Wildlife Care Assistant

Native Songbird Care & Conservation is a non-profit state and federally permitted wildlife hospital.  We are dedicated to the conservation of native songbirds through rehabilitation and release back to the wild, educational outreach, and community engagement.

The Animal Care Assistant (ACA) will work at our state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitation hospital.  The ACA is responsible for various aspects of hospital operations, including patient care, housekeeping tasks, training new volunteers and interns, and record keeping. The ACA must be able to juggle a multitude of tasks with energy, accuracy, professionalism, flexibility, and a sense of humor. This position reports to the director and works with volunteers, interns, partner organizations and the general public. A passion for songbirds, conservation, and the environment is essential.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities 

• Care for injured and orphaned songbirds, including hand-feeding dozens of baby birds every 30-45 minutes, diet preparation, housing set-up and maintenance, and enrichment
• Prepare and administer medications and vitamin supplements
• Safe capture, handling and restraint of songbirds
• Perform patient intake exams, stabilization, initial care
• Through hands-on participation and supervision of volunteers and interns, ensure timely completion of daily housekeeping tasks including dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, cleaning and disinfecting housing, restocking supplies, caring for feeder insects
• Train new volunteers and interns on daily housekeeping tasks, and ensure tasks are completed accurately
• Maintain cleanliness & organization of the facility at all times
• Follow hospital and biosecurity procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of our patients and team members
• Assist with transport and release of birds
• As needed, assist members of the public seeking advice about or help with native songbirds
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Minimum required one Baby Season working hands-on with native songbirds at a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility.  Volunteering or comparable experience in other wildlife-related work or study will be considered if applicable to this position.
• Able to work calmly and efficiently in busy, high-intensity situations.
• Ability to endure long workdays in a physically and emotionally demanding setting while maintaining focus, accuracy, energy and physical activities required by the job.
• Experience training and supervising volunteers, preferably in an animal care setting.
• Knowledge of natural history, particularly of local native songbirds.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed written or oral instructions.
• Computer literacy & ability to learn our medical database system.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to add and subtract, multiply and divide. Ability to perform these operations using units of US currency, weight measurement and volume.
• Some college with a background in wildlife biology or related animal science is desirable.
• Must be at least 18 years of age per our state and federal wildlife rehabilitation permits.
• Must have current valid driver’s license, excellent driving record, reliable vehicle and current vehicle insurance.
• Maintain current tetanus, covid vaccine and health insurance.
• Upon hire, must pass a background check.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described herein represent essential components of the job of working in wildlife rehabilitation. They include but are not limited to the following: able to lift or move up to 50 lbs, stand on a concrete floor for up to 8 hours a day; and kneel, crouch, stoop, crawl and reach to arm’s length.  Must have 20/20 vision and possess physical dexterity and coordination to use hands and fingers to handle, feel and feed tiny fragile patients as small as 2-3 grams. While performing the tasks listed elsewhere in this document, the incumbent is routinely exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals, allergens such as dust and dander, zoonotic diseases, frightened animals, inclement weather conditions, and noise.

SCHEDULE

The schedule for this position begins no later than the first week of May 2025 and concludes the first week of August 2025.  This position is 5 days/32-40 per week, 24-32 hours during first week of initial training.  Shifts typically begin at 8 am, and include weekends and holidays, and possibly some evenings.  Due to the nature of our work, no planned time off from June 1 through the second week of July, the peak of our busy season.  Some flexibility for start date and initial schedule will be considered for the right candidate and students.

https://nativesongbirdcare.org/seasonal-job-opportunity