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Posted: 18-Sep-24
Location: La Jolla, California
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 132103
UCSD Layoff from Career Appointment: Apply by 09/19/2024 for consideration with preference for rehire. All layoff applicants should contact their Employment Advisor.
Special Selection Applicants: Apply by 09/30/2024. Eligible Special Selection clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.
Work schedule is Tuesday - Saturday and may be flexed to accommodate holidays, evenings, and/or special events, as needed.
DEPARMENT OVERVIEW
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is a non-profit exploration center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The aquarium showcases over 60 habitats of fish and invertebrates. The interactive museum features research discoveries by Scripps scientists and engages visitors of all ages.
Our goal is to promote conservation efforts that protect our ocean planet. We educate visitors on how our world works and inspire them to become stewards of the planet. Our conservation efforts are based on scientific research, and we aim to connect people with nature and with a shared sense of responsibility to care for our planet Earth.
Location: 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, CA 92037.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
In this role, the primary responsibility is to coordinate and administer the volunteer program at Birch Aquarium, which involves working with approximately 300 volunteers and scheduling around 150 shifts weekly. This entails finding replacements for vacant shifts and rearranging volunteers to ensure optimal coverage. Developing and maintaining positive, long-term relationships with volunteers is crucial, as is monitoring their performance to meet or exceed Birch Aquarium's high standards for customer service, content accuracy, visitor inclusiveness, and interpretive excellence.
An understanding of the needs of the units requesting volunteer support is expected to be acquired in order to effectively match individual volunteers to operational needs. The role also includes providing work direction and guidance to student employees, which involves tasks such as data entry, report generation, scheduling, supporting volunteer training, responding to inquiries, and general clerical support. Ensuring compliance with Birch Aquarium-UCSD policies and procedures for volunteer staff, including safety and security regulations, is a key responsibility. Additionally, serving as the Volunteer Resources representative and advocate at meetings and events as assigned by the Volunteer Program Manager is part of the role.
The position requires managing the distribution of volunteer uniforms, badges, parking codes, and other resources, and maintaining a complex and integrated volunteer database with support from a third-party vendor. Coordination with UC San Diego HR for approval and extension of volunteer positions, managing appointments, tracking compliance with vaccine and training requirements, and generating various reports are also part of the job. Updating Volunteer Resources' communication media to ensure accuracy and consistency, participating in long-range and development planning for Volunteer Resources, staying abreast of industry trends, and participating in the development of aquarium exhibits are other essential duties. Fielding emails and calls from potential and existing volunteers is a regular task.
In the recruitment and retention area, the role involves assisting staff to identify their volunteer needs, qualifications, and schedules, and implementing a recruitment plan that includes marketing, orientation, processing, and record-keeping. Screening and interviewing volunteers, ensuring a sufficient and diverse group of volunteers to meet staff needs, and collaborating with staff for appropriate training and mentoring of volunteers are also crucial. The position requires acting as a liaison between volunteers and staff, ensuring respectful treatment of volunteers, assisting in planning an annual volunteer appreciation event, and maintaining relationships with volunteer resources administrators and experts.
For internships, the role coordinates recruitment and processing efforts for both long- and short-term opportunities, establishes communication procedures with local, regional, and national venues, and provides reports and updates to appropriate staff.
As interpretive support, the role supports Education and Public Programs staff in coordinating and administering interpretive programs and covers interpretive positions on the floor as needed.
In terms of training, the role involves conducting volunteer training on aquarium operations, interpretive best practices, and safe animal handling, as well as supporting the development and coordination of new volunteer traini