Technical Project Manager – Conservation Tech & Data

Cornell University; Town of Ithaca, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Cornell benefits

Job summary

Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York seeks a creative Technical Project Manager to lead Merlin, eBird and Macaulay Library data products. You will drive agile software projects, coordinate engineers, scientists, and partners, and translate ideas into customer-facing features that support conservation efforts.

The role emphasizes collaboration across a multidisciplinary team, strong PM skills, and commitment to biodiversity data-driven outcomes in a hybrid work setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in software development management, biology, information sciences or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of project management coordinating software engineering teams.
• Experience watching birds and/or bird conservation projects.
• Strong project management to coordinate multiple groups toward a public launch.
• Experience managing complex technical projects across teams and cross-functional groups.
• Deep knowledge of modern web app development, APIs and web services.
• Experience with Jira and GitHub as PM tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Oversee complex software projects from start to finish for Merlin, eBird and Macaulay Library services.
• Coordinate deliveries, scope, and timelines across engineering teams and stakeholders.
• Advise senior staff on budgets and financial management for projects.
• Communicate project scope and responsibilities to team members and manage stakeholder expectations.

Skills

Project management

Agile/Scrum

Jira

GitHub

API & Web services

Frontend development knowledge

Communication skills

Cross-functional leadership

Budget & financial mgmt

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Bachelor’s degree in software development management or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Jira

GitHub

Google Analytics

Firebase

AWS

Azure

Python

Java

Spring

Nuxt

Vue

JavaScript

Job description

Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York seeks a creative Technical Project Manager to lead Merlin, eBird and Macaulay Library data products. You will drive agile software projects, coordinate engineers, scientists, and partners, and translate ideas into customer-facing features that support conservation efforts.

The role emphasizes collaboration across a multidisciplinary team, strong PM skills, and commitment to biodiversity data-driven outcomes in a hybrid work setting.