NEW YORK — New York Mayor Eric Adams is looking to pay someone with "a virulent vehemence for vermin" as much as $170,000 a year to fill the role of the Big Apple's new rat czar.
"There's NOTHING I hate more than rats," Adams said in posting on social media on Thursday. "If you have the drive, determination and killer instinct needed to fight New York City's relentless rat population — then your dream job awaits."
A background in urban planning, project management or government work would also help seal the deal, with the newly created job paying $120,000 to $170,000 a year, according to the listing posted by the mayor's office.
Formally known as the director of rodent mitigation, the high-visibility leadership role requires "stamina and stagecraft," according to the job description. "The ideal candidate is highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty," it added.
Further qualifications for the task include being a city resident within 90 days of being appointed, having a bachelor's degree and related experience, as well as a "swashbuckling attitude, crafty humor and general aura of badassery."
Adams has long vocalized his distress at residing among so many rodents, and recently announced a plan to take on the rat population by adjusting the hours in which people could leave trash out on the curb.
"Fighting crime, fighting inequality, fighting rats is something that we are focused on as we continue to make this city a livable city," Adams said at an October press conference.
According to a city councilmember, the city has seen a 71% increase in rat sightings since 2020.
While a video several years ago of a rat dragging an entire slice of pizza down the stairs of a New York subway station created an online sensation, city officials on Thursday said they smell a rat in such social media ploys.
"Despite their successful public engagement strategy and cheeky social media presence, rats are not our friends," the city declared in its job listing. "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."