The Gorilla Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the preservation, protection and well-being of gorillas through interspecies communication research and education. The foundation was established in 1976 and is best known for its groundbreaking work with two western lowland gorillas, Koko and Michael, who were taught to become fluent in American Sign Language.

We are seeking a highly dedicated, experienced, and qualified individual (who also has a sense of humor and significant animal care and/or research experience and skills) to join our team as a full-time Gorilla Caregiver/Research Assistant.  Candidates should be service-oriented with an attitude of loving kindness toward all life forms and interested in making a contribution to great ape research, education and conservation (with great ape broadly defined to include humans as well as gorillas, bonobos, orangutans and chimpanzee).

This is an hourly full-time position from 8:30 (or 9) AM to 5:30 (or 6) PM, 5 days per week. Work-schedule flexibility required, including the ability to work weekend days and some evenings (12-9 PM).

Primary Job Responsibilities:
1. Monitor, evaluate, and help maintain the health and well-being of gorillas through behavioral observations, (non-invasive) biomedical samples, and sign-language communication.
2. Clean and perform general maintenance in gorilla facilities
3. Assist with the preparation and delivery of meals to gorillas
4. Support and document communication-based research with gorillas, via American Sign Language, natural gorilla gestures, and spoken English
5. Assist with environmental enrichment for the gorillas, and plans for a new preserve

Required Job Qualifications:
1. At least 3 years of full-time, paid work experience (ideally in animal care or non-invasive animal research)
2. Experience and/or education in relevant field(s) such as: biology, anthropology, psychology, animal behavior, animal science, linguistics, zoology, etc
3. Medical degree, Vet Tech degree, or advanced degree in a relevant field
4. Strong affinity for animals (reflected in work experience, volunteerism, etc.)
5. Superior written and verbal communication skills (evidenced by writing and presentation samples)
6. Excellent employment history (reflected by references and non-proprietary work samples)
7. Commitment to learn American Sign Language at an accelerated pace (must pass an ASL proficiency test within 3 months of hire)
8. Computer savvy (Mac/PC, Excel, Powerpoint, Google, and databases like Access or FileMaker, etc.)
9. Required personal attributes:
9.1 Superior work ethic
9.2 Excellent attendance/on-time record
9.3 Attention to detail while being aware of the bigger picture
9.4 Service-oriented and self-motivated
9.4 Positive attitude
9.5 Self reliant — able to learn by asking lots of questions
9.6 Self-assured — able to advance by acknowledging/correcting mistakes
9.7 Self-advancing — able to learn by both self-study and questions
9.8 Well organized (able to use technology to minimize clutter and time-to-find)
9.9 Eagerness to follow and learn from defined protocols (before suggesting or implementing new ones)
9.10 Resonance with the Gorilla Foundation’s Mission

Desirable Job Qualifications:
1. Experience planning research, gathering data and publishing results
2. Knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) and/or Linguistics

Special Requirements:
1. Desire to make a long-term commitment— the gorillas value long-term relationships and consistency
2. An initial evaluation period to establish compatibility with the gorillas
3. Ability to work full-time (40 hrs/wk) including weekends and some evening shifts
4. We are focusing on candidates who live in the Peninsula or Silicon Valley region of the San Francisco Bay Area.
5. The Gorilla Foundation is a drug and smoking-free environment; background checks are a part of the hiring process.

Compensation:
Salary commensurate with experience; opportunity for advancement
Benefits include health insurance, vacation, sick/personal leave, paid holidays and a 403(b) retirement plan

How to Apply:
To be considered for an interview, please send cover letter, resume, salary requirements and contact information for 3 professional references to:

       jobs-gorilla@koko.org

PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL ATTACHMENTS; PASTE ALL REQUIRED INFORMATION INTO THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL.

Thank you!

We are seeking a highly dedicated, experienced, and qualified individual to join our team as a part-time Night Monitor.  Candidates should be service-oriented with an attitude of loving kindness toward all life forms.  This position is a great opportunity for someone who wishes to make a contribution to saving, caring for and learning from the great apes.

This is an hourly part-time position from 5:30pm – 9:30 pm, 3 days per week, with flexibility required for the choice of days.

Primary Job Responsibilities
• Tending to Gorilla Research Office grounds
• General cleaning of staff research office and kitchen
• Database entry and annotation of text and multimedia content associated with ape language research
• Other Foundation projects as needed

Required Job Qualifications
• Significant animal care experience
• Excellent hearing and night vision
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent employment history (on time, responsible, etc.)
• Experience and/or education in relevant field(s) such as: biology, anthropology, psychology, animal behavior, animal science, linguistics, zoology, etc.
• Computer literate (Mac and/or PC)
• Confident around dogs
• Comfortable working alone
• Required personal attributes:
— Superior Work ethiic
— Hard-working, service oriented and self motivated
— Positive attitude with sense of humor
— Self reliant — able to learn by asking lots of questions
— Self-assured — able to advance by acknowledging mistakes
— Well organized and efficient
— Calm (gorilla-like) demeanor
— Strong resonance with the Gorilla Foundation’s Mission

Desirable Qualifications
• Data base entry experience
• College degree(s) in field related to Gorilla Foundation mission
• Carpentry and fix-it skills, equipment repairs, troubleshooting, etc.

Special Requirements for this Job:
• We are focusing on candidates who live in the Peninsula or Silicon Valley region of the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Must have own car for reliable transportation to/from work, and to pick up supplies.
• The Gorilla Foundation is a drug and smoking-free environment; background checks are a part of the hiring process

Compensation
• Wages commensurate with experience.

How to Apply
To be considered for an interview, please send personal cover letter, resume, salary requirements and contact information for 3 professional references to:

    jobs-monitor@koko.org

Please do NOT send attachments; paste everything into email body.

