Conservation Geospatial Analyst

Join our team at the Wilder Institute and provide your geospatial expertise to inform decision-making across national and international species conservation programs The Wilder Institute is seeking a
permanent full-time Conservation Geospatial Analyst
who will be responsible for developing maps, spatial analyses, and data visualizations, while building capacity across our team through mentorship and collaborative problem-solving.

The role involves close collaboration with conservation program managers and internal teams, including Animal Care, Field Operations, IT, and Development to contribute to how spatial data is collected, integrated, and applied across diverse landscapes and species contexts. The Conservation Geospatial Analyst may engage with a range of internal and external collaborators, including underrepresented groups and Indigenous communities, to support the co-creation of spatial knowledge in culturally responsive and inclusive ways.

Our Purpose
| We act for wildlife; saving species and inspiring people to join us.

Our Core Values
| Drive impact, nurture connection, cultivate hope, and be bold.

What you will do:

• Acquire and process spatial data, including digital vegetation layers, terrain models, landscape change datasets, and GPS-based field data, using a variety of GIS and remote sensing platforms.
• Develop static and interactive maps, dashboards, and other spatial visualizations to support conservation action, research, and communication with funders, partners, and government agencies.
• Maintain and develop geospatial and relational databases, ensuring data quality and consistency, and work closely with the conservation analyst team to integrate geospatial data and outputs into broader conservation datasets and workflows.
• Conduct spatial analyses, including habitat modeling, movement analysis, and spatial statistics, to inform conservation planning and decision-making, and support program managers and other staff with technical input on spatial data and analysis.
• Contribute to geospatial capacity building through mentorship and collaborative problem-solving with team members and field staff.
• Support the co-creation of spatial knowledge with diverse collaborators, including underrepresented groups, local communities, and Indigenous Nations, in culturally responsive and inclusive ways.

What you will bring
:

Required

• A bachelor's degree or diploma in Geomatics, Geography, Environmental Science, or related field with a specialization in GIS and mapping. A master's degree would be considered an asset.
• At least 2 years of applied GIS/Geomatics experience in environmental or conservation projects.
• Experience with habitat modeling, movement analysis.
• Experience working effectively as part of interdisciplinary or cross-functional teams.
• Experience with geodatabase development and management.
• Expertise in Esri's ArcGIS ecosystem (especially ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online), QGIS, and other platforms such as R, Python, SQL, etc.
• Independent critical thinking skills.
• Strong time management and workflow organization skills.
• Proven ability to communicate and collaborate effectively both internally and externally with people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and technical skill levels, both in-person and remotely.
• Demonstrated skill in producing high-quality maps and spatial visualizations.

Assets

• Experience with remote sensing and related tools and data.
• Experience integrating field data via tools like SMART, Survey123, or Fulcrum.
• Experience developing dashboards, web maps or story maps for public or stakeholder communication
• Experience collaborating with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities on geospatial initiatives, such as supporting participatory mapping efforts or contributing to projects that integrate traditional knowledge.
• Familiarity with geospatial statistics and spatial modeling techniques.
• Exposure to budgeting or project planning, particularly in a technical and geospatial context

Working Conditions:

• The job is primarily office-based, so can entail long days at a desk and computer
• Involves occasional travel and/or remote participation in conferences and workshops
• May on occasion involve occasional field visits to conservation program sites, which could involve hazards such as travel to remote communities, dangerous animals, insects, heat exhaustion, sunburn or frostbite, working with field equipment such as trucks or ATVs, heavy lifting of field equipment, exposure to wildlife diseases and/or wildfire smoke

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is an outdoor facility and all staff working at the zoo must be comfortable working in a large variety of outdoor conditions. The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo follows the advice of Environment Canada when responding to temperature and air quality issues.

What the Zoo Offers:

• Competitive compensation, vacation and flex days entitlement
• Flexible benefits plan, including a health spending account
• Employer matching RRSP program
• Discounts on food, beverage, and merchandise
• Participation in the Staff Pass Benefit plan
• A fun, rewarding work environment and the opportunity to work on a team dedicated to wildlife conservation

Are you ready to join one of Canada's leaders in wildlife conservation? If this position suits your skills, experience and personal attributes, we want to talk to you.

Apply by doing the following:

• Watch this video about the conservation work being done at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. )
• Submit your resume with a cover letter via our online application system.

• Fill in the Application questions:

• If hired, when would you be available to start?

• If hired, what are your salary expectations for this position?
• Please tell us about why you want to work for a wildlife conservation organization.
• Briefly summarize what mapping/GIS tools and analysis software you have experience using.
• Briefly summarize your experience working collaboratively to design and/or perform geospatial analyses with others.

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.
If this position is a fit for you, we encourage you to apply with a resume and cover letter online by
January 7, 2026 at 4:00pm MST.
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo strives to cultivate a workplace in which everyone
feels welcome and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work
. As a conservation organization,
we respect and value the diversity of all life
and come together as individuals and teammates to achieve the organization's mission and vision. We recognize the
value of diversity, equity, and inclusion
, and work to advance our culture to ensure diverse viewpoints are heard and everyone has an equitable chance to succeed and thrive.

All candidates are thanked for their applications and advised that only those selected for interviews will be contacted.