Overview This job is posted on behalf of The Alex Foundation /The Pepperberg Avian Cognition Lab, a research non-profit investigating the cognitive and communicative abilities of African grey parrots ( Psittacus erithacus ). As parrot health aide, the successful candidate will work as part of a managing team, under the direction of Dr. Irene Pepperberg, to ensure the well-being and health of the resident research parrot, and coordinate all other necessary lab logistics and endeavours. Some research experience may be available, but is secondary to all other lab-essential tasks being completed. Job Description (@35 hrs/wk)—The responsibilities include: 1. Regularly being in lab to manage the lab in person. The exact schedule is negotiable, but a frequent, regular presence in lab is required. For this position at 35 hours a week, you can expect to be in lab 5-6 days a week for up to 8 hours each time, depending on daily schedules and workload requirements. 2. Making sure there is always at least one person in the lab with the parrot from 9am-8pm every single day, including weekends and holidays. This responsibility is shared with the senior manager. 3. Accordingly, covering all hours with the parrot that cannot otherwise be covered by someone else (including weekends and holidays). This responsibility is shared with the senior manager. 4. Being on-call on specific days (i.e., have access to your phone), effectively at all times, to handle questions, lab communications, emergencies, and last-minute coverage requests (which might include having to potentially drop what you are doing and go into lab, assuming you are within driving distance). This does NOT mean that you cannot travel, but that you DO have to communicate with the managing team well in advance to ensure adequate coverage. You can expect to have 3 weekly on-call days, to be assigned depending on the managing team's schedules (i.e., on days that work for you, but previously-determined and often recurring, such as all Mondays). 5. Bird care, including monitoring the bird's health and well-being and making sure that physical therapy and medications are getting done. This includes being willing to learn to towel a bird, to syringe feed medications orally, and to come into lab to do such and other treatments when other people are unavailable or unable. This responsibility is shared with the senior manager. 6. Making sure the lab is clean, organized, and running optimally. Split with a senior and assistant manager.

Job Requirements:

1.

Health/vet animal care experience preferred:

experience with birds and particularly parrots is highly valuable, but any animal vet caretaking experience is relevant. The job will require the ability to safely towel a parrot, safely administer medications into the parrot's beak, potentially remove dangerously broken blood feathers, and the ability to recognize and address any potential health concerns that exist or may arise. Some of this can be learned, but relevant related skills would be highly useful for learning these skills. 2. Ability to drive into Davis Sq., Somerville, within 30min (in case of lab emergencies), or else living in close enough proximity to Davis Sq., Somerville to arrive at the lab in the same time frame via other means (again in case of lab emergencies). 3. Ability to flexibly dedicate about 35 weekly hours to this position, including primarily in-person lab hours, depending on scheduling requirements of the lab. 4.

Character traits:

good communication, responsiveness, responsibility, ability to work well as part of a multi-person managing team, flexibility, dedication, passion for animals and their care.

Pay:

$24.00 - $27.50 per hour

Benefits:

Paid time off

Work Location:

In person