Zoo Jobs: Senior Animal Keeper

Senior Animal Keeper

SENIOR ANIMAL KEEPER

· LOCATION:Calderglen Country Park, Strathaven Road, East Kilbride, G75 0QZ

· RATE:£17.55 - £18.06 per hour

· CONTRACT TYPE:Permanent

· POSITION TYPE:Full Time

· HOURS:35 hours per week

QUALIFICATIONS: Degree in animal science required or Diploma in Management of Zoo and Aquarium Animals (DMZAA) as minimum.

Job Description

South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture Ltd

Location: Calderglen Country Park, Strathaven Road, East Kilbride

Hours: 35 hours per week (includes weekend working, 1 weekend in 3, 9am - 5pm)

Duration: Permanent

An opportunity is available for an enthusiastic energetic individual to join our team at Calderglen Children’s Zoo in East Kilbride near Glasgow.

Calderglen Children’s Zoo is a small thriving attraction with over 148,000 visitors annually. We would expect the successful applicant to share our vision of a modern small zoo and to be instrumental in moving us forward. Please note that this post is a curatorial role.

As members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA), we are committed to providing an excellent customer experience within the framework of welfare and education.

Calderglen Zoo is part of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Ltd

Requirements

As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks for example, Identity, Asylum and Immigration and employment history etc.

This post is excepted in terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 2003.

This post is considered Regulated Work with Children, under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act, 2007. Therefore, it is an offence to apply if you are barred from working with children.

Preferred candidates will be required to join the PVG Scheme, or undergo a PVG Scheme Update check, prior to a formal offer of employment being made by South Lanarkshire Council.

Please refer to http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/publications/ and click on Code of Practice for further information about the disclosure process and best practice.

Applications online

Please note all correspondence with be sent to your email account.

South Lanarkshire Council / South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture are Equal Opportunities employees and encourage applications from all members of the community. As a user of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum competency/behaviour requirements for the position.

South Lanarkshire Council / South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture are Equal Opportunities employers and encourage applications from all members of the community. As a user of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum competency/behaviour requirements for the position.

Please apply through My Job Scotland: https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/organisations/south-lanarkshire/south-lanarkshire-leisure-and-culture/jobs/sla06432-senior-animal-keeper-179093

Job Profile

Senior Animal Keeper

Service: Museums, Libraries, Outdoor, Country Parks, Outdoor Resource Base	Grade: Grade 3 Level 1-4
Reports to: Recreation Manager	Location: Calderglen Country Park
Vision and Values
The vision is to provide opportunities to enrich peoples life’s. Our values are accountable, effective, efficient, working with others, self-aware and improving, people focused; fair and open; excellent employer.
Overall Purpose:
To manage the day to day operation of the zoo, including animal welfare and conservatory management and ensure effective implementation of SLLC’s Business Plan and Strategy, through the management of resources in order to provide an excellent quality service to our customers
Key Tasks
Develop and implement service plans to meet customer and organisational expectations and requirements.
Develop and implement new and innovative projects within the animal collection to increase awareness of the collection
Ensure the legislation requirements of the British and Irish Association of Zoo and Aquaria (BIAZA), including the legislative requirements of the Zoo License
· Management of Health and Safety legislation
· Prepare, implement and monitor a structured programme of events, responsible for the promotion and marketing of educational activities and events.
Plan, monitor and evaluate the establishment and management of animal population, animal diets and feeding regimes.
· Management of the budget, controlling expenditure and maximising income.
· To liaise with all areas of the business both internal and external partners, where appropriate represent the service on working groups.
Efficient
Use initiative and drive to improve and develop systems and processes to increase efficiency achieving better outcomes in service delivery Suggests ways to improve how others organise their own work As a manager or professional/expert you actively seek solutions to deliver improvements and involves others in the development of solutions and improvements Agrees SMART objectives for both team and individual employees reviewing progress to achieve successful outcomes Manage budgets with no overspends and applying the Council’s financial policies and procedures Ensures sustainability and environmental awareness practices are being implemented and that they inform the development of new projects/initiatives
Flexible
Anticipates and responds flexibly to changing priorities and modifies practice to meet changing environment Identifies and implements new ways of working Supports individuals and team at times of both organisational and personal change making appropriate adjustments to accommodate individual needs where required Expresses a positive approach to change and promotes the benefits of change to team and colleagues Actively listens to customer feedback and takes action to improve customer experience
Performing
Use professional expertise and knowledge to ensure the Council is leading best practice to improve outcomes Ensure that the council is meeting it’s legislative and statutory requirements by keeping abreast of new initiatives and legislation Evaluates and reviews the impact of service improvements from the customers perspective Identifies trends and creates solutions Ensuring that health and safety practices, policies and procedures are applied keeping employees and customers safe and minimising workplace accidents and injuries. Implements the council’s maximising attendance policy and procedure ensuring action is taken and recorded on people connect Considers risk in the context of service development and delivery
Working with others
Promotes a positive team environment with good morale Works with other teams and colleagues internally and externally, developing relationships and sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise to achieve outcomes Provide objective and constructive advice and support if tensions arise Shares knowledge with internal and external colleagues to achieve common objectives Giving praise and recognition for good work Use professional identity and expert knowledge to work across disciplines breaking down professional barriers to improve outcomes for individuals and communities Encourages colleagues to consider different perspectives in their work Adapts communication to encourage desired behaviour
Leading
Understands what needs to be achieved and ensures that this is communicated to team members Expresses positive expectations of others to support their development Recognise individual and team achievements thanking and praising others Maintain a positive approach and motivate team when things go wrong or demands are high You identify talent and provide opportunities for those individuals who wish to progress or learn new skills Takes responsibility for personal and team development needs taking account of learning styles and available learning/training methods of delivery Uses professional judgement/expert knowledge to make informed decisions
Position Requirements
· Qualifications: · Registration Body: As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks for example, Identity, Asylum and Immigration and employment history etc. As this post involves accessing the public services network, the preferred candidate will be subject to the Baseline Personnel Security Standards (BPSS). Disclosure Scotland: The preferred candidate will be subject to a Basic Disclosure provided by Disclosure Scotland prior to a formal offer of employment being made