Dream of working with The Whale Museum? Here are some opportunities:

Employment Opportunities

 

Position: San Juan County Marine Mammal Seasonal Stranding Assistant

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Seasonal Stranding Assistant for the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network (SJCMMSN):  

This paid position will assist with the efforts to provide coverage for all marine mammal stranding calls in San Juan County (SJC), Washington State. SJC is composed of over 734 rocks and islands visible at high tide and has a total shoreline of approximately 400 miles. Many of these islands are uninhabited and can only be accessed by vessel.  Strandings of pinnipeds are most common and harbor seal pupping season, June through August, is the busiest season. The Network conducts 15-25 necropsies a year and on average responds to approximately 70 calls requiring Level A data.

The primary focus of this position will be education, outreach, data entry and volunteer coordination and enrichment. However, the individual in this position will assist the Stranding Coordinator in all duties such as: necropsies, crewing the response vessel and all response work. The candidate will also be trained in large whale disentanglement and pinniped captures.  The ideal candidate will have all the required qualifications and some combination of the preferred and desired qualifications.  The candidate will need to be based on San Juan Island and will be contracted for 20 hours per week starting sprint 2024. The exact start and end dates can be flexible depending on needs and housing.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Substantial involvement in education and outreach activities
  • Assist with training and supervising a volunteer network of approximately 60 people
  • Data entry
  • Assisting in maintenance of equipment
  • Assist with stranding response including: monitoring the stranding hotline for stranding reports, conducting health assessments of live seal pups in the field, tagging live harbor seals that are not collected for rehabilitation, transferring harassed or injured pups to a local rehabilitation center, surveying and documenting entangled animals, conducting Level A examinations of stranded marine mammals.
  • Assist with necropsies of fresh dead marine mammals including: transferring carcasses to the lab space, setting-up, and taking down necropsy supplies, organizing, archiving and shipping biological samples
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Applicant must be willing to relocate to San Juan Island, WA for the spring and summer season.
  • Ability to maintain a calm positive attitude under pressure.
  • Adaptability
  • Ability to work in a diverse environment and communicate empathetically with others.
  • The drive to learn skills to become a competent field biologist with the goal of applying the skills learned in a future position. This is a learning opportunity position.
  • The ability to follow directions and on occasion work independently
  • Organized and detail oriented
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Basic photography skills.
  • Data entry skills.
  • Good communication skills, written and verbal
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Experience with conflict resolution & public communication
  • Experience working with animals.
  • Education and outreach experience

Pay: $19/hr 20 hours a week.

For more information about The Whale Museum and/or the Stranding Network please visit the website. 

SJCMMSN is dedicated to hiring practices that are diverse and inclusive. For this purpose, our qualifications have been left intentionally brief, to attract as diverse a candidate pool as possible. As a stranding organization we are in a unique position to provide early career scientist with valuable hands-on paid experience. Experience they can then take on to future positions. We believe there is strength in diversity and encourage all that are interested to apply.  If you lack the experience we can train you, if you need accommodations, please ask for them. The main attributes we are looking for in a candidate are; drive, the desire to learn, and the ability to work well within a diverse team environment.  As such, we are requesting a short statement about why you are interested in this position, why you think you would be a good fit and how it would benefit you in your career advancement. This statement will be heavily weighted in the decision process for everyone and can add value to those that feel they lack qualifications for working in this field. We would prefer to hire the person and not the resume, this statement will help us to get to know you and will be the deciding factor for being granted an interview.

Before applying it should be known that housing can be very difficult to acquire on San Juan Island and is a barrier we are actively working to resolve for future employees, we are not there yet.

To apply please email your resume or CV along with your statement to Jessica Farrer at  jessica@whalemuseum.org Potential candidates will be contacted in March to set up interview times. This position will remain open until May 1st or until filled.    

 

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

Position: Soundwatch Boater Education Program - 2024 Summer Internship Openings This position has been filled

Volunteer Opportunities

The Whale Museum has other numerous year-round and seasonal volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering for us, click here to download the Volunteer Questionnaire, which has more information about specific opportunities. Email completed questionnaires to Tracie and we will be in touch shortly!

Volunteer Museum Docent:

The Whale Museum's Exhibit Hall is open daily. Each year, approximately 30,000 people visit. We are looking for volunteer docents! If you are interested in learning more or spending time telling visitors about the Salish Sea and the amazing marine life therein, please email Tracie.

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