Part-Time Wildlife Husbandry Technician
Accepting resumes until 6:00pm EST December 15, 2022


Hours per week: 30 
Location: Appalachian Wild Facility : Candler, NC
Schedule: 3, 10-hour days. (Thursday, Friday, & Saturday)

General Description:
The Wildlife Husbandry Technician role is an entry level position. The Wildlife Husbandry Technician assists with all aspects of daily husbandry and rehabilitation in Appalachian Wild’s animal care facility. This position works directly with the Operations Coordinator and Executive Director on a daily basis to oversee and manage intake, care, and rehabilitation of wildlife. This position will help supervise and train a team of volunteers and interns on a daily basis. The Wildlife Husbandry Technician will regularly provide support and guidance to fellow staff, interns, and volunteers to ensure successful performance of all duties and tasks associated with positions. 

Duties & Responsibilities:
The Wildlife Husbandry Technician has a wide range of duties that include, but are not limited to:
  • Overall daily upkeep of facility and all procedures and protocols for cleanliness and sanitation
  • Participation in day to day husbandry and rehabilitative or basic medical needs of wildlife patients and ambassadors in care including duties such as:
    • Enclosure upkeep
    • Feeding and medicating 
    • Initial intake and examination
    • Basic treatments and diagnostic procedures
    • Daily enrichment 
    • Monitoring of patient progress
    • Daily patient and ambassador evaluations
    • Maintenance of feeder insect colonies
    • Recordkeeping
    • Effective communication with the operations team
  • Basic identification of veterinary needs and appropriate communication with the veterinary team
  • Implementation and follow through of protocols and procedures
  • Ensuring best practices are implemented and followed
  • Communication with the public for found animal inquires, arrivals, and final dispositions
  • Assisting with animal care needs inventories
  • Maintain a safe, professional, and positive work environment for all fellow staff, interns, volunteers, and any visiting public
  • Managerial type support duties may include:
    • Training and supervision of interns and volunteers in animal care positions
    • Identification of and positive communication to encourage animal care volunteers and interns to improve knowledge and skill
    • Recognizing tasks, projects, and duties and delegating to appropriate team members

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate:
  • Must have at least 8 consecutive months working as part of the animal care team directly in a facility with similar or relative operations 
  • Must have experience working with wildlife native to western NC. This experience should include, but is not limited to, identification, handling, husbandry, nutritional management, medical care, natural history, habitat and enclosure design and upkeep
  • Experience in and knowledge of the veterinary medical field is preferred
  • Experience and knowledge of the wildlife rehabilitation field is preferred
  • Must have excellent organization, time management, team management, communication and leadership skills
  • Possess a strong personal work ethic, positive attitude, superior public relations skills, have a high level of integrity, and is flexible and adaptable
  • Have experience with an Animal Care Management system, Species360 experience is preferred  
  • Willingness to improve upon skills, experiences, and knowledge through professional development and continued education opportunities 
  • Possess strong computer proficiency 
  • Possess a willingness to work, grow and evolve in a team environment and possess the skills and ability to work independently
  • Must be dependable and reliable
  • Willingness and ability to work through stressful, emotional, and sensitive situations professionally and utilize problem solving skills
  • Must have a solid understanding of and dedication to fulfilling Appalachian Wild’s mission
  • Must be able to lift 50 pounds and work indoor or outdoor in any weather conditions
  • Ability to stand, stoop, bend, walk, and other strenuous activities for extended periods of time
  • Ability to work in a variety of environmental conditions and traverse uneven, natural terrain
  • Up to date on tetanus vaccine, rabies pre-exposure vaccine preferred
  • Must be 18 years or older

Compensation: 
This is an entry level, part-time, 30 hours per week, position receiving $12.00 per hour, paid every 2 weeks. This position is required to be present in the Animal Care facility located in Candler, NC. Position will require weekend coverage and occasional evening and holiday coverage. A set weekly schedule of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is expected. Position start date is planned for January 2023.

To Apply: 
Submit resume with letter of intent and three professional references with phone and email contact information via email to Savannah Trantham, Executive Director at apply@appalachianwild.org. Include ‘Wildlife Husbandry Technician’ in the subject line​​




​Appalachian Wildlife Refuge is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that coordinates the needs of wildlife rehabilitation in Western North Carolina, providing care for injured and orphaned wildlife, support for the wildlife rehabilitation network and conservation education to the community.