Thank you!

The primary roles of the Director of Major Gifts are to

1. secure major gifts to ensure the successful development of the Maui Ape Preserve through a capital campaign and on-going support,
2. manage and develop volunteers at all levels to support both Preserve and core projects (fundraising for operating costs and endowment), and
3. utilize and develop the member / prospect database to maximize effectiveness in accomplishing the Gorilla Foundation’s mission.

The mission of the Gorilla Foundation is “Conservation through communication.” Our programs include interspecies communication research, care, conservation and education, and our current goals focus on the creation of the first tropical gorilla sanctuary outside Africa: the Maui Ape Preserve, in order to help save the species and continue learning from them.

Job Responsibilities:

1. Fund Development:
1.1) Develop a major giving plan for the Gorilla Foundation (with the help of a fundraising consultant and volunteer committee).
1.2) Help implement and monitor the full Maui Ape Preserve fundraising plan, from prospectus/case-statement refinement, to donor-investor prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
1.3) Develop strategic alliances with related great ape/conservation organizations, corporations, sanctuaries, zoos, celebrities and marketing firms to expedite the completion of MAP.
1.4) Guide staff and volunteer involvement in major gift campaign and other development projects, as prioritized by the Executive Director and Board.
1.5) Help determine optimal levels of participation in campaign(s) by Executive Director, management staff, Board and Volunteer Leadership Team.

2. Volunteer Management:
2.1) Oversee Business Office volunteer recruitment and stewardship program.
2.2) Help establish and support a high-level Volunteer Fundraising Committee for the Maui Ape Preserve capital campaign.

3. Member/Prospect Database Administration:
3.1) Monitor the accuracy and completeness of the membership database by performing regular searches and reports (with the help of the Educational Technology Director and Administrative Assistant).
3.2) Mine the database to identify potential major donors who may not be obvious at first search — and suggest/employ third-party wealth databases as needed for capital campaign development.
3.3) Suggest improved reports, queries, layouts, data, etc. to maximize the utility of our member/prospect database.

Required Job Qualifications:
1. Minimum of five (5) years experience in developing major gifts
2. Successful development of individual major gifts of at least $200k
3. Successful completion of a capital campaign of at least $10M
4. Successful experience working with a small team of complementary development staff, and with the inputs of a fundraising consultant.
5. Proven volunteer management experience.
6. Proven fundraising database utilization experience (eg, via FileMaker Pro)
7. Outstanding verbal communication skills (in person, phone and presenting)
8. Outstanding written communication skills (fundraising letters, case statements, thank you letters, newsletters, Powerpoints, etc)
9. Computer savvy using the internet and other productivity tools (eg, Microsoft Office) to aid major gifts development, volunteer & database management
10. Emotional and intellectual resonance with the Gorilla Foundation’s mission (see www.koko.org before applying)
11. Good sense of humor and strong sense of responsibility
12. Enlightened view about the interrelatedness of humans and other animals

Desirable Job Qualifications:
1. Grant solicitation experience
2. Corporate sponsorship experience
3. College degree(s) in related field, eg., business, psychology, sociology, anthropology, non-profit management, etc.

Special Requirements:
Applicants must currenty live in the San Francisco Bay/Peninsula area.

Compensation:
1. Salary commensurate with experience
2. Benefits include health insurance, vacation, sick/personal leave, paid holidays and a 403(b) retirement plan

How to Apply:
To be considered for an interview, please send cover letter, resume, salary requirements and contac and relationship information for 3 professional references to:

       jobs-business@koko.org

PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL ATTACHMENTS; PASTE ALL REQUIRED INFO INTO THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL.

Thank you.

Volunteer:   Carpenter / Handyperson

The Gorilla Foundation is seeking a volunteer to help with important carpentry and other small-to-medium building/repair projects for the gorillas, staff and our canine friends. Projects include a perimeter fence, a dog enclosure and a shed to contain the gorillas' large plastic enrichment items. Can be on a project-by-project basis, or a mutually agreed upon number of hours/days per week.

How to Apply:
Please send cover letter, resume and 3 references to:

      vol-handy@koko.org

Meals are always exciting events throughout a gorilla's day, and Koko and Ndume are no exception. Eating a combined 24 pounds a day, there is a lot of food preparation involved before the gorillas can enjoy their meals. We are always interested in hearing from potential volunteers in the event that we have an open position.

Qualifications:
• Experience cooking and preparing meals
• Love of cooking
• Knowledgable of vegetables and fruits
• Can sort, wash, and cook produce thoroughly and efficiently
• Love gorillas, dogs, and cats
• Are happy to put up with the heat of summer and the cold and rain of winter

Requirements:
• Minimum commitment of one year
• Complete an initial volunteer period in the Business Office
• Are available one day a week from 8:30am to 12:30pm
• Provide a copy of a negative TB test annually
• Provide a copy of a flu shot report/receipt annually
• Must be at least 18 years old

Because the gorillas are very sensitive to any change in their environment, especially new people, we ask that volunteers make a long-term commitment. If you are willing to commit to a regular volunteer schedule, we would be happy to keep your application on file in the event that we have an open position. To find out more about the position and how to apply, tell us a little about your self and your interest in the position in an email to volunteer@Koko.org.

Please note that we do NOT have any volunteer opportunities that involve direct contact with the gorillas.

Volunteer:  Web/Database Volunteers for Koko.Org

We need the assistance of a few experienced web developesr who have expertise with some or all of the following technologies:
1) php
2) mysql
3) javascript
4) Flash
5) FileMaker Pro (vsn 8 or higher)

If you're a good communicator who is focused, energetic and able to commit at least 2-3 hours per week, remotely, but on a regular basis, please email your resume, with sample web links, to:

volunteer_web@Koko.org

Careers in Inter-Species Communication