Associate Director of Operations

Department Purpose

The Oiled Wildlife Care Network is a globally recognized wildlife emergency preparedness and response program that is administered through a partnership between the University of California, Davis and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response, and is powered by over 40 member organizations across the state of California, including major zoos, aquariums, and wildlife rehabilitation facilities.

Essential Responsibilities

• Leadership & Administrative:

  • Contribute to strategic visioning of the overall program as a senior leadership member of the program.
  • Represent OWCN to key stakeholders, including OWCN member organizations, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and other State and Federal agencies, and to the public as needed.
  • Ensure administrative aspects of the program related to operations are successfully tracked and met, including but not limited to ensuring all required UC Davis and OWCN-specific trainings are conducted and completed, rehabilitation and scientific collection permits are acquired and followed, and evidence (samples, paperwork, data) is collated and securely stored after all spill events.
  • Review and monitor budgets and expenditures for the operations portion (including equipment, supplies, and facility improvement efforts) of the program and ensures appropriate allocation of these resources.
  • Supervise the daily activities of OWCN Management Team personnel assigned to operational areas. Lead the initial operational efforts for rapid mobilization for oil spill activations, in close coordination with the Associate Director of Network Management for activation of member organization responders.

• Content Management & Training Support:

  • Manage development and review/maintenance of best practices content (including field operations and animal care activities) for the OWCN, ensuring that protocols and information generated is being collaboratively created by subject matter experts inside and outside of the Network.
  • Identify gaps in subject matter areas related to best practices in oil spill responses and identify paths to address and disseminate new information, including through internal and external research opportunities and collaborations, publications, and conferences/meetings.
  • Support Network training needs identified by the Associate Director of Network Management and create and deliver content to address these needs, including in person and virtual workshops, webinars, asynchronous learning, and other modalities as required.

• Asset Management:

  • Oversee the acquisition and maintenance of all large-scale physical assets and supplies across the Network, including but not limited to vehicles, trailers, supply caches, and temporary/permanent facilities.
  • Ensure the accurate and updated inventory of supplies necessary for emergency response activities, including items stored at the OWCN Headquarters as well as throughout the Network.

• Other:

  • Takes on other duties and projects as assigned.