Senior Animal Keeper

How you you’ll contribute to our mission  

With direction from your Team Leader, to supervise delivery of the day-to-day operations of the allocated animal section and all related animal projects whilst aiming to optimise the quality of animal welfare and visitor experience, and to deliver, or support delivery of all aspects of an innovative and engaging programme of live animal interactive activities to engage and excite visitors in support of RZSS’ vision and mission.

Some of the things you'll do:

• Supervise all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the allocated animal section, e.g. rota management, staff development and signing off completed sections.
• Ensure animal welfare, husbandry and management is of the highest standard, taking into account relevant legislation and best practice animal management.
• Contribute to enclosure design, and supervise maintenance, enrichment and habitat furnishing to ensure it meets all the needs of the animal and is presentable to the public, e.g. positive visitor engagement and suggest ideas for development to team manager.
• Engage with and support visitors, ensuring your message is consistent with team objectives and in line with RZSS’ mission and vision whilst providing first-class customer care and service, e.g. answering visitor queries and undertaking public talks, tours and  experiences.
• Ensure you and your team collate and record detailed and accurate animal records in relation to the good management of the animals including enrichment and training plans, and to ensure accurate data (e.g. weights, behaviours, births, deaths and treatments received) can be input to the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) or other relevant databases.  When needed may provide additional support to other colleagues/teams including the assessment or analysis of e.g ZIMS or field data.
• Supervise, motivate, develop and review team members, following good management practice and working within HR policy guidelines, so their performance meets or exceeds the agreed performance standards.

What we're looking for:

• Professional qualification meeting the requirements of the European Professional Zookeepers Qualification Framework (zookeepers.eu/framework/) (e.g. Diploma in Management of Zoo and Aquarium Animals (DMZAA)), or equivalent qualifications and experience
• Knowledge and understanding of Zoological legislation and best practice.
• Knowledge and skills of good animal management
• Working knowledge of ZIMS and other zoo related management systems is desirable
• Competent in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)

What you’ll get in return: