Assistant Head Keeper

Assistant Head Keeper

Wildwood Trust

Kent

Wildwood Trust is looking for an experienced animal keeper for this senior position with responsibility to support the head keeper in managing the Keeper team.

The post holder will be required to support the Head Keeper in co-ordinating the keeper team and giving the highest standards of care to our collection of British animals. The post holder will also be responsible for meeting all zoo legislation, keeping our records up to date and exceeding health and safety requirements.

Hours:

Average of 37.5 hours over 5 days, involving weekend, bank holiday work and evening work during some events.

Duties to include:

• The smooth running of a busy keeper team.
• Maintaining Wildwood’s policies, procedures and systems and to ensure that the Wildwood collection is looked after to the highest standard. 
• Assisting in animal acquisitions, transfers, imports and exports and managing the breeding of animals to maintain the integrity of Wildwood’s collection. 
• Management of the day to day maintenance of exhibits to meet the high standards expected by our visitors. 
• Planning and implementing a maintenance schedule for animal exhibits. 
• Designing and building exhibits to provide the highest standards of animal care and efficiency of operations. 
• Keeping animal records to meet all zoo legislation. 
• Providing engaging events and talks for our visitors. 
• You will be required to look after animals in our captive breeding programme and to liaise and plan the work of the team to carry out our conservation and contract work.

Key skills required for the role:

• Experience of working with captive animals and their husbandry ideally within a zoo environment at a senior level is essential.
• Experience of captive breeding and animal care
• Experience of conservation reintroduction projects
• Experience of health and safety systems
• Familiarity with running of a zoological collection
• Experience in developing and leading teams
• Administrative experience in relation to zoological records

How to apply:

1) Download and read the full job specification from our website www.wildwoodtrust.org.

2) Please email Jon May, Park Manager, with your CV and covering letter detailing your experience and suitability: jobs@wildwoodtrust.org

Application deadline 9th March 2015

Please don't forget to mention you saw this advert in

 ZooNews Digest.

Thank You!