Position: Sea Turtle  Program Coordinator

Location: Osa Conservation Campus

Status: Full-time

Organization and Program Summary

Osa Conservation protects the unparalleled biodiversity of southern Costa Rica in the face of climate change by restoring forests, rewilding key species, and re-establishing habitat connectivity across private lands and protected areas. From the Talamanca Mountain Range to the Golfo Dulce and Pacific Ocean, we work with a network of community members and international leaders to protect this incredible landscape and safeguard its flora and fauna, developing a working model of conservation action.

Osa Conservation’s Sea Turtle Conservation Program stands as a flagship initiative dedicated to the protection and preservation of sea turtles in Costa Rica’s South Pacific. Our work is inherently holistic, integrating scientific research, community engagement, education, conservation technology, and hands-on fieldwork. Each component of the program is interconnected, requiring coordinated leadership, strong systems, and a commitment to excellence across all areas.

Role Summary

Osa Conservation is seeking an energetic, motivated, and highly capable Sea Turtle Conservation Program Coordinator to lead and strengthen this multifaceted program. This role requires a holistic thinker—someone who understands how field operations, data systems, community engagement, and research outputs interconnect and can ensure cohesion, quality, and impact across all components.

The position is based full-time at our remote Osa Conservation Campus, where you will work in a dynamic field environment alongside interns, volunteers, researchers, and local communities.

Key Responsibilities

Sea Turtle Monitoring & Conservation Tools

• Lead and conduct night and morning patrols on Playa Pejeperro (4.5 km) and Piro (2 km) 3–5 times per week, depending on season and aligned with SWOT data requirements, monitoring four sea turtle species: Leatherback, Olive Ridley, Green, and Hawksbill.
• Design, build, and manage a sea turtle hatchery protecting 500+ nests per season, ensuring minimal predation and maintaining optimal incubation conditions, including pivotal temperatures.
• Implement and enforce rigorous, standardized field data collection protocols using digital survey applications.
• Collaborate closely with Osa Conservation rangers to monitor nesting beaches and prevent poaching.
• Conduct population assessments through flipper tagging and related monitoring techniques.

Data Management, Analysis & Integrity (Core Focus)

• Take full ownership of long-term monitoring databases and data systems.
• Ensure all data is accurately collected, systematically reviewed, proofed, securely stored, and consistently backed up.
• Manage and analyze large datasets to generate clear, actionable insights that inform conservation strategies and decision-making.
• Maintain exceptional standards of data integrity, organization, traceability, and accessibility across all program components.
• Develop and maintain tools such as interactive hatchery maps, dashboards, and reporting systems for internal and external stakeholders.

Leadership, Team Management & Program Structure

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of interns and volunteers, fostering a professional, accountable, and high-performing team culture.
• Provide clear direction, structured training, and ongoing supervision in both fieldwork and data management.
• Follow, develop, and enforce policies, protocols, and standard operating procedures, ensuring consistency, safety, and operational excellence.
• Act as a mature and professional leader capable of making informed decisions, resolving challenges effectively, and maintaining high standards in a remote and demanding environment.

Plastic Pollution Reduction & Local Livelihoods

• Plan and execute weekly beach clean-ups, ensuring alignment with annual waste reduction targets.
• Lead and support microplastic research initiatives to better understand local pollution impacts.
• Collaborate with local partners to transform collected waste into marketable products, supporting sustainable livelihoods.
• Design and deliver plastic reduction campaigns and sustainability workshops for local communities and partners.

Community Outreach & Education

• Design and deliver engaging workshops, festivals, and educational activities for local communities and visiting groups.
• Lead outreach initiatives that effectively translate conservation science into accessible, real-world impact.
• Develop and implement immersive sea turtle conservation experiences for campus visitors, students, and eco-tourists.

Scientific Research

• Conduct GPS tracking and contribute to research addressing key knowledge gaps in sea turtle ecology.
• Contribute high-quality data to national and international databases, including SWOT and PRONAMEC.
• Collaborate with the Science Committee to analyze, interpret, and publish research findings.
• Utilize the hatchery as a controlled research environment to design and implement experiments that improve sea turtle conservation practices and hatchery management.

Program Development & Collaboration

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key partners, including the Pacific Sea Turtle Network and the IUCN Sea Turtle Specialist Group.
  Manage administrative, financial, and reporting responsibilities to ensure smooth program operation.
• Identify and support fundraising and partnership opportunities to strengthen program sustainability.
• Ensure all scientific permits are up to date, compliant, properly reported, and securely stored within organizational systems.
• Produce media and communication content to effectively share conservation stories, program impact, and research outcomes.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Environmental Science, or related field (Essential).
• Fluency in Spanish and advanced English (Essential).
• Minimum 2 years of sea turtle field experience, including hatchery management (Essential).
• Demonstrated experience managing large datasets with high attention to detail and accuracy (Essential).
• Strong IT and data management skills (Google Workspace, mobile data collection tools, etc.) (Essential).
• Proven ability to analyze, interpret, and report data clearly and effectively (Essential).
• Strong leadership experience managing interns or volunteers (Essential).
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills (Essential).
• Communication and outreach experience and knowledge (Essential).
• Experiencing design, executing, and publishing scientific studies (Desirable).
• Experience with R, ArcGIS, or QGIS (Desirable).

Personal Attributes

• Holistic thinker with the ability to connect fieldwork, data, people, and strategy.
• Highly detail-oriented, structured, and accountable.
• Professional, mature, and inspirational leader.
• Strong ability to enforce standards while maintaining a positive and motivating team environment.
• Proactive, adaptable, and solutions-oriented in a dynamic field setting.

Why Osa Conservation?

By joining Osa Conservation, you will contribute to protecting one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth while working at the intersection of science, community, and conservation action. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead a program that is both deeply field-based and strategically impactful.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your passion for sea turtle conservation to hr@osaconservation.org, with “Sea Turtle Program Coordinator” as the subject line, by Sunday 26th April 2026.