Response Dispatch Intern

Description

Location of Position: Sausalito, CA 

Reports to: Senior Manager, Northern Range Operations. 

Position Classification & Expected Hours of Internship, and Travel:  

• This internship will fulfill 320 hours of service and will receive academic credit. 
• A regular schedule will be determined by the candidate and hiring manager: 
• Both Full-Time and Part-Time schedules will be considered. 
• Days and hours of the work week may vary depending on the Center’s needs.  
• Work hours are typically between 8am – 7pm PST. 
• Travel is not expected for this position. 

Position Summary: 

The Response Dispatch Intern will advance The Marine Mammal Center’s mission of ocean health through their in-office role answering phone calls from members of the public who are reporting marine mammals in distress and providing administrative and logistical support to response operations onsite at our Sausalito hospital. The Dispatch Intern is responsible for answering the Center’s rescue hotline, collecting and recording data on location and animal assessment, educating the public about marine mammals and the Center's operations, and providing administrative support to staff and volunteers coordinating response and animal transports. The person in this role will need to be calm under stress, have excellent people skills, be comfortable communicating and working in multiple online tools, and enjoy working in a dynamic team environment.  

Essential Functions: 

Response Hotline Support:?65% 

• Answer the stranded animal response hotline and appropriately support and educate public callers.  
• Triage incoming reports, referring calls to outside partner agencies when appropriate. 
• For relevant reports, collect accurate location and animal assessment information and input that data into electronic Stranded Animal Reports. 
• Transition actionable reports to Dispatch staff, who take over response coordination. 
• Provide clear communications to public callers, volunteers, and staff in-person or via phone, email, and other online tools. 
• Engage the community and represent The Marine Mammal Center positively during all interactions. 

Response Operations Support: 30% 

• Maintain a positive and adaptable presence onsite in the Dispatch office. 
• Support dispatch staff and volunteers with equipment needs. 
• Assist in execution of transport and response logistics as requested. 
• Other onsite response tasks as assigned. 

Other Duties as Assigned:?5% 

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

Supervisory Responsibility: 

None.
 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:  

• Strong interpersonal skills.  
• Ability to stay calm and polite in?complex, emotional situations with members of the public. 
• Effective communication skills and ability to smoothly transition between verbal and written communications. 
• Strong computer skills with the ability to quickly operate across multiple computer applications. 
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment. 
• Can easily adapt to new information and re-prioritize work as needed. 
• Willingness to support and participate in the Center’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and initiatives 
• Basic knowledge of marine mammal natural history in California preferred. 
• Passion for marine and environmental conservation. 
• Ability to provide simple conflict resolutions, escalate as needed, while maintaining adaptability, empathy, and optimism under pressure.  
• Ability to work collaboratively and maintain open communication in a team environment.  
• Minimal skills or ability to learn Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Word) and videoconferencing technology (Slack, Teams, Zoom). 
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, which may include staff, volunteers, training participants, and members of the public. 
• Ability to practice self-awareness and respect while engaging with staff, volunteers, training participants, and members of the public. 

Preferred Education and Experience: 

• Customer service experience preferred. 
• At least one year of study toward an undergraduate degree in a related field. 
• Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination or waiver (medical or religious). 

Position Environment & Physical Requirements:   

• This position operates in a fast-paced, high-stress environment managing emergency situations with sick and injured marine mammals, involving consistent interactions with passionate public callers. 
• Ability to work in an open cubicle office space with many distractions.? 
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary teams with attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
• Routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, scanners, and filing cabinets. 
• Ability to operate large vehicles to assist with animal or equipment transport. 
• Ability to lift 40+ pounds to load carriers and other rescue equipment into trucks.   
• This position operates in outdoor weather conditions and elements 10% of the time.? 
• Potential exposure to zoonotic diseases.  
• May involve smells associated with animals and the care of 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.