Marine Conservation Associate

The Marine Conservation Associate supports the day-to-day operations of Ke Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Hospital located in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i. This role helps advance efforts to protect Hawaiian monk seals, strengthen community stewardship, and engage community members as co-designers in conservation solutions. The Marine Conservation Associate will also cross-train to support public programs and hospital operations and helping to bridge community engagement, education, and animal care to further the Center’s mission and impact.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

· Enthusiasm for environmental conservation and marine life.

· Knowledge of Hawaii’s natural resources and unique challenges.

· Ability to foster positive relationships with a variety of stakeholders and community members (familiarity with Hawaiian communities, culture, and customs is highly desirable).

· Ability to provide exceptional customer service to diverse audiences.

· Ability to provide conflict resolution, maintain adaptability, empathy, and optimism under pressure.

· Ability to convey information effectively, both orally and in writing.

· Ability to understand and follow written and oral instructions and priorities as set by management.

· Ability to work collaboratively and maintain open communication in a team environment.

· Ability to learn from change, challenges, and feedback.

· Minimal organizational skills or ability to learn attention to detail, multi-tasking, and time-management.

· Minimal skills or ability to learn Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Word) and videoconference technology (Slack, Teams, Zoom).

· Ability to build and sustain effective working relationships with people from diverse backgrounds while demonstrating self-awareness, respect, and professionalism.

· Willingness to support and participate in The Marine Mammal Center’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Qualifications and Experience:

· This position requires a combination of education and experience equivalent to being currently enrolled in college or having an associate or bachelor’s degree in administration, education, marine science or related field; and at least 1 year of experience in customer service or equivalent experience.

· 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.)

Salary Description: $26.00 – $28.75 per hour

Tagged as: Conservation