image of team standing with capture equipment. text says "we're hiring!"

We're Hiring!

Wildlife Operations Specialist

Do you love field work and wildlife response? Does the idea of being one of the first responders out the door to  rescue oil-affected wildlife sound like a thrill? If so, we hope you will consider joining our team at the Oiled Wildlife Care Network! The OWCN has an opening for a Wildlife Operations Specialist. This position is based in Davis, California, but statewide travel is part of the job. 

As part of the OWCN management team, the wildlife ops specialist serves as a key field operations staff member for oiled wildlife during oil spill response (often being one of the first to mobilize), and as a back-up/supplementary staff member for care facility operations. During non-spill periods, the wildlife ops specialist helps ensure oil spill response readiness by acting primarily as an expert in wildlife field activities and protocols, promoting and improving readiness by maintaining equipment, supplies, and protocols, and helping to organize and lead wildlife trainings and informational workshops for staff and volunteers throughout California. As part of the team, they may also participate in public outreach activities as well as assist in research to ensure the OWCN meets its mandate of best achievable capture and care of oiled wildlife.

A successful candidate will have a BS degree in biological sciences (ecology, wildlife biology) and/or equivalent experience/training in an animal-based field, excellent interpersonal skills to work as a team player on both small and large teams, and be physically capable of working in remote outdoor locations under varying weather conditions to carry out various (sometimes strenuous) field activities, including conducting surveys, using hand tools and heavy equipment, deploying traps, walking/hiking long distances and/or for long periods, and capturing a variety of wildlife.

Preferred qualifications include:

  • Knowledge of the effects of oil on wildlife and methods used for hazing & deterrence, capture, and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife, including general knowledge of and skills in animal capture, handling, and husbandry, and ability to work around/with animals who are distressed due to oil contamination. 
  • Knowledge of and skills in equipment operation, including trailers, trucks, ATVs, UTVs, boats, camera traps, hazing & deterrence equipment, animal identification and capture equipment, and other response equipment.

Read the job description and apply here

Applications are due by July 2, 2023. 

"join our team" a mannequin dressed in field gear