Volunteer Manager, MBO

The Marine Mammal Center•Castroville, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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.
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.

Responsibilities

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.
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.
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.
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.
May actively serve on an organizational wide committee(s).
Support and prioritize the Center’s DEI objectives and integrate as opportunities arise.
Perform special projects and research as assigned.
Perform other duties as assigned.