Wildlife Rehabilitator & Educator 

Full-Time  •  12 months • Opportunity to extend dependent on funding 

About Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary: 

Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary is a nonprofit  wildlife rehabilitation organization nestled in the beautiful foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The Sanctuary is a mid-volume center, treating roughly 800-1,000 wild animals each year from 70+ different species with the goal of releasing them back to the wild. Our 3,000 square foot indoor facility is complemented by 50 outdoor enclosures across our wooded 20 acre property, providing recovering patients with the peaceful environment they need to thrive. 

We approach each patient’s recovery using species-specific, natural history-informed husbandry to help prepare them for success in the wild. Though we do provide stabilization and first aid care as needed, RWS particularly specializes in treating clinically healthy orphaned animals which make up the bulk of our caseload. We do not have an attending veterinarian on staff, so we typically transfer patients needing more advanced diagnostics, prescription medication, or surgical procedures to partner hospitals in our region. RWS also specializes in caring for some species that few other rehabilitation organizations in the state provide long-term care for, including orphaned raccoons, waterfowl, bats, groundhogs, foxes, Chimney Swifts, and more. We just completed a major renovation to add state-of-the-art care rooms for raccoons and waterfowl! 

In addition to our animal care program, education is an important and growing component to the Sanctuary’s mission. We have 13 non-releasable education ambassador animals which help visitors better understand and appreciate the natural world around them, and our wildlife hotline helps community members assess and help animals in need. We prioritize offering programs featuring educational tours of the Sanctuary on-site but do occasionally offer off-site programs as well. Our programs reach audiences of all ages, from toddlers to elderly folks. 

About Position: 

RWS seeks an experienced animal care and outreach professional to join our growing team. This new position will straddle two important parts of our mission at RWS: rehabilitation and public education. This employee will report to the Rehabilitation Program Manager and help execute daily care for injured and orphaned wildlife. In addition, this employee will be responsible for leading husbandry for our education ambassador collection and organizing and executing high-quality wildlife education programs on- and off-site. We envision a 60% wildlife rehabilitation/40% education and outreach task breakdown.

The position’s responsibilities will shift depending on the season as well. During the spring and summer, this person will largely be hands-on with our wildlife rehabilitation program as a staff rehabilitator when not providing daily care to our ambassador animal collection. The Sanctuary operates from 7 AM - 7 PM during our busy spring and summer seasons, and rehabilitation shifts are typically either 7AM-3PM or 11AM-7 PM. 

During the fall and winter, this employee will be able to focus more time on education and outreach: organizing and designing programs, leading tours, planning ambassador care initiatives and collection, assisting with digital communications,  and serving as a public face for the organization when needed through news appearances and public events. 

Due to the nature of wildlife rehabilitation and outreach, remote or hybrid work is not an option for this position. However, employees receive dedicated focus time or may work from home during the winter to accomplish continuing education goals or other administrative tasks for the Sanctuary. 

The anticipated start date for this position would be by early July. 

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Rehabilitation (Animal Care): 60%

• Provide excellent rehabilitative care to all animals at the Sanctuary.
• Perform daily cleaning and feeding of all animals housed at the Sanctuary, including our rehabilitation patients and our education ambassador animals. We have two indoor nurseries and over fifty outdoor enclosures, so we are quite busy during baby season!
• Monitor each animal’s health, attitude, weight, appetite, etc., and maintain written records of each animal’s progress.
• Assist with restraint, examination, diagnostic procedures and treatment of animals, as needed.
• Admit patients and complete associated records. Examine and initiate first aid to patients and new arrivals.
• Arrange transport of incoming animals to the Sanctuary and the transport of severely injured animals to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness in our nurseries, kitchen, laundry room, and outdoor enclosures.
• Prepare specialized meals for a variety of species, including making “bird batter” for feeding baby birds; baby birds are fed every thirty minutes, sunrise to sunset!
• Assist with observations of patients to provide information for release considerations.
• Assist with data collection for ongoing research projects, as needed.
• Train, supervise, and mentor rehabilitation interns and animal care volunteers.
• Set a positive example of clear communication and good attitude for interns, volunteers, and general public.
• Enter patients into WILD-One, our online patient database, and disposition patients from WILD-ONe as appropriate.
• Answer the phone and respond to rehabilitation-related questions from the public. Help manage general inquiry email accounts and provide information to the public.

