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Rescue and Response Associate
The Marine Mammal Center
Sausalito, CA, USA
USD 26-28.75 / hour
Posted on Jun 12, 2025
Job Type
Part-time
Description
Location of Position: Marin Headlands, Sausalito, California
Reports to: Dispatch and Logistics Manager
Position Classification & Expected Hours of Work, and Travel: This is a part-time hourly position.
· This position is 24 hours a week.
· Regular onsite work is required.
· Work schedule is three consecutive days per week including at least one weekend day.
· Work schedule is generally eight (8) hours per day, between the hours of 8:00 am and 7:00 pm.
· Days and hours of work may vary according to the needs of The Marine Mammal Center.
· Evening, weekend, and holiday work is required as job duties demand.
· Occasional travel to satellite facilities and/or fieldwork within California is expected for this position.
Compensation Range: $26.00 - $28.75 per hour.
Benefits:
· Holidays
· Sick Time
· Vacation
· Medical, Dental, and Vision
· Life Insurance
· Long Term Disability Insurance
· 401k Retirement Plan
· Employee Assistance Program
Job Summary:
The Rescue and Response Associate plays a vital role in supporting The Marine Mammal Center’s rescue and response operations for stranded marine mammals. Serving as the first point of contact for the public via the Center’s hotline, this position is responsible for receiving, assessing, and triaging reports of distressed marine mammals. The Associate provides immediate support and education to callers, evaluates each situation based on the animal’s condition, safety concerns, available volunteer resources, and public perception, and initiates appropriate response actions accordingly. This role involves remotely assembling volunteer teams, maintaining real-time communication and logistical oversight, and ensuring accurate and detailed documentation through data entry of each interaction. The Rescue and Response Associate collaborates closely with internal staff across departments to facilitate animal transport and releases throughout the California coastline.
Essential Functions:
Hotline Response and Call Support: 50%
· Answer calls from the public, partner agencies, and others reporting distressed animals.
· Gather detailed information from callers about species, location, and situation.
· Enter data for stranded animal calls, responses, patients, and others into the Center’s custom-built animal database, remaining up to date on system best practices to ensure accurate use.
· Collaborate with callers, team members, volunteers, veterinary team, and others to assess animals remotely and determine need for a rescue.
· Transfer appropriate calls to the Center’s Field Offices in Castroville and Morro Bay as needed, and support Field Office teams with threatened species permit reporting and filed office response communications as needed.
· Educate the public about the Center’s work and represent the organization positively.
· Answer calls about volunteer opportunities, donations, and other general inquiries, and redirect as needed.
· Provide support to volunteers, apprentices, and interns with answering the hotline and entering stranded data.
Animal Response: 40%
· Responsible for safe and efficient management of stranded animal responses, including supporting response volunteers and personnel through stressful and sometimes dangerous environmental and wild animal rescue situations.
· Remotely assemble teams of volunteers to complete stranded animal assessments, responses, and rescues.
· Provide remote support to volunteers, assist in assessing the animal’s condition, determine whether a pickup is needed, and determine the best course of action in collaboration with volunteers.
· Coordinate multiple responses across California simultaneously.
· Support onsite volunteers with response equipment, vehicle needs, and other various in-person training and support as assigned.
· Coordinate logistics with staff across field office locations to complete transport of animals across the response range to the main hospital in Sausalito.
· Support coordination of health animal releases back to the wild after rehabilitation.
· Participate in responses, release, or transports as assigned.
Other Duties as Assigned: 10%
· Assist with vehicle and equipment maintenance and maintain supplies as directed.
· Perform special projects, programs, and research as assigned.
· Perform other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibility:
None
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
· Passion for marine and environmental conservation and the mission of The Marine Mammal Center.
· Knowledge of California marine mammal species preferred.
· Skills coordinating complicated rescue logistics for marine mammals or other wildlife strongly preferred.
