Ambassador Program Manager

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is an internationally acclaimed teaching and research hospital for wildlife and conservation medicine, located in Waynesboro, Virginia, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The Center’s mission is to “teach the world to care about and care for wildlife and the environment.” Since its founding in 1982, the Center has cared for nearly 100,000 wild animals, representing 200 species of native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The current annual caseload averages about 4,000 patients.
The Wildlife Center has a professional staff of about 30 individuals who work together in the veterinary, outreach, development, and operations departments. While each of these departments carries out different functions, all staff work closely together as a team to support one another and the Center’s overall mission.

Position Description
Under the guidance of the Director of Outreach, the Ambassador Program Manager is responsible for overseeing the care, training, and management of the Center’s non-releasable animal education ambassadors, which currently consists of ten raptors, two opossums, and seven reptiles. These animals are a critical part of the outreach “staff”; they help share stories of the wild animals that arrive at the Center each year in need of care and challenge people of all ages to take action to protect wildlife. As the Wildlife Center continues to grow, the Ambassador Program Manager will have the exciting opportunity to help shape the overall ambassador collection plan and goals for the Center’s ambassadors during this expansion.

The Ambassador Program Manager’s main responsibilities are to oversee animal ambassador training, husbandry, health, enrichment, record keeping, and permits. The manager also plays a pivotal role in developing and managing the Center’s on and off-site ambassador programs, utilizing positive-reinforcement training to display natural animal behaviors and teach the public about the Center’s work and steps everyone can take to help wildlife and the environment.

This position supervises the Outreach Coordinator and reports to the Director of Outreach.

Pay Range: $45,000 - $55,000 per year

For a complete job description, including an online application, please visit https://wildlifecenter.org/about/employment