Merlin Datasets Coordinator

Join Our Team as the Merlin Datasets Coordinator for the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University!

If you're eager to make an impact and be part of a dynamic team, then we invite you to explore this exciting opportunity with us!

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

About The Department

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is dedicated to advancing the understanding and protection of the natural world and joins with people from all walks of life to make new scientific discoveries, share insights, and galvanize conservation action. The Lab is a globally recognized leader in technology, data management, and large-scale citizen science supporting birds and biodiversity conservation. We curate over a petabyte of digital assets and a billion bird sightings, leveraging innovative big data analysis tools and machine learning. Our web applications and services empower a global community of bird and nature enthusiasts, researchers, conservationists, and educators. The Lab is experiencing tremendous growth, navigating exciting challenges to scale our data-driven tools and services for conservation communities worldwide.

About the Opportunity

We are excited to offer an opportunity for a dedicated Merlin Datasets Coordinator to join the Macaulay Library team. This role focuses on enabling regional expansion and improving the performance of Merlin's machine learning models, particularly the Merlin Sound ID and Photo ID features in the app. You will work collaboratively with a team of machine learning researchers, production engineers, outreach specialists, and project managers to incorporate cutting-edge research advances into production software for the community. Your work will shape the integration of Merlin's models into the Merlin app, eBird tool suite, and future software and hardware applications.

What We Need

• Bachelor's degree in biology, ecology, information science, or related field and 2+ years' experience or equivalent combination working across cultures in conservation, ornithology, or related field.
• Deep understanding of birds and the birding community is required.
• Knowledge of birds of the world, including advanced field identification skills by sight and sound of thousands of species of birds, ability to identify birds to age/sex and subspecies, understanding of geographic variation, migration, bird behavior, and avian taxonomy.
• Experience watching birds and working on projects to advance birdwatching and bird conservation.
• Project management skills to coordinate multiple groups working towards the same deliverable and timeline for public launch.
• Extensive experience using and contributing data to eBird, Merlin, and the Macaulay Library.
• Strong interpersonal skills to develop trust with external collaborators and encourage participation in projects.
• Strong communication skills to clearly articulate vision and plans, and provide instruction effectively to all levels of management, staff, new partners, funding agencies, project participants, and visitors.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of management and staff internally and externally.
• Provide high level of initiative to anticipate needs of the project and fulfill project objectives with very minimal supervision.
• Ability to travel to remote field locations when necessary.
• Must have ability to obtain and maintain a valid passport and driver's license.

Preferably, the successful candidate will also have the following:

• Advanced degree preferred.
• Experience working software development teams and/or research groups managing large datasets.
• Technical project management skills.
• Experience with SQL, Python, and/or R data analysis tools.
• Basic graphic design skills.
• Fluency in Spanish to communicate with communities in Latin America.
• Familiarity with software development and testing processes.

If you are passionate about birds, conservation, and scientific discovery, we encourage you to apply!

This position is located at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY. This position can be hybrid remote work. The specifics of this arrangement will be reviewed with you when you begin the position, and the University must approve of the desired remote work location.

Rewards and Benefits

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

• 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: https://hr.cornell.edu/benefits-pay.
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: https://hr.cornell.edu/jobs/your-total-rewards.
• 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.
• 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.

No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position.

How to Apply:

You must submit both a Resume and Cover letter.

When applying through our system, please attach your application materials (resume and cover letter). You can upload documents either by "dragging and dropping" them into the dropbox or by using the "upload" icon on the application page. For more detailed instructions on how to apply to a job at Cornell, visit How We Hire on the HR website. If you are an internal employee, please log in to Workday.

Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations.

Familiarize yourself with Cornell's COVID-19 workplace guidance as well as the university's COVID-19 services and information.

University Job Title:

Job Family:

Level:

Pay Rate Type:

Pay Range:

Remote Option Availability:

Company:

Contact Name:

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

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

To learn more about Cornell's non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell's union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

Current Employees:

If you currently work at Cornell University, please exit this website and log in to Workday using your Net ID and password. Select the Career icon on your Home dashboard to view jobs at Cornell.

Online Submission Guidelines:

Most positions at Cornell will require you to apply online and submit both a resume/CV and cover letter. You can upload documents either by "dragging and dropping" them into the dropbox or by using the "upload" icon on the application page. For more detailed instructions on how to apply to a job at Cornell, visit How We Hire on the HR website.

Employment Assistance:

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email mycareer@cornell.edu.

If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell University's Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX at voice (607) 255-2242, or email atequity@cornell.edu.

Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also request an appointment to use a dedicated workstation in the Office of Talent Attraction and Recruitment, at the Ithaca campus, by emailing mycareer@cornell.edu.

Notice to Applicants:

Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.

EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, 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. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.