Coordinator

The Kauai Humane Society (KHS), through its Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) program, seeks a Coordinator to directly oversee its wild bird response and recovery effort.   SOS, a 30-year program, was formerly operated by the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife on Kauai.  SOS now runs under a contract between the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) as the funder of the program and KHS as the operator.  The primary avian species of this project follow: Newell’s Shearwater, Hawaiian Petrel, and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, state and federally listed (Endangered Species Act) seabirds which suffer from light attraction when fledging out to sea.  The SOS Program seeks to band and release all grounded fledgling seabirds (initially rescued by concerned citizens) and successfully return them to sea with the best possible weight and waterproofing.  Heavy fledgling fallout primarily occurs between September and December, but the SOS program responds to fallout from adult seabirds outside of this period. Seasonal fall-out preparation begins in June and extends into August and September at which point hundreds of seabirds begin fledging and require rehabilitation or just processing (banding, measuring, and/or bleeding) by the SOS program.  The duties of the coordinator include the following:

•Hands-on management of SOS staff, meaning active participation in rehabilitation

Coordinating interdepartmental cooperation with other KHS departments

•Publish the SOS Annual Report for KIUC following the fledgling season

•Maintain SOS contracts with various stakeholders and resulting budget

•Facilitate stakeholder meetings

•Maintain a master bander permit

•Maintain the database for reporting using Access, Excel, and GIS

•Update the SOS Manual and protocols

•Front and coordinate KIUC’s seabird outreach campaign

•Pursue funding for other native avifauna

A typical work week will consist of 40+ hours.  Flexibility with the work week and days off is a must.  On-call duties and evening/weekend shifts will also be incorporated into this position during the off-season due to staff numbers.  Field vehicles will be provided for work use and wildlife response.  The Coordinator must be comfortable working with a wide range of programs and personnel housed by the Humane Society.  The Coordinator will be responsible for transportation to Kauai, in addition to finding appropriate housing.

Required qualifications: 

•An M.S. degree in Wildlife Biology or related field or equivalent management experience in wildlife (2-3 years as a lead technician is acceptable)

•Bird Banding experience

•Proficiency with Microsoft Excel or a relational database

•Comfort with public outreach

Desired qualifications: 

• A banding resume of ~50 seabirds or waterbirds
• Clinic experience (some familiarity with safety and sanitation protocols of a lab)
• Proficiency specifically with Access
• Experience with agency reporting guidelines, legal documentation
• Familiarity with ArcGIS
• Knowledge of Hawaii seabird natural history and/or the ability to design an outreach program around such

The Applicant must have strong interpersonal skills to promote collaboration with a wide range of SOS stakeholders.  SOS also hopes to find applicants who have specifically worked with either state or federally listed species.

Those interested should send cover letter, resume, and three references to SOS@kauaihumane.org.