Lab Science teams, other NS scientists and specialists, and external partners and collaborators to design and implement state-of-the-art field research projects aimed at improving how we cost-effectively monitor biodiversity and carbon stocks.
• Work with the Head Biometrician and Head of Project Implementation to translate research projects into widely applicable tools to underpin financial mechanisms for restoration and conservation projects.
• Ensure that all field data collected are accurate,properly categorised and labelled, and in the format required by NS protocols, including designing automated Quality Control workflows.
• Contribute to the development of Natural State’s ecological intactness index and other monitoring tools and services.
• Coordinate with team heads and leads to write reports to partners and donors on the activities undertaken by the Research & Monitoring department.
• Coordinate with team heads and leads to develop and optimise sampling protocols and data models for collecting field observations including writing and reviewing survey design documents, standard operating procedures, and field manuals.
• Work with other scientists to write and publish scientific articles on Natural State’s work in peer reviewed publications and present scientific outputs at conferences and workshops.

Required qualifications & experience

• Postgraduate degree in biology, ecology, conservation or related discipline.
• 3 years of experience leading field research with exceptional organisational and planning skills.
• Fieldwork experience in African rangelands.
• Experience interpreting and analysing scientific data.
• Experience managing large data sets.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili.
• Good writing skills.
• Proficiency in open-source data management and statistics software, such as SQL, Python, and R, and the ability to rapidly learn new software programs. At a minimum, the
• Head of Field Research will need to develop basic proficiency in ODK, Markdown, Apache Superset, Earth Engine, and Data Build Tool in addition to the aforementioned programs.

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• The Head of Project Delivery will lead Natural State’s MRV implementation across all project types, including credit-generating projects, donor-funded conservation programs, compliance monitoring, and government or partner reporting.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic leadership and division establishment
• Pursue Natural State’s mission of transformational nature restoration through project partnerships underpinned by cost-effective, transparent, and robust impact monitoring using best-in-class technological solutions.
• Establish and lead the Project Delivery Division responsible for delivering all MRV- dependent projects, including credit-based MRV cycles, compliance monitoring, donor/funder reporting, ecological baselines, and landscape performance monitoring.
• Develop scalable workflows, management systems, and operational standards suitable for diverse project types and partner requirements.
• Contribute to departmental planning, pipeline prioritization, and decisions related to capacity growth and resource allocation.
• Work with the Conservation Technology division to ensure data quality, build data pipelines, and generate robust and informative metrics of performance.
• Work with the Biometrics and Lab Science divisions to iteratively improve and expand monitoring capabilities and to package these capabilities for project partners.
• Survey the credit framework landscape to identify the best standards and frameworks to robustly and cost-effectively capture project impact and build partnership with certification bodies.
• Project oversight and execution
• Coordinate closely with the Biometrics, Conservation Technology, and Lab Science divisions to ensure project delivery aligns with analytical models, digital pipelines, sensor systems, and laboratory workflows used across Natural State.
• Coordinate closely with the Nature Finance division to ensure MRV delivery supports crediting pathways, verification cycles, feasibility assessments, funder expectations, and project structuring needs.
• Oversee planning, budgeting, and execution of MRV activities for existing PV Nature (PVN) projects and other active MRV workstreams, ensuring high-quality delivery against scope, timeline, and financial targets.
• Develop operational capabilities, systems, and workflows to support future delivery of
• MRV solutions across a broader set of frameworks
• Monitor project risks and performance; develop mitigation plans where needed.
• Lead project close-out activities, including financial reconciliation, deliverables submission, partner reporting, and lessons-learned reviews.

Required qualifications and experience

• Master’s degree or PhD in ecology, conservation biology, environmental science, natural resource management, geography, or a related field.
• Significant professional experience leading conservation, ecological monitoring, or MRV projects across diverse landscapes, with proven ability to manage complex teams and workflows.
• Strong technical knowledge of biodiversity MRV methods (e.g., ecological field surveys, bioacoustics, eDNA, camera traps, remote sensing-derived indicators).
• Proficiency in data science and ecological statistics using open source software (e.g., R, Python, Julia, SQL).Proven ability to build and manage multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.