Human Interest N.Y.C. Seeks 'Swashbuckling' Candidates with 'Aura of Badassery' to Combat Rats for $170K a Year "Somewhat bloodthirsty" job hunters can now apply to be the city's Director of Rodent Mitigation. Responsibilities include keeping rodents "in check and on notice," according to a listing By Abigail Adams Abigail Adams Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE. She has been working in journalism for seven years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 2, 2022 04:39PM EST Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty The rats might hate this announcement — but "bloodthirsty" job hunters will be pleased. New York City is looking for a Director of Rodent Mitigation — or "Rat Czar" — to help the city address its "relentless rat population." According to the job posting, the city is looking for candidates with five to eight years of relevant professional experience who are "highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty." They must also possess "a general aura of badassery" on top of a "swashbuckling attitude" and "crafty humor." The job will pay between $120,000 and $170,000 a year to a successful hire who can help the city design and implement a "robust" rat mitigation strategy, per the posting. "The rats don't run this city — we do," Mayor Eric Adams' office wrote Thursday on Twitter in a callback to feisty comments made by Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch during a news conference in mid-October, when she broke the news to the rats. New York City Ranks High on List of America's Most Rat-Infested Cities, but Avoids Top Spot Robert Nickelsberg/Getty An estimated two million rats are believed to be living in N.Y.C., according to BBC News. Sightings are up 67% from 2019, as well. The city's Rat Czar job listing describes the pests as "enemies that must be vanquished by the combined forces of our city government." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The person hired as the N.Y.C.'s Rat Czar will be the face of the city's ongoing efforts to mitigate its rat population, according to the job listing. Candidates must have "the drive, determination and killer instinct needed to fight" the rat problem, and the ability to lead what the city calls the "Rat Pack." It will be the Czar's job to keep rats "in check and on notice," which the listing says is "one of the most important tasks in city government." Getty "Rats will hate this job posting," it says. "But 8.8 million New Yorkers and your city government stand ready to work with you to reduce the rat population, increase cleanliness, and prevent pestilence." This Chicago Couple Turns Vacant Lots into Flower Farms, Employs Local Youth as Florists: 'There's Hope' Adams encouraged potential applicants to check out the listing via his Twitter account, writing, "There's NOTHING I hate more than rats." "If you have the drive, determination, and killer instinct needed to fight New York City's relentless rat population — then your dream job awaits," he said Thursday.