Conservation & Science Tech (Seasonal)

Role overview

This seasonal hourly position supports Disney’s conservation and science work at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It sits within a mission-driven team focused on animal care, environmental stewardship, scientific practice, public engagement, and conservation partnerships. The role contributes to programs that connect people with nature, protect natural resources, and advance science-based care for animals.

The technician will assist with animal care and conservation programs, research, outreach, and operational support across Parks & Resorts. The work includes gathering and analyzing animal behavior information, monitoring environmental conditions and water quality, and helping with conservation science projects that may be applied in nature or, at times, more research-oriented.

This is a seasonal assignment with no promise of consistent weekly hours.

Key duties

• Carry out scientific project tasks with a primary focus on collecting, organizing, evaluating, and sharing animal behavior and sensory environment data to guide husbandry decisions and improve animal welfare.
• May also be assigned hormone analysis, ecological or community surveys, wildlife monitoring, and habitat protection work.
• Gather, process, and present data in clear reports or visually strong presentations for internal and external partners.
• Review video material, search scientific literature, and maintain databases and archival systems.
• Prepare content for scientific journals and help produce publications.
• Support meetings, classes, workshops, staff seminars, team discussions, conference presentations, public-facing publications, and social media content.
• Help create and maintain standard operating guidelines, provide technical assistance, and keep equipment and work areas organized, functional, and safe.
• Ensure proper handling of hazardous waste and compliance with related requirements.
• Manage ordering, distribution, inventory tracking, and quality assurance support for supplies and materials.
• Work flexibly across Science Operations, Conservation, and other related working groups to support both operational and strategic priorities.
• Assist with communication efforts, create original content and interactive interpretive experiences, and engage with guests and other audiences to share conservation stories.
• Support external partnerships that advance conservation, research, and public engagement.

Basic qualifications

• Strong computer, written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills for formal and informal audiences of all ages.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• Background in behavioral data collection and a working understanding of animal behavior and animal welfare science, including current research trends and methods.
• Experience working with animals or in environments around animals.
• Genuine interest in animal conservation and care.
• Ability to manage several projects and deadlines while staying detail-oriented and solving problems effectively.
• Capability to work both independently and as part of a fast-moving team.
• Willingness to work outdoors in all weather conditions and in public view.
• Comfort working in field conditions such as heat, humidity, biting insects, and other environmental challenges.
• Availability to work 2 to 3 days each week, including weekends.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.

Preferred qualifications

• Prior experience in zoos, aquariums, or wildlife-related settings.
• Two years of experience with outreach, guest interaction, or public speaking.
• Additional technical strengths that can support conservation and science programs, such as data management and visualization, use of R or similar statistics software, scientific equipment maintenance and troubleshooting, data processing, graphing, presentation creation, scientific writing, and statistical analysis.

Education

A Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Animal or Conservation Science, Psychology or Social Science, Laboratory Science, Science Communication, or a closely related area is preferred, though equivalent experience and demonstrated capability may also be considered.

Compensation and benefits

The hourly pay range for this position in Lake Buena Vista, Florida is $23.10 to $28.90. Actual pay may differ depending on geographic location, role-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other factors. A benefits package may include medical, financial, and/or other benefits depending on the level and position offered.

Additional notes

This role is seasonal and has no guarantee of regular hours. The work may involve public-facing conservation activities, collaboration across multiple teams, and contribution to scientific publications, presentations, and community outreach.