Motus Technical Specialist

Title: Motus Technical Specialist

Supervisor: US Motus Director

Location: Remote; priority is location within lower Mississippi Valley

Salary: Estimated at $50,460 -$55,882 *; Based on experience

Term of Position: October 2026 to October 31, 2027; This position is supported through outside funding commitments and is subject to periodic reviews to confirm the continuation of funding. The role may include collaboration with our Development team to help ensure sustained support; however, ongoing employment is contingent upon the availability of grant funding and partner commitments.

Application Deadline: October 13, 2026

Position Summary:

This is a full-time limited term position, 1-year term with high likelihood of extension, with American Bird Conservancy (ABC). American Bird Conservancy is a fast-growing, results-focused nonprofit seeking employees with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to make a difference for birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Inspired by the wonder of birds, ABC achieves lasting results for the bird species most in need while also benefiting human communities, biodiversity, and the planet’s fragile climate.

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is a program of Birds Canada in collaboration with a diverse network of organizations, businesses, and individuals. The Motus Technical Specialist will provide hands-on technical support to ABC’s Motus program, with an emphasis on Motus station construction and installation in ABC Motus program priority regions (e.g., Lower Mississippi flyway), hardware and software testing, troubleshooting, technical standardization, and evaluation of emerging Motus technologies. The Motus Technical Specialist will work closely with ABC’s US Motus Director, regional Motus coordinators, other ABC staff, Birds Canada, technology providers, and external partners to improve the reliability, performance, and application of Motus technology. This position is intended for a technically curious and adaptable problem-solver who enjoys learning unfamiliar systems, figuring out how things work, and moving between field installations, hardware, software, testing, and documentation

Primary Duties:

• Assist and lead ABC Motus partners with station assembly, installation, upgrades, maintenance, and technical troubleshooting.
• Assemble, configure, and test Motus station components according to ABC standards, and help develop and maintain standardized procedures for station construction, configuration, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Design and conduct repeatable tests of Motus-compatible technologies and configurations, including tags, antennas, receivers, power systems, communications equipment, and other emerging hardware.
• Frequent travel as needed to support station installations, field testing, troubleshooting, workshops, and other Motus activities.
• Support testing and development of Motus software and firmware, including SensorGnome, SensorStation, and related tools; reproduce and document technical problems and communicate findings to developers, vendors, and program staff.
• Use Linux, command-line tools, networking, and other technical systems to configure equipment, diagnose problems, and support field and laboratory testing.
• Develop and document technical solutions, test results, recommended configurations, and troubleshooting guidance for ABC staff and partners.
• Assist with development and evaluation of prototype components, mounting systems, enclosures, and other technical applications as needed.

Benefits:

American Bird Conservancy fosters a mission-driven, collaborative, and supportive workplace where staff are respected, empowered, and connected by a shared purpose. ABC offers strong benefits, a 35-hour work week, generous leave policies, and flexible, remote-friendly work arrangements that support a healthy work-life balance.

• Excellent benefits package includes medical, dental, flexible spending accounts, and employer-matched retirement savings, flexible schedule, etc.
• Paid vacation days (starting at 15 days annually and increasing to 20 days after 1 year of employment), paid holidays (including both US holidays and additional ABC holidays) and sick leave. 
• Lodging, meals, and transportation covered for work-related travel away from home where applicable.
• Rental vehicle or personal mileage reimbursement where applicable.

To Apply:

Please apply online at Paylocity.

If you have any difficulties uploading your resume and cover letter, then please send them as ONE document to [email protected]

* American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is committed to promoting fairness and equity in all partnerships. We collaborate with external partners to advocate for competitive and equitable funding rates in future agreements.

At American Bird Conservancy, we believe that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills makes us more effective. We are committed to creating a respectful and inclusive work environment for all of our employees. 

As an equal opportunity employer, ABC is committed to ensuring that employees and applicants for employment have equal opportunities regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other factor unrelated to the requirements of the position.

1. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical field, or an appropriate combination of education, training, and demonstrated technical experience.
2. Strong mechanical aptitude and demonstrated ability to assemble, modify, troubleshoot, and repair technical equipment.
3. Demonstrated curiosity, adaptability, and ability to learn unfamiliar hardware and software systems quickly.
4. Comfort working with computers, Linux systems, command-line tools, and basic networking.
5. Strong problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot technical problems systematically.
6. Ability to design, conduct, document, and interpret repeatable technical tests.
7. Ability to work independently, efficiently, accurately, and keep deadlines.
8. Strong communication skills and ability to clearly document technical procedures, problems, and results.
9. Willingness to travel frequently and work in a variety of field conditions.
10. Comfortable working at heights and using ladders and other equipment associated with Motus station installations.
11. All remote and hybrid employees are required to have a stable and high-speed internet service provider in place prior to beginning work for ABC. Our distributed work force relies heavily on cloud technologies, Zoom, and other automations to successfully complete our day to day work. The ideal speeds are 30-40 Mbps for downloads and 10-15 Mbps for uploads.
12. You may be required to use your personal cell phone to access ABC systems remotely.
13. Authorized to work in the US or Permanent Resident
14. Occasional air and car travel may be required with this position; Employees are expected to use air travel for distances over 350 miles.
15. Background screening required

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience with electronics, radio-frequency systems, antennas, telemetry, or related technologies. 
• Programming or scripting experience, such as Python, Java, R, shell scripting, or similar languages. 
• Experience with Raspberry Pi or other single-board computers, embedded systems, remote monitoring equipment, solar/DC power systems, or cellular communications. 
• Experience with soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, fabrication/prototyping, CAD, or 3D printing. 
• Experience with Git/GitHub or other software development tools. 
• Experience with Motus, wildlife research, bird banding, or transmitter deployment is helpful but not required.