Volunteer Manager, MBO

Description

Location of Position: Castroville, California 

Reports to: Monterey Bay Operations Senior Manager

Position Classification & Expected Hours of Work, and Travel: 

• This is a full-time, onsite position.
• Regular onsite work is required with the option of some hybrid remote work.
• Days and hours of work may vary according to the needs of The Marine Mammal Center.
• Evening, weekend, and holiday work are required as job duties demand.
• Rotating on-call duties are required to support after-hours work across the range.
• Some travel to satellite facilities and/or fieldwork within California is expected for this position. 

Compensation Range: $70,720 - $80,075 annual salary.

Benefits:

• Holidays, Sick Time, Vacation 
• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Life Insurance and Long Term Disability Insurance
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program

Job Summary:

The Volunteer Manager, MBO is responsible for building and leading the volunteer community and strengthening volunteer capacity across The Marine Mammal Center’s Monterey Bay Operations (MBO) in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, in support of Field Operations and Response (FOR) program readiness. They oversee volunteer onboarding, training, scheduling, issue management, retention, and readiness, leading and supporting more than 150 volunteers in various roles engaged in assessment, rescue, animal care, community engagement, and transport. Working in close partnership with the MBO Senior Manager, this role ensures consistent volunteer capacity, operational alignment, and continuous improvement of operational practices. This position also regularly supports the daily response and animal care operations of MBO as staffing and seasonal needs arise, and on occasion support community engagement and outreach activities that increase public awareness, responsible reporting, and an increased volunteer pipeline. Through this work, the Volunteer Manager directly advances the Center’s mission and strategic priorities. 

Essential Functions:

Program Management: 35%

• Lead the planning, coordination, and continuous improvement of volunteer programs supporting Monterey Bay Operations (MBO) response and Field Operations and Response (FOR), ensuring volunteers are effectively trained, supported, and deployed to meet operational needs.
• Partner with the People & Culture department to define volunteer recruitment needs, support onboarding for MBO volunteers and ensure volunteer compliance with organizational requirements.
• Ensure the development and maintenance of field response and animal care capabilities among volunteers to support rescue and animal care teams and other operational needs.
• Collaborate with the People & Culture department and Learning & Development team to design, deliver, and continuously improve initial and ongoing training programs for MBO volunteers, interns, apprentices, including developing training modules, setting training schedules, and aligning practices with other FOR regions.  
• Collaborate with People & Culture to develop, implement, support, and improve volunteer policies and procedures as assigned. 
• Ensure volunteer adherence to all permits and guidance from permitting agencies. 
• Oversee volunteer data management and scheduling systems, maintaining accurate volunteer profiles across technology platforms (e.g., Volgistics, GroupMe) to support response readiness and operational coordination. 
• Monitor volunteer participation and performance by running regular reports, engaging volunteers who fall below participation requirements, and collaborating with MBO staff, People & Culture department, and volunteer crew supervisors to address engagement concerns or process deactivations as needed. 
• Provide direct volunteer leadership during response and animal care operations as assigned, and partner with FOR leadership to train and support staff in effective volunteer management practices. 
• Lead MBO volunteer communications, including newsletters, operational updates, and surveys, and collaborate with People & Culture department to assess feedback, evaluate retention trends, and implement engagement and improvement strategies. 
• Plan and support volunteer recognition and wellness initiatives, including events and annual celebrations, in collaboration with People & Culture. 
• Evaluate volunteer capacity models, retention strategies, response policies, procedures, tools, and internal collaboration systems, performing quality control through observation and coaching, and implement improvements or propose enhancements. 
• Lead special projects that strengthen MBO and FOR operational effectiveness, volunteer readiness, and overall response capacity as assigned. 
• Support outreach activities such as presentations, site visits, and events featuring internal and external speakers. 
• Plan, coordinate, and attend community engagement and outreach events that increase public awareness of marine mammal response and support volunteer recruitment across the MBO Range. 
• Support volunteers in community engagement efforts throughout the MBO Range, ensuring consistent messaging and effective representation of the Center. 
• Serve as a regional subject matter expert for media requests, participate in required media training, and support accurate, mission-aligned public communication. 

Leadership & People Management: 30%

• Provide leadership, coaching, training, and expectation setting to volunteers to strengthen communication, clarify expectations, and promote a positive, supportive, and team-oriented volunteer environment. 
• Ensure volunteer capacity levels accommodate response and animal care activities, including recruitment partnership with People & Culture, onboarding, and placement of new volunteers. 
• Support effective collaboration among volunteers, and between volunteers and MBO staff, by facilitating clear communication, addressing concerns, and escalating issues to senior management as appropriate. 
• Manage the scheduling of volunteers to ensure adequate coverage for all response and animal care activities on various technology platforms. 
• Act as primary contact for MBO Volunteer Crew Supervisors, providing overall support and leading meetings as assigned. 
• Support the hiring, training, and mentorship of early career positions such as interns and apprentices, ensuring individual and team development, alignment with goals, and adherence to policies and protocols. 

Response & Animal Care Operational Support: 20%

• Support the overall day-to-day animal care and response operations of the Monterey Bay Operations (MBO) team in alignment with the objectives and strategic priorities of the Field Operations and Response department. 
• Support MBO staff and volunteers by providing coverage for animal care needs, response support, and other hands-on work as assigned by management based on team scheduling needs, capacity, and seasonal increases in team workload. 
• Assess and carry out humane euthanasia and other medical procedures as appropriate and as assigned by management. 
• Support the accurate completion of all necessary administrative and programmatic tasks associated with the efficient and effective functioning of Monterey Bay Operations. 
• Collaborate closely with the management to ensure effective resource deployment and daily functions are completed. 

