Hate rats? Are you a “somewhat bloodthirsty” New Yorker with excellent communication skills and “a general aura of badassery”? Then you might have what it takes to be the city's new rat czar.
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration posted a job listing this week seeking someone to lead the city's long-running battle against rats. The official job title is "director of rodent mitigation," although it was promptly dubbed the rat czar.
"Do you have what it takes to do the impossible? A virulent vehemence for vermin? A background in urban planning, project management, or government? And most importantly, the drive, determination and killer instinct needed to fight the real enemy – New York City’s relentless rat population? If so, your dream job awaits," reads the job listing. "The ideal candidate is highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty, determined to look at all solutions from various angles, including improving operational efficiency, data collection, technology innovation, trash management, and wholesale slaughter."
The salary range: $120,000 to $170,000.
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Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi acknowledging in a quest to control the ubiquitous pest, they set a serious salary range but are also looking for style.
"Post-COVID rats that got comfortable being outside in places people were not, are not giving up that territory any more," said Joshi, who described a good candidate as "a vibrant, creative energetic person who wants to be a real urban hero."
The posting is whimsical, but the job is daunting. New York City leaders have been trying to control the rodent population for generations, with mixed results. Sightings of rats in parks, sidewalks and other places in the city have recently increased, and have only gotten worse since 2019.
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The listing describes the position as a "a 24/7 job requiring stamina and stagecraft." It says the ideal candidate will be "highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty, determined to look at all solutions from various angles, including improving operational efficiency, data collection, technology innovation, trash management, and wholesale slaughter."
City rats have survived a multimillion-dollar effort under former Mayor Bill de Blasio that focused on more trash pickups and better housing inspections in targeted neighborhoods. The city also launched a program to use dry ice to suffocate rats in their hiding spots.
Adams, when he was borough president of Brooklyn, once demonstrated a trap that used a bucket filled with a toxic soup to drown rats lured by the scent of food.
Now, the Adams' administration is looking for a top rat bureaucrat to become the public face of the city's eradication and education efforts.
"Despite their successful public engagement strategy and cheeky social media presence, rats are not our friends," the posting reads, giving nods online videos such as the famous Pizza Rat and other clips showing the rodents doing funny things. "They are enemies that must be vanquished by the combined forces of our city government. Rodents
spread disease, damage homes and wiring, and even attempt to control the movements of kitchen staffers in an effort to take over human jobs. Cunning, voracious, and prolific, New York City’s rats are legendary for their survival skills, but they don’t run this city – we do."
Under qualifications, the posting lists candidates should have a "swashbuckling attitude, crafty humor, and general aura of badassery" — along with a bachelor's degree and five to eight years of experience in a related field.
The job itself sounds like it is a combination of administrative and hands-on, as the candidate will be strategizing and speaking with City Hall while also having a crafty sense of humor and being able to "lead from the front, using hands-on techniques to exterminate rodents with authority and efficiency."
Applicants are expected to have a crafty sense of humor and “to lead from the front, using hands-on techniques to exterminate rodents with authority and efficiency.”
