Head of Section - Carnivores

Salary: £21,341.00 to £24,246.00 per annum DOE

plus a living out allowance of £2600 p.a. or, possibly, on-site accommodation

Howletts Wild Animal Park, based in Kent, is seeking a passionate, experienced, hardworking and motivated animal keeper to work with a small team of enthusiastic keepers on our carnivore section. Howletts works in conjunction with The Aspinall Foundation, a charity committed to the conservation of rare and endangered animals through breeding and reintroduction programmes. This position offers a fantastic opportunity to work with a wide range of species from honey badgers to Sumatran tigers and contribute to in-situ conservation programmes. One of the team has recently helped care for confiscated cheetah and lion cubs in Somaliland and we expect there to be the opportunity to monitor cheetahs at our South Africa reintroduction project.

The Role

In this role you will have responsibility for the carnivore section – its animals and staff. It is a physical role and the successful applicant will be expected to undertake all duties on the section from butchering carcasses to enclosure maintenance as well as general husbandry tasks and record keeping. You must have significant experience in animal keeping gained in a mainstream zoological collection or equivalent environment working with carnivores. A full valid driving licence is essential.

Conservation education plays a big role in the park so there will be plenty of opportunities for talks and encounters with the public. The company encourages succession planning. We provide extensive staff training and will offer the opportunity to develop your professional skills and abilities.

The Person

We are looking for an individual who has extensive experience of managing a team. You will be a good communicator with the ability to motivate and impart knowledge to the section. You will need to be confident around large carnivores with a hands-on approach to the restraint and handling of animals where necessary. As sound knowledge of health and safety is needed along with the drive to enforce its compliance. A firearm licence, or the willingness to acquire one, is advantageous, as is the ability to prepare budgets. A working knowledge of basic Office software will be essential.

The position is full time, working 40 hours over a five day week and will include weekends and bank holidays. A flexible approach to working hours is essential in any animal job.

All applicants must have right to work in the UK

Closing Date: Friday 20 March 2020

To Apply: Please email your full C.V. and covering letter to – personnel@aspinallfoundation.org

or post to Human Resources, Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve, Aldington Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 4PD.

Please visit our website: www.aspinallfoundation.org to find out more about us.