· Ability to keep a sense of calmness and composure while handling fast-paced, high call volume involving stressful situations with sick and injured marine mammals while providing support to concerned members of the public.
· Ability to learn skills navigating multiple complex decision-making scenarios involving numerous stakeholders and time-sensitive, life-or-death situations.
· Ability to convey information effectively, both orally and in writing.
· Ability to understand and follow written and oral instructions and priorities as set by management.
· Ability to work collaboratively and maintain open communication in a team environment.
· Ability to learn from change, challenges, and feedback.
· Organizational skills or ability to learn attention to detail, multi-tasking, and time-management.
· Data entry skills with attention to detail.
· Skills or ability to learn using Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Word) and videoconference technology (Slack, Teams, Zoom), and custom computer applications unique to the Center.
· Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, which may include staff, volunteers, training participants, and members of the public.
· Ability to practice self-awareness and respect while engaging with staff, volunteers, training participants, and members of the public.
· Willingness to support and participate in The Marine Mammal Center’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
· Bilingual abilities a plus (preference for Spanish speaking).
Qualifications and Experience:
· This position requires any combination of education and experience equivalent may be enrolled in college or has an associate or bachelor’s degree in marine science or related field; and at least one year of experience in marine mammal rescue or rehabilitation, volunteer management, or another related field or equivalent experience.
· Valid driver license with acceptable motor vehicle record to maintain standards of insurability. (Must be 21+ years old as frequently driving company vehicles is required for this position.)
Work Environment & Physical Requirements:
· This position operates in a professional office, laboratory, and hospital environment both indoors and outdoors with access to various parts of the facilities via outdoor pathways.
· Working in outdoor weather conditions and elements is expected.
· This position operates in a fast-paced, high-stress environment managing emergency situations with sick and injured marine mammals, involving consistent interactions with passionate public callers.
· Routinely uses standard office equipment requiring repetitive motion in tasks.
· Ability to work at a desk for extended periods using a computer.
· Ability to work in an open-cubicle office space environment with many distractions.
· Skills to or ability to learn to operate equipment safely and competently to carry out duties.
· Ability to drive/operate a vehicle for extensive periods of time, this includes the ability to operate or learn to operate large trucks to assist with transporting animals between sites.
· Ability to safely walk on beaches of varying terrain to assist with animal rescues in various locations across California.
· Ability to walk up to 2 miles during a shift on a frequent basis.
· Ability to spend extended periods on your feet, walking, standing, crouching, and climbing stairs (potentially in inclement weather conditions).
· Ability to perform physical work which requires manual dexterity, agility, strength, and coordination, including the ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. (This includes the ability to restrain large marine mammals and walking on varying terrain while carrying large animal carriers, loading carriers and other rescue equipment into vehicles including large trucks.)
· Risks associated with animal handling such as animal bites or scratches.
· Exposure to allergens and zoonotic diseases.
· Involves strong smells associated with dead animals (carcasses) and the care of live animals.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
The Marine Mammal Center actively engages individuals from all backgrounds. We are committed to embracing diversity within our organization because we firmly believe that diverse employee teams help us to achieve our best organizational outcomes and provide the most effective support to the communities we serve. We are deeply dedicated to creating and maintaining an inclusive, equitable and supportive work environment. We strongly encourage people from underrepresented groups to apply. The Marine Mammal Center believes in growth and supporting our employees as best we can so they can become their best selves in and outside of work. We believe that a healthy work environment means building an inclusive culture where people can thrive together and feel supported and empowered. We believe in stretch versus constraint.
OUR MISSION
The Marine Mammal Center advances ocean health through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, research, and education.
ABOUT THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER
The Marine Mammal Center is leading the field in ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue, veterinary medicine, science, and education.
For more information, please visit our “About Us” page at www.marinemammalcenter.org
To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume and provide a brief description about how your experience aligns with the role.
Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
In your cover letter, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).
We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply. The Center is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team. If you need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.
Salary Description
$26.00 - $28.75 per hour