Associate Veterinarian

Reports to: Senior Director of Research and Veterinary Science

Status: Part-time or Full-time, Exempt (60% FTE minimum)

We are seeking a collaborative, team-oriented veterinarian with a strong interest in aquatic birds to join us as an Associate Veterinarian at our Northern California wildlife center. Ideal candidate wants to really dig in and pursue a long-term career in wildlife medicine.

International Bird Rescue has been a leader in the realm of wildlife emergency response and the care of aquatic birds since 1971. We operate three wildlife facilities, including two wildlife clinics in California serving the San Francisco Bay-Delta and Los Angeles metropolitan areas and in Alaska a turnkey oiled wildlife care facility in Anchorage. Clinic standards and protocols are collectively developed by our Operations Team with the goals of timely, well-coordinated responses to novel circumstances and evolving as one program with 2+ centers.

Our clinics act as referral hospitals for aquatic birds; most of our patients are transferred from other wildlife centers. We do not maintain a captive collection of animal ambassadors; with few exceptions, all patients that are not candidates for wild release are humanely euthanized. We are partners in the State of California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network and if an oil spill occurs in California, our centers can become primary care centers for oiled animals within a few hours.

During non-oil spill times, our two California clinics collectively admit  aquatic birds annually and periodically manage large-scale responses to waterbird mass stranding events.

• Provide medical and surgical care for patients at the San Francisco Bay-Delta rehabilitation center, working collaboratively with the Senior Director of Operations, Wildlife Center Manager, and the Supervisor to ensure high quality and feasible care is attained for each patient, shifting between individualized care and flock health management as circumstances require.
• Perform surgeries and other medical procedures with verbal, virtual, written, or in-person guidance from Supervisor as needed.
• Perform diagnostic procedures and necropsies as appropriate.
• Work with Wildlife Center Manager and Supervisor to supervise and train medical aspects of Rehabilitation Technician job duties, including anesthetic monitoring, radiographic technique, controlled drug handling and documentation, euthanasia decision-making and performance, and pertinent safety trainings.
• Contribute as a member of the Operations Team in development and application of protocols for both birds in care and employee/volunteer health and safety.
• Maintain medical records and provide input into long‑term data monitoring projects.
• Identify interesting medical cases and provide photographs and text for inclusion in fund‑raising and public media outreach.
• Work cooperatively with all animal care staff to maintain a collegial team atmosphere.
• Communicate with clinic staff via phone, text, and email on an as‑needed basis regarding unusual or difficult cases when offsite.
• Reach out to Supervisor and other senior staff when unsure how to proceed.
• Participate in research projects as needed and grow towards developing collaborative projects that expand knowledge of the biology and care of aquatic bird species.
• Professionally represent the organization at conferences, events, trainings, and in the media.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) degree from an accredited university.
• California state veterinary license (or ability to obtain such within 6 months). Ability to obtain and maintain additional state licenses as requested.
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in avian wildlife rehabilitation and a thorough understanding of its possibilities and limitations.
• Solid knowledge of avian anatomy and physiology
• Self‑motivated and thoughtful, with ample curiosity, a positive attitude, and a strong work ethic.
• Excellent pattern recognition skills in spotting unusual case clusters.
• Creativity to implement medically and physiologically sound techniques where no existing protocols or techniques exist.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent skills…