SANCCOB
SANCCOB, an internationally recognised seabird conservation organisation, is seeking to employ a full-time Veterinary Nurse or Animal Health Technician to join its Port Elizabeth team. The purpose of this position is to oversee the rescue, treatment, rehabilitation and release of African penguins and other seabirds. This includes the coordination of rehabilitation activities at the rehabilitation centre in Cape Recife, Port Elizabeth (PE), supervising the rehabilitation staff and maintaining the centre as a registered veterinary hospital.
Key responsibilities:
- Reporting directly to the PE Centre Manager, oversee all rehabilitation and veterinary activities at the Port Elizabeth facility and to ensure that protocols and standards are maintained at the highest level
- Daily care and treatment of different types of seabirds of all ages including after hours on-call duty and general rehabilitation
- Weekly health examinations of the birds undergoing rehabilitation, including blood sampling, microscopy, record keeping and evaluating when the birds are fit for release
- Administration of the rehabilitation activities, including record keeping and control of veterinary and rehabilitation stock
- Ensuring proper hygiene practices and maintenance of the enclosures, pens, pools and hospital
- Working with local veterinarians on veterinary treatment of the birds undergoing rehabilitation, SANCCOB’s vet is based in Cape Town and will be available to give advice but most veterinary work in Port Elizabeth is done by local veterinarians
- Ensuring that the hospital is prepared for vet visits and surgical procedures
- Training and supervision of rehabilitation staff, interns and volunteers
On-site training will be provided on the rehabilitation and nursing of African penguins and other seabirds
Key competencies:
The successful candidate will be a team player who is physically fit, hard-working, dedicated, self-motivated and has a love of seabirds and conservation, with a personable, caring and compassionate nature and good attention to detail. The successful person should be comfortable leading a small team and working long hours, including over weekends and public holidays, and in all-weather conditions.
Minimum requirements for position:
- A Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (or equivalent qualification) and registration with the South African Veterinary Council is essential
- Demonstrable experience managing small teams and/or volunteers will be advantageous
- Demonstrable experience in writing reports, project proposals and articles will be advantageous
- A valid driver’s licence and own transport
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite of programmes
Please forward CV with at least 2 contactable references (max. 3 pages) and a letter of motivation to Dr David Roberts at david.gr@sanccob.co.za by Thursday, 19 December 2019.
Management will not accept telephonic applications and will only correspond with applicants selected for interviews.