Budget Management & Fundraising: 5%

• May support the department’s budget development; tracks results to ensure alignment with key financial targets for expenses and/or revenue in collaboration with management; approves and monitors team expenditures. 
• Represent and promote the Center to current and potential donors as opportunities arise.
• May occasionally support the cultivation of individual donors, grants, family foundations, and corporate sponsors in both written and verbal formats. 

Organizational Impact: 5%

• May actively serve on an organizational wide committee(s). 
• Support and prioritize the Center’s DEI objectives and integrate as opportunities arise. 

Other Duties as Assigned: 5%

• Perform special projects and research as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility:

150 - Response and Animal Care Volunteers

Various Marine Mammal Stranding Interns and Fellows

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Commitment to the mission of The Marine Mammal Center.
• Broad knowledge of current marine mammal rescue and care techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct self in a calm and professional manner while handling calls and in person circumstances involving stressful situations with sick and injured marine mammals, including making life-or-death decisions about animal care, while training staff and volunteers, and providing support to concerned members of the public.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, support, and influence volunteers through clear expectations, coaching, and accountability.
• Ability to provide timely, respectful feedback and guidance, including addressing performance or conduct concerns and escalating issues appropriately in high-stress or time-sensitive situations.
• Skill in motivating, engaging, and retaining a diverse volunteer workforce by fostering trust, emotional intelligence, and alignment with operational and organizational priorities.
• Ability to react appropriately, calmly, and timely in emergency situations, maintaining mental capacity which permits making sound decisions and good judgements.
• Ability to oversee accurate recordkeeping, ensuring data entry, compliance, and integrity within the recordkeeping system and other databases. 
• Ability to translate management directives into clear staff priorities, ensuring alignment between daily work and organizational objectives. 
• Demonstrated decision-making and judgment skills, with the capacity to prioritize, allocate resources, and make sound operational choices in complex situations. 
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly and foster transparent communication across teams, departments, and volunteers.
• Energy and enthusiasm for working with staff and volunteers of diverse backgrounds and differing ability levels. 
• Ability to patiently provide mentorship and instruction to students, staff, and volunteers at differing stages of their career path, demonstrating patience, adaptability, and commitment to professional development.
• Ability to work collaboratively and build trust across diverse teams, fostering and maintaining open communication, shared responsibility, and mutual respect.
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction to manage projects, priorities, fulfill commitments, and meet deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills including attention to detail, problem-solving, multi-tasking, follow-up, and time-management skills.
• Ability to solve problems efficiently and effectively, making determinations and judgement calls while prioritizing work activities.
• Adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. 
• Skills using Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Word) and videoconference technology (Slack, Teams, Zoom). 
• Demonstrated ability to interact with others thoughtfully and respectfully, applying self-awareness to foster trust and effective collaboration.
• Willingness to support and participate in The Marine Mammal Center’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Ability to hold a Veterinary Assistant Controlled Substances Permit.
• Valid driver license with acceptable motor vehicle record to maintain standards of insurability. (Must be 21+ years old as frequently driving company vehicles is required for this position.)
• This position requires a combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in business administration, business management, animal science, marine science, or a related field; and 4 years of experience with coordination of logistical support, remote support, or other equivalents, and a minimum of 3 years of people management.  

Work Environment & Physical Requirements: 

• This position operates in a professional office and hospital environment both indoors and outdoors with access to various parts of the facilities via outdoor pathways. 
• Working in outdoor weather conditions and elements is expected.
• Routinely uses standard office equipment requiring repetitive motion in tasks.
• Ability to work at a desk for extended periods of time using a computer.
• Ability to work in an open-cubicle office space environment with many distractions.
• Ability to operate equipment safely and competently to carry out duties. 
• Ability to drive/operate a vehicle for extensive periods of time, this may include operating large trucks to assist with transporting animals between sites.
• Ability to safely walk on beaches of varying terrain to assist with animal rescues in various locations across California.
• Ability to walk up to 2 miles during a shift on a frequent basis.
• Ability to spend extended periods on your feet, walking, standing, crouching, and climbing stairs (potentially in inclement weather conditions). 
• Ability to perform physical work which requires manual dexterity, agility, strength, and coordination, including the ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. (This includes the ability to restrain large marine mammals and walking on varying terrain while carrying large animal carriers.)
• Risks associated with animal handling such as animal bites or scratches.
• Exposure to allergens and zoonotic diseases.
• Involves strong smells associated with dead animals (carcasses) and the care of live animals.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
The Marine Mammal Center actively engages individuals from all backgrounds. We are committed to embracing diversity within our organization because we firmly believe that diverse employee teams help us to achieve our best organizational outcomes and provide the most effective support to the communities we serve. We are deeply dedicated to creating and maintaining an inclusive, equitable and supportive work environment. We strongly encourage people from underrepresented groups to apply. The Marine Mammal Center believes in growth and supporting our employees as best we can so they can become their best selves in and outside of work. We believe that a healthy work environment means building an inclusive culture where people can thrive together and feel supported and empowered. We believe in stretch versus constraint.
 

OUR MISSION
The Marine Mammal Center advances ocean health through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, research, and education.
 

ABOUT THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER
The Marine Mammal Center is leading the field in ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue, veterinary medicine, science, and education. For more information, please visit our “About Us” page at www.marinemammalcenter.org

To Apply:
Please submit a cover letter and resume and provide a brief description about how your experience aligns with the role.
 

Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
 

In your cover letter, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc). We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply. The Center is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team. If you need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.