Mission: Wolf Caretakers

“Core Staff” Caretakers

Core Staff are the leaders of the Mission: Wolf community. They are long-term staff that commit to a minimum 1-2 years at the sanctuary.

There are four Core Staff who live on site and ensure that someone is always present to guarantee 24/7 care and safety for the wolves. 

Core Staff provide oversight for one of the six main areas of work—animal care, refuge care, operations, and education—while coaching Assistant Staff in these areas. Core Staff provide year-round continuity for the animals and train new staff. 

For these positions, Mission: Wolf seeks applicants who are self-aware enough not to scare the wolves (or other staff) and demonstrate quality leadership and communication skills. Core Staff must have the skills relevant to their area, but it’s also important they are open to learning new things, good at working with people, and can see a “big-picture” view of Mission: Wolf and its goals.

All new staff begin as Assistant Staff. For the first few months, we expect everyone to learn about daily operations, settle into the lifestyle, and in time begin taking on more serious responsibilities. Mission:Wolf can be a difficult place to work and live in isolation with your co-workers. It does not always work out. The first few months are a “working interview” to see if you are a fit for Mission:Wolf and if Mission:Wolf is a fit for you. Some volunteers can step into a long-term staff role after 2-3 months, while others may take over a year before they are ready for that level of responsibility. 

It is not guaranteed Assistant Staff will become Core Staff. Mission: Wolf’s Directors and existing Core Staff approve new Core Staff members on a combination of their ability to contribute competency and leadership to the sanctuary, the length and recency of time they have been Assistant Staff, and the length of future time commitment to the wolves. 

Core Staff Requirements

Commitment:

Minimum one year commitment. For the Animal Caretaker role, a minimum two-year commitment is required for the sake of continuity with the animals. We ask that all Core Staff stay through the entire summer season, May 15 through August 15, with no significant time out. The summer is extremely busy relative to winter, making the spring, fall, and winter seasons excellent for time away from the sanctuary.

Experience/Education:

Mission:Wolf Core Staff should have expertise in one of the four main areas of work at the sanctuary—animal care, refuge care, education, and operations—explained in more detail below. Mission: Wolf seeks people who demonstrate competence, leadership, and the ability to look at complicated situations with a big-picture view. There are no education requirements but most Core Staff have a college degree. Staff members are needed who understand the “why” behind what we do and can communicate it clearly to visitors from the public, Assistant Staff, or short-term volunteers. In general, Core Staff are “good at stuff,” using experience and judgment to do things they aren’t familiar with and often teaching other people to do it at the same time.

Attitude:

Working at Mission:Wolf is a way of life. We live in close quarters and spend far more time interacting with humans than with wolves. Core Staff are in the position of keeping things running smoothly through changing seasons with Assistant Staff coming and going. It’s rewarding but requires maturity, humility, patience, and a strong educational ethos. Successful Core Staff devote their lives to what they believe in: improving interactions between humans and animals, advocating for the environment, and providing inspiration to the people who visit the wolves.

Communication:

There is no way around it: Core Staff need to be excellent communicators. They run staff meetings, assign tasks to other volunteers, and mediate when interpersonal problems arise. We expect direct conflict resolution, constructive delivery of feedback, and timely action. If these goals are not met, resentment can grow between staff members. The animals have a special ability to “see” this and will reflect the negative energy. They become scared or anxious around the conflicting staff members, significantly impeding the goal of sanctuary for the animals. If the conflict is not resolved in a healthy and healing way, at least one staff member is required to leave the sanctuary—if not both.

Community Living:

Mission:Wolf operates as a close-knit community, isolated from major development like cities and towns. Core Staff need to have great communication skills, experience working with people, and be comfortable living and working in close proximity to others. There is no minimum age, but there is high expectations for how volunteers will do their work, interact with the public, and contribute to the community. Assistant Staff who wish to become Core Staff are judged on the work ethic they demonstrate and their maturity in human and animal interactions. Core Staff must be comfortable leading people older than themselves.

Time Off:

We encourage all Core Staff to take at least a few weeks off each year. This relieves the stress of living and working in an isolated community for months on end. It is an opportunity to earn some extra money, gain perspective, or become refreshed and better able to contribute to the sanctuary’s goals and mission.

Core Staff Benefits

Housing: Core Staff have the opportunity to live in heated cabins, geodesic domes, or tipis. Some are bedrooms in community buildings while others are isolated, private cabins. Core and Assistant Staff have access to all buildings including “Gene’s” community kitchen, a full pantry of food, showers, and a washing machine.

Food: Mission:Wolf provides food for all full-time staff (healthy staples, not junk food). Most days, staff are on their own for breakfast and lunch. Dinners are eaten as a community and rotated amongst all staff.

Transportation: With ample communication, transportation can be managed to and from local airports or bus and train stations. There is parking space for a car if you choose to drive out. Mission:Wolf can offer Core Staff vehicles to use for personal trips when appropriate. Oftentimes, Core Staff combine personal trips with Mission:Wolf errands.

Technology: All Staff have access to wireless internet, community laptops, and a landline phone with free long distance and limited international calling.

Compensation: This aspect of working and living at Mission: Wolf is actively under change. When the changes have been made official, information will be provided here. Don’t hesitate to reach out to info@missionwolf.org with any specific questions about compensation or to learn where things stand at the moment.

Bonus Stuff:

• Staff camping & skiing trips funded by Mission:Wolf

• Access to community collection of donated clothing and outdoor equipment

• Growth in leadership skills through leading a community of volunteers from diverse backgrounds

• Potential to learn new skills: caring for animals, learning animal body-language techniques, welding, carpentry, chainsaw use, greenhouse care, permaculture practice, solar electric systems, automotive mechanics, and much more

• Potential participation in wildlife chemical immobilization course

Core Staff Job Descriptions

Interested?

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, though generally new staff are welcomed at the start of summer and fall. Winter is a difficult time to arrive, especially if you have never been out before. If you would like to come another time of the year or visit during the winter as a short-term volunteer, go ahead and contact us.

If you are planning to arrive in the summer, please apply as summer staff and mention in your application that you are interested in staying past summer. Applications for arrival at any other point in the year are accepted on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions about sanctuary positions, responsibilities, skills, or your suitability, please don’t hesitate to contact us.