The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center seeks a Senior Curator (Stranding Response Program Team Manager) to join its Stranding Response Program.
Duties:
- Fill a supervisory and team management role within the Stranding Response Program.
- Work with the Stranding Response Program’s Senior Scientist and Chief of Veterinary Science and Research collaboratively as the section leadership.
- Help develop and maintain operations related to regular, seasonal, and event-based tasks pertaining to standing response, rehabilitation, and necropsy of sea turtles and marine mammals.
- Develop and maintain procedures to optimize staff skills and efficiency, streamline workflow, operational continuity.
- Facilitate equipment maintenance, safety training, and communications with City and Aquarium departments regarding building maintenance.
- Have creative managerial approach for a team with broad skills, backgrounds, and diverse duties and responsibilities.
- Hire and train new staff. Coordinate orientation and onboard training within the Aquarium and Stranding Response Program.
- Manage staff scheduling, on-call rotation, and leave requests to ensure proper facility and field operation duty coverage based on seasonal variations of the programmatic needs.
- Supervise staff through assignment and review of work, skill and professional development, to ensure section goals and objectives are met. Conduct timely performance evaluations. Initiate conflict resolution or performance improvement plans as indicated.
- Assist with and/or lead grant proposal writing, grant execution (e.g. expenditures, budget management, timelines, goals) and reporting (progress and final reports).
- Manage expenditure tracking in City, Foundation and Grant budgets. Provide reports and updates to the section leadership and Aquarium’s accounting department.
- Manage procurement needs for the section, including preparing specifications, evaluating products and vendors, completing procurement processes. Following guidelines for spending authority and procurement for multiple funding sources.
- Ensure operational compliance with all state and federal regulations and permits involved in wildlife and/or marine animal response, conservation, and/or rehabilitation activities. Assist with stranding agreement and/or letter of authorization applications processes
- Manage staff conducting federal reporting of stranding data (e.g. STSSN, level A, etc.).
- Coordinate team members for operational needs, planning and execution of stranded animal rescues, and disentanglements.
- Work with team members to develop and implement protocols and methods for operational readiness and rapid deployment to emergencies for a variety of response types.
- Assist section leadership in development and guide the programmatic and scientific goals for the Stranding Response Program.
- Work with section leadership to implement the Aquarium’s strategic plan, and the conservation and research mission.
- Represent the Aquarium and Stranding Response Program in professional and public venues (conferences, outreach events, etc.).
- Develop and maintain relationships within the Aquarium, City and with external partners and collaborators.
- Perform other job duties requiring skills, knowledge and physical requirements as demanded by those duties described or less. Individual assignments will be determined by the supervisor base on the current workloads and department needs.
- Work Schedule: 40 hours per week. Seasonally may change from five 8-hour days (8:00am-4:30pm), to four 10-hour days (7:00am-5:30pm) in spring-summer, with variable start/stop times.
Official City Job Description:
- https://virginia-beach-departments-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/city/job-descriptions-pay-plans/Senior-Curator-Stranding-02557.pdf
- The City offers a generous benefits package such as health, dental and life insurance, retirement and savings plans. Other key benefits include:
- Maternity/Paternity and Parental Leave
- Leave Donation Program
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Employee Assistant Program
- Professional Development
Experience Required
- Requires any combination of education (above the high school level) and experience equivalent to nine (9) years in fields utilizing the required knowledge, skills and abilities and associated with such positions as Exhibits, Stranding, or Research Technician; Stranding or Research Coordinator; Assistant Curator or Curator.
- Must have, or obtain, a current and valid Virginia or North Carolina drivers license in accordance with Virginia or North Carolina DMV drivers license eligibility requirements.
Further Comments
Preferences:
- Advanced degree (Masters or PhD). - Degree in team, business or operational management or related field.
- Experience maintaining operational continuity, optimizing staff skills and efficiency, and streamlining workflow.
- Four (4) or more years of experience leading and formally supervising staff.
- Experience with budget management and preparation, and procurement policies and procedures.
- Experience with grant writing, management, and reporting.
- Working knowledge of gross anatomy and pathology of sea turtles and/or marine mammals; sea turtle or seal rehabilitation; field response.
- Experience as a full-time staff in advanced stranding response, rehabilitation and/or necropsy experience with position specific taxa (sea turtles and marine mammals), in a permitted stranding organization, state or federal agency, or academic institution.
- Operating/working knowledge of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the NOAA and USFWS regulations and permitting requirements involved in wildlife and/or marine animal response, conservation, or rehabilitation activities.
Perks
- https://virginia-beach-departments-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/city/Careers/Full-time-Employee-Benefits.pdf
Salary
- A.11, $58,105.80 - $90,063.99 DOQ
