Sanctuary Manager (Work Trade)

About us:

Magical Creatures is a nonprofit farm animal sanctuary located in Laupahoehoe on the beautiful Hamakua coast of Hawaii's Big Island. Our purpose is to prevent cruelty to animals by rescuing animals from situations that are abusive, dangerous, or neglectful, and to provide sanctuary for rescued animals. Due to the 2018 volcanic eruptions, our little sanctuary grew fast overnight! It is now home over 90 animals, including goats, sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and cats. We have a mix of feral and domestic animals, babies to great big (600 lbs!) pigs. Each and every one loves attention and will be super excited to welcome you to the sanctuary!

Responsibilities:

To oversee and support the daily operational needs of the sanctuary by coordinating the resources to problem-solve, ensuring any recurring needs are met, and promoting a smooth and organized volunteer and visitor flow.

Sanctuary Manager:

• Oversees staff and volunteer recruitment and some training
• Manages staff scheduling and coordinates sanctuary calendars
• Oversees some animal care and volunteer shifts throughout the week
• Oversees management of feed and supplies inventory
• Oversees project lists and property maintenance activities
• Oversees volunteer project days

Qualifications:

• Knowledgeable in farm animal care and sanctuary operations
• Strong leader who can delegate effectively
• 21 years of age or older
• Minimum high school education or equivalent, undergraduate/bachelors degree preferred
• Basic computer competency (e.g., Excel, Word, etc.)
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Project management experience
• Must be a team player and passionate about animal welfare
• Experience in leadership (1-2 years preferred)
• Experience in administrative work (1-2 years preferred)
• Nonprofit experience preferred
• Previous animal sanctuary experience preferred

Supervises:

• Facilities Manager
• 3-5 volunteers/interns
• One or more interns assisting with operations activities part time, e.g. inventory management

Supervision:

• Direct supervision by Executive Director & Director of Operations; indirect supervision by Board of Directors

Benefits:

• Gain experience in management, nonprofit leadership, and animal care
• Create relationships with like-minded individuals through partnership in the sanctuary community
• Lots of quality time with our 90+ residents and 10+ onsite staff members
• Team appreciation events and activities throughout the year
• Flexible working hours

Commitment:

• 6 month contract; opportunity to extend
• 2-4 week trial and training period
• Approximately 30 hours/week, with 2 full days off each week (not necessarily weekends)

Our team:

We are a completely volunteer-run organization, and at this time there are no paid positions available. We sincerely appreciate the time our staff members and other volunteers generously donate to caring for the animals and supporting our cause, and hope that you feel well compensated by the love they will shower you with every day.

Accommodations:

We are completely off-grid, so staff must be conservative with electricity and water usage. The Sanctuary Manager will live in a shared yurt or in a private tiny home, depending on availability. We have a shared outdoor kitchen and shower. We provide linens for your stay.

Applicants must be appropriately licensed to drive a car in the U.S. If you do not have your own vehicle, we try to make the sanctuary van available for volunteers to grocery shop and explore the island one day per week. Staff are responsible for personal use of the sanctuary vehicle so we ask for a donation of 25 cents/mile driven in order to cover vehicle maintenance and fuel costs.

We do not allow any smoking or excessive drinking, and no animal products onsite out of respect for our rescued cows, pigs, chickens, goats, etc. Food is not provided with this position, and will be one of your only expenses while staying with us. We do receive frequent food donations, but we don't always know what or how much, so those will be supplementary to what you buy at the grocery store each week. We will provide resources to assist you adapting to a vegan diet if that is not familiar to you.

Everyone lives and works together close to the main house (our home), and it is important that we find staff members with similar lifestyles to ours to ensure a good fit. We are quiet and respectful, and we enjoy working together during the days and having peaceful time on our own in the evenings once the work day is finished. We love getting to know our staff members and other volunteers and sharing this beautiful life together, but we are also looking for individuals who can be independent in their off hours. The property (and Big Island in general) is a peaceful place of stunning natural beauty, but very little nightlife or social activities, so applicants should be okay with a small network of people to connect with and of course quiet time with the animals.

We are in a rural area so applicants should be excited for the opportunity to totally immerse with the animals on our beautiful property. We think we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, on the Hamakua coast of Hawaii's Big Island. On days off, you can explore the lava fields, black and white sand beaches, swim with turtles and manta rays, go on breathtaking hikes with hiking groups in the area, or connect with our wonderful local volunteers to explore with.

Please note: We require all of our live-in staff members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including boosters if eligible) before arrival at the sanctuary.