Macaw populations have declined significantly over the past decades. The main causes are illegal poaching for the pet trade and the loss of mature forest habitat, which they rely on for feeding and nesting. MRN's vision is to see a future with thriving parrot populations in healthy, connected forests, across their former ranges. The Wild Macaw Reserve is MRN’s release site for Scarlet Macaw and a key location for local tourism.

Reports to:

Visitation Manager

Purpose:

To be able to reach its mission, Macaw Recovery Network is completely dependent on donations, gifts and grants. Daily tours at the Wild Macaw Reserve in Punta Islita is a key income source for making this work possible. The Tour Coordinator will be leading tours, managing bookings, and keeping track of inventories at the reserve’s visitation center for an international audience.

Volunteer Duties:

• Be the formal face and representative of the Punta Islita Wild Macaw reserve, answering visitation related email and phone inquiries, reply to online reviews (TripAdvisor, Google and elsewhere) and ensuring visitors overall satisfaction.
• Handling reservations, booking engines, answering visitation related emails, messages, and calls.
• Execution of our tours and presentation of the project.
• Manage souvenir store inventory and sales records.
• Other communication and community outreach tasks depending on the center's needs.
• Leading cleaning days at the volunteer houses, follow the cleaning instructions.
• Support the bird team with husbandry work when it’s needed and when there’s no tours.

Background:

• An educational background in any of the following fields: Conservation, Biology, Communications, Journalism, Ecotourism Management, Tourism, (or Business Management with ecotourism experience)
• Comfortable presenting in front of an audience.
• Strong communication and writing skills. Correct English grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Being comfortable leading groups and talking in front of an audience
• Detailed oriented. Adhere to deadlines,
• Understand and effectively communicate MRN’s purpose and programs (desired).
• Experience as a tour or visitation guide (desired).
• Experience working in a souvenir store (desired).

Hours:

The tour coordinator is expected to work on a flexible schedule as tours can be daily at 7:00 am and/or 4:00pm. General work hours are from 7am until 5.30pm with a three-hour break. 6 days of work per week and 1 day off.

Desirable personal qualities:

• Dependable and responsible
• Independent
• Motivated and positive with a desire to contribute.
• Interested in conservation.
• Flexible, friendly, patient, and optimistic
• Sense of humor is helpful.
• Able to live in an isolated location in basic conditions.
• Approachable, flexible, and reliable
• Personable, ambitious, and self-motivated with a passion for all things social
• Highly communicative; to be able to convey passion and excitement and clearly convey a clear message and call to action.
• Comfortable taking on a leadership role.
• Attention to detail is crucial.
• Efficient in work, will need to be able to juggle and organize competing priorities.
• A supporter-first mindset and passionate about developing two-way relationships with visitors.

Benefits:

• Great experience both in terms of travel and supporting a non-profit
• Increased understanding and appreciation of different values and lifestyles
• Increased skills in creative problem-solving and time management
• Development of an independent work attitude and quick decision making

Please send your resume to brandon@macawrecoverynetwork.org