Education & Outreach: 40%

• Manage daily husbandry for education ambassador collection, including nutrition, behavioral training, enclosure cleanliness, and enrichment. Our current collection of 13 ambassadors includes a variety of herptiles, one Black Vulture, and two Virginia Opossums. We have a legacy Red-tailed Hawk as well.
• Train volunteers on education ambassador husbandry. Ensure staff are updated on any husbandry changes or requirements necessary to execute care when this employee is off. 
• Alert Rehabilitation Program Manager to any changes in ambassador condition that would necessitate medical or husbandry-based intervention.
• Coordinate and schedule education outreach programs depending on availability and fit. 
• Lead educational tours and present off-site education programs for audiences of all ages.
• When possible, design and publicly advertise novel educational programs focusing on particular species, coexistence, natural history, and more. 
• When possible, work with the Executive Director to organize and present educational fundraiser events (public lunch and learn lectures, craft nights focused on particular species, wildlife date nights, etc.).
• Appear on regular news segments with NBC29 and serve as a public face for the organization when necessary on broadcast and print media. 
• Assist in collecting photographs of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds for the website, Facebook, Instagram, newsletter, and presentations. 
• Assist Executive Director with social media management by creating posts using brand guidelines.
• Help write blog posts or e-blasts as needed and desired. 
• Assist  with fundraising events, such as our annual gala event. 
• Other duties, responsibilities, and special projects, as requested.

What We’re Looking For:

• Time-efficiency. Our days are fast paced from sunrise to sunset. In order to feed, clean, and take care of all of our patients, it’s important that our animal care team moves quickly without sacrificing thoroughness or their attention to detail. Most of the day is spent on our feet or on the move. 
• Initiative. Because this position combines rehabilitation and education, this employee will need to be someone who can effectively self-direct and take the initiative necessary to accomplish the unique scope of their duties.
• A people-person. This role is far more public-facing than a traditional animal care role due to the outreach components. The candidate must be enthusiastic about working with people of all ages and comfortable with extensive public speaking opportunities. Charisma goes a long way in getting folks to better understand and care about the wild world around us!
• An appreciation for teamwork. Our team is small. While many of the day-to-day tasks are done individually, maintaining a good attitude and a commitment to a positive team dynamic is important at RWS.

Applicant Requirements:

• Applicants must be 21 years or older.
• Applicants must be up to date on the tetanus vaccination.
• Applicants must complete the rabies vaccination sequence prior to the start of the position. Funding is available for this important vaccination if your health insurance will not cover it.
• Applicants must be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19.
• Applicants must obtain a Category IV Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources after obtaining the job. This requires completing six hours of approved continuing education related to wildlife rehabilitation.
• As housing is not provided for this position, applicants must secure their own housing.
• Applicants must have access to a car for transporting animals (and themselves) to the Sanctuary.
• Applicants should be able to lift 50 pounds.
• Applicants must be capable and enthusiastic about working long days in potentially challenging outdoor conditions. Wildlife rehabilitation can be a dirty job!
• Applicants must be willing to work five days a week including at least one weekend day, with two consecutive days off during the week. The starting schedule for this role would be Wednesdays–Sundays. Some overnight feedings of neonatal mammals may also be required, as permitted.
• Applicants should have at least one year of prior wildlife rehabilitation or two years of domestic animal handling experience.
• Applicants must have experience working with children in an educational setting.
• Applicants must have some experience training wildlife using positive reinforcement and other methods that prioritize animal choice. Experience training raptors is a plus. 
• Applicants must pass a background check. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, Environmental Science, Zoology, or related field is preferred but not required for this role. Experience in wildlife rehabilitation and education is most important to being successful in this role.
• Experience practicing scientifically-informed biosecurity protocols and a firm commitment to providing the highest standard of cleanliness.
• Knowledge of state and federal regulations related to the handling and care of wildlife.
• Experience working with online wildlife patient databases, like WildONe or WRMD.
• Experience speaking to the public about native wildlife.
• Experience building and executing educational learning experiences and/or curriculum.

 Compensation: 

• $20/hour  for 40 hours/week.
• Overtime pay is 1.5 base wage ($30/hour) but we work hard to limit overtime and ensure all employees can have a positive work/life balance. 

Position Term: 

This is a one-year term position with an anticipated start date in  July 2026. RWS is actively pursuing funding to extend this role beyond the first year or transition it into a permanent staff position, and we view this hire as a long-term investment in both the employee and the Sanctuary's growing programs. Continued employment beyond the initial one-year term is contingent on successful grant renewal and/or alternative funding as well as the employee’s performance. RWS will provide written notice no later than 60 days prior to the end date regarding any extension.

Benefits:

• 20 days of PTO per year, with up to 5 unused days rolling over to the next year. PTO can be used for sick leave, vacation time, or personal days. 
• $250 stipend per bi-weekly paycheck to cover health insurance premiums bought through Virginia’s marketplace. (This stipend historically covers over 100% of each employee’s monthly premium.)
• Continuing education opportunities/courses based on the employee’s interests and goals.
• Participation in regional and national wildlife rehabilitation conferences.
• Cross-training opportunities at other regional wildlife centers, as desired.