Project Feederwatch Assistant

Program/Extension Aide III- Project Assistant, FeederWatch

The Opportunity

As a university founded to be a place where “…any person can find instruction in any study,” inclusion and belonging are at the core of our values and mission. We strive to be a welcoming, caring, healthy, and equitable community where students, faculty, and staff with different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn, innovate, and work in an environment of respect, and feel empowered to engage in any community conversation. As a member of the Cornell University community, it is important to recognize our shared responsibility to each other to cultivate a culture of inclusion for all.  Cornell Core values 

As an individual contributor you will model and support a culture of inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing and continually seek to understand how your role, behaviors, and actions impact the success of this culture.    

While position responsibilities vary greatly, the Skills for Success and Leadership Skills for Success are foundational to what is expected of every employee and leader working at Cornell.  These skills are essential for individual and organizational success. Staff Skills for Success; Leadership Skills for Success

About the College

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and Cornell University’s second largest college. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education, and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: We believe that achieving next-generation scientific breakthroughs requires an understanding of the world’s complex, interlocking systems. We believe that access to nutritious food and a healthy environment is a fundamental human right. We believe that ensuring a prosperous global future depends on the ability to support local people and communities everywhere. By working in and across multiple scientific areas, CALS can address challenges and opportunities of the greatest relevance, here in New York, across the nation, and around the world.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world's leading resource for conservation, research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. The Lab is a vibrant unit within Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), where full-time faculty and many other renowned professionals direct world-class, mission-driven programs. Staff at the Lab teach undergraduate courses, advise graduate students, collect and disseminate world-famous digital resources on biodiversity, and engage with partner organizations and citizens around the world to conduct scientific research and conservation actions. Our management and staff are committed to the highest standards of ethics and excellence in all areas of our work, and our Board leadership includes faculty from Cornell and other universities, successful entrepreneurs and managers from the business and non-profit sectors, and conservation-minded citizens from the United States and beyond.

The Lab of Ornithology’s Center for Engagement in Science and Nature offers an array of projects that engage people in understanding, documenting and taking action for birds—whether in backyards, cities, or remote forests. The observations collected by program participants help researchers better understand birds and their responses to environmental change.

The Cornell Lab is committed to fostering a healthy workplace that values diverse perspectives and backgrounds as well as supporting growth and advancement opportunities. The Lab is an inclusive community, and we recognize that diverse, inclusive communities create more innovative and impactful work to address global challenges and benefit humanity and nature. The Lab welcomes staff who are still learning in their careers and who are motivated to take on new challenges in all aspects of professional development and mentorship.

The Project FeederWatch Assistant will join a vibrant team in supporting Project FeederWatch, an international participatory science program (feederwatch.org). FeederWatch is a November–April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. When tens of thousands of FeederWatchers in communities across North America count birds and send their tallies to the FeederWatch database, the result is a treasure trove of numbers, which FeederWatch scientists analyze to learn more about winter bird abundance and distribution.

What You Will Do

As the Project FeederWatch Assistant, you coordinate and support all aspects of the research and education program. You will support the public in successfully participating in the project, and you will work to maintain the integrity of the data that participants collect. You will run reports on program progress (e.g., investigate trends in registration, evaluate engagement on social media, etc.). You will participate in regular staff meetings and contribute to problem solving and program development. Your daily responsibilities will be to:

• Support the public engaged in Project FeederWatch.

• Answer questions from participants by phone, email, and mail.

• Support the Project Leader in all aspects of program delivery and contribute ideas to overall program development.

• Maintain our databases, including creating, updating, correcting, and merging records.

• Create and maintain spreadsheets and tracking mailings, email correspondence, and other metrics of program engagement.

• Troubleshoot users’ technical difficulties with online data entry, mobile phone app, and registration.

This is a one-year term appointment with possibility of renewal based upon performance and available funding. This position is expected to work on-site at the Lab of Ornithology.

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Relocation assistance will not be provided for this position.

What We Need

We are looking for an individual who enjoys working with data and managing, manipulating and interpreting large amounts of information. Our ideal candidate is someone who is self-motivated, highly driven, and cares deeply about birds or conservation more broadly. We are looking for someone with excellent organizational skills and experience in customer service experience or volunteer coordination. The FeederWatch assistant will need to be able to communicate with a broad range of people, including members of the public and internal and external collaborators, with tact and diplomacy. Additionally, we need someone who has:

• An associate degree and up to 1 year of relevant experience

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to write stand-alone articles for blog posts and our annual report

• Experience and savvy with database use, Excel spreadsheets, and Google docs

• Willingness and ability to perform repetitive tasks such as data entry

• Mastery of common computer and mobile phone skills, including Microsoft Office Suite Willingness to learn new software as needed (e.g. Jira, HubSpot, etc.)

• Experience that demonstrates sound judgment and problem-solving skills

• Ability to research answers to bird biology questions independently using Cornell Lab informational resources

• Be able to work independently while supporting the efforts of an overall team

• Experience working directly with people from various socioeconomic backgrounds.

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it’s ok if you don’t.

• Advanced experience with spreadsheets and database use highly preferred.

• Creativity, writing, proofreading, and editing experience preferred.

• Knowledge of bird identification and bird biology is useful to answer the publics’ questions but not required; this position is an opportunity for on-the-job learning.

• Experience with nonprofit social networking.

Rewards and Benefits

• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.

• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell

• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell

• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell:

Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Cornell is an equal opportunity employer. For more information, visit hr.cornell.edu/eeo.

University Job Title:

Program/Extension Aide III

Job Family:

Academic Support

Level:

C

Pay Rate Type:

Hourly

Pay Range:

$24.30 - $26.79

Remote Option Availability:

Onsite

Company:

Contract College

Contact Name:

J'Frances White

Contact Email:

[email protected]

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

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Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

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EEO Statement:

Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

2026-06-23