Botanist

Australian Wildlife Conservancy; Cairns Regional; On-site; AUD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Australian Wildlife Conservancy is seeking a Botanist with a strong passion for applied vegetation ecology and botany. This full-time permanent role is based at a location to be agreed, with a significant field-based component at AWC properties and partnership sites, many of them remote.

Reporting to a Vegetation Ecologist, you will work closely with a senior Botanist, contribute to vegetation surveys, mapping, and data analysis, and may supervise volunteers and interns or lead small field teams.

Qualifications

• Degree in botany, ecology or related discipline; Honours or equivalent experience.
• Strong field skills and plant identification ability.
• Experience with vegetation survey design and data handling.
• Willingness to work in remote field locations and collaborate with teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead vegetation surveys and mapping with senior botanist and GIS team.
• Support data management, analysis and reporting for Ecohealth programs.
• Mentor volunteers and interns; coordinate field teams on site.
• Collaborate with conservation ecologists and land managers across sites.

Skills

Vegetation survey

Data management

Scientific communication

Teamwork

Fieldwork logistics

Education

Botany or ecology degree

Honours or equivalent

Tools

Excel

QGIS

Job description

Introduction:

About AWC: AWC is a pragmatic global conservation leader, restoring landscapes and securing the future of Australia’s most endangered wildlife through science led, measurable impact at scale. Inspired by the richness of Australia’s biodiversity, we are united by a shared commitment to protect its unique animals and habitats.

Delivering this mission depends on OneAWC: a cohesive, engaged and high performing organisation, guided by strong leadership and shared values. Every role at AWC contributes to our mission and works collaboratively towards shared conservation, safety and organisational outcomes.

AWC’s work is guided by the following values. At AWC, we are:

• Accountable - taking ownership of our actions and outcomes
• Informed - working together to acquire and apply evidence, knowledge and experience
• Respectful - demonstrating care, recognition and integrity
• Dedicated - committed to delivering effective outcomes, with resilience and tenacity
• Innovative - applying creative thinking for effective solutions
• Sustainable - delivering long-term financial and ecological viability.

About the role:

Australian Wildlife Conservancy is recruiting a Botanist with a strong passion for a career in applied vegetation ecology and botany. This is a rare opportunity to join AWC's nationally based vegetation team in a full-time permanent role, based at a location to be agreed, with a significant field-based component at AWC properties and partnership sites, many of them remote.

AWC employs around 80 professional ecologists. Our Regional Science teams deliver the science program on the ground, supported by our National Science team (NST) of conservation ecologists, spatial analysts and data managers. The NST coordinates national conservation and reintroduction programs, leads national research projects, runs specialist ecological surveys, analyses and maps spatial data, and provides strategic direction and advice to ecologists in the field and to AWC's Executive and Board. The vegetation team sits within the NST.

Reporting to AWC's Vegetation Ecologist, you will work closely with a senior Botanist, both of whom bring advanced expertise in plant identification, vegetation survey and mapping. Day-to-day direction may be provided by the senior Botanist, and you may supervise volunteers and interns or lead small field teams as delegated. You will also work alongside the GIS team, Senior Ecologists and regional science teams nationally.

AWC's vegetation monitoring program informs our Ecohealth reporting by tracking trends in vegetation structure and composition, and conducts research on vegetation responses to mammal reintroductions, with findings published in the scientific literature. The team also contributes to weed management strategies and supports Science and Operations staff with plant identification and vegetation monitoring expertise at fauna survey sites. There are further opportunities to contribute across AWC's broader science program.

Fieldwork spans a wide range of vegetation communities and biomes: semi-arid woodlands and shrublands of inland Australia; high-rainfall remote savannas of the Kimberley; species-rich heath and woodland complexes of south-west Western Australia; and rainforests of the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

Critical competencies:

• Considerable field experience across a variety of Australian vegetation communities, with a good understanding of landscape ecology and the major threats to native wildlife and habitats.
• Highly developed botanical field skills: knowledge of Australian plant families and a natural aptitude for distinguishing closely related grasses and small forbs, with the ability to rapidly learn and retain diagnostic field characteristics.
• Specimen identification in the office: experience applying complex taxonomic keys accurately, with the patience and attention to detail to critically evaluate results against available resources.
• Vegetation survey and monitoring design: hands‑on survey experience and familiarity with monitoring techniques used across Australia.
• Data management and analysis: proven ability to collect, organise, clean and check complex datasets, with moderate to high‑level Excel and QGIS (or similar) skills, and either statistical experience or the aptitude to learn it rapidly.
• Scientific communication: the ability to draft reports, contribute to publications and funding applications, and communicate conservation messages to a general audience.
• Collaboration and teamwork: the desire to work within a diverse team of botanists, conservation ecologists, land managers, Traditional Owners, partners, interns and volunteers, contributing what you can and learning from others.
• Getting things done and resourcefulness: strong planning and organisational skills, cost‑effective project delivery, and the ability to improvise and problem‑solve with the resources at hand.
• Living and working in the bush: experience living and working in remote locations, or the genuine interest and capacity to do so.

Qualifications:

• A degree in botany, ecology or a related discipline, with Honours or equivalent experience. The level of appointment will depend on the qualifications and experience of the appointee.

Licenses, certificates and/or training:

• Valid manual driver’s licence is essential. For fieldwork on AWC properties, you will need to have experience in driving a 4WD in difficult conditions.
• Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, or willingness to obtain.

Inherent requirements:

This role involves fieldwork in remote and sometimes isolated locations, often away from an established field base and working in extremes of weather. It can be physically demanding, including walking and climbing over rough terrain, lifting and carrying, and driving a variety of vehicles, alongside periods of office‑based planning and project work. The successful candidate will spend approximately 35% of their time in the field and 65% office-based.

Please note

Due to planned absences within the hiring team during the advertising period, applications will not be reviewed until mid to late October. We appreciate your patience during this time.

Applications

Applicants must be an Australian citizen/permanent resident or have a suitable visa in place in order to apply. Sponsorship is not available.

Applicants will undergo relevant pre‑employment checks, which may include a national police clearance, online medical and a values‑based assessment. Please note that the cost of the police check is the responsibility of the applicant.

If you apply for this role, AWC will include you in its ongoing updates and communications about its events, activities and fundraising initiatives. You may opt out of these communications at any time.

Any application submitted to AWC will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, available at www.australianwildlife.org/privacy-policy. By providing us with your contact details, you consent to receive communications and direct educational material will remain current until you advise us otherwise.

Equal Opportunity and inclusion

AWC is a welcoming and inclusive organisation that invites individuals from diverse backgrounds, such as those who identify as First Nations and Torres Strait Islander, individuals with disabilities, the LGBTIQA+ community, neurodivergent individuals, and those from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, to apply for the opportunity. AWC values and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves, and where a range of perspectives, cultures, and voices are respected and recognised as a key part to the success of AWC. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must also have the right to live and work in Australia.