Animal Director
(Salary commensurate
with experience)
The Howletts Wild
Animal Trust operate two animal parks in Kent; Howletts Wild Animal Park and
& Port Lympne Reserve. The parks are the two captive breeding centres
working in conjunction with The Aspinall Foundation to reintroduce threatened
species to protected areas of their natural range. The parks are home of one of
the world’s most prized wild animal collections which include the largest
collection of Western Lowland Gorillas in captivity and one of the major
collections of black rhino outside of Africa.
Port Lympne Reserve covers almost 600 acres and is one of the biggest
visitor attractions in Kent. It has established itself as one of the country’s
top short breaks destinations collecting many awards on the way and offering
our visitors the opportunity to experience various animal encounters and
experiences in a spectacular setting on the south Kent Coast. We currently have a vacancy for an Animal
Director at Port Lympne Reserve.
The Role:
Reporting directly
to the Managing Director; The key duties of the Animal Director’s role is the
direct authority and responsibility for leading a team of animal personnel to
ensure the care, feeding, hygiene, and welfare of all the animals and animal areas
within the reserve. Also responsible for
managing the education team who provide a range of educational talks and a team
of Rangers employed to provide a range of animal experiences and encounters.
Responsible for
establishing programmes necessary for proper care of animals in consultation
with Animal Manager, veterinary personnel and Section Heads and be responsible
for the implementation of these programmes. Encourages and contributes to
innovative changes to the company to improve animal welfare, generate revenue
and increase outside involvement. Provides a realistic annual budget with
approval from the trustees and monitors expenditure to stay within agreed
financial limits. To represent the company both nationally and internationally
at all levels of communication.
The Person:
The successful
candidate will have knowledge of the intensive management needs of multiple
species’ through several years working in operational roles within a zoo /
safari park environment. They should have an in-depth understanding of the
challenges faced today in a modern zoo; specifically around nutrition,
husbandry and successful breeding programmes. Strong leadership and people
management skills are needed with experience in dealing effectively at the
senior level of an organisation, as well as mentoring and coaching junior
managers. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to initiate and maintain
internal and external relationships with other departments in the
organisation. They will have successful
budgetary experience and, most importantly, demonstrate a commitment to
conservation. Excellent communication and leadership skills are a must, as is a
good level of computer literacy. A valid
UK diving licence is also essential.
This role is 45
hours per week worked five days out of seven, including some weekends and bank
holidays. A standard 5-day working week starting 8am-5pm or as necessary to
ensure adequate Park cover for the fulfilment of your duties, with the
occasional 7-day week for which lieu time will be accrued.
All applicants must
have right to work in the UK.
A full detailed job
description is available on request.
Closing date: 10th
February 2017
To apply: Please
email a full CV along with a covering letter to -
personnel@aspinallfoundation.org
Or post to: Human
Resources, Port Lympne Reserve, Lympne, Kent, CT21 4PD.
Visit our website at
www.aspinallfoundation.org for
further information.
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant        |
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