Veterinary Associate

Based in the heart of England, we are an award-winning conservation charity and a rapidly growing visitor attraction, welcoming over half a million people every year. We house 500 animals which include one the largest chimpanzee family in the UK and the biggest primate collection in the world.

We are the only zoo in Europe to house all 4 great apes - Gorilla, Orangutan, Bonobo and Chimpanzee - and we care for some of the most endangered and precious animals to the highest welfare standards, including Sumatran Tigers, Amur Leopards and Snow Leopards.

This Veterinary Associate Role

Reporting to the Veterinary Services Manager, as the Veterinary Associate you will deal with clinical cases and emergencies, alongside carrying out the zoo’s preventative health care strategies. Your duties will include, although not be limited to:

• Following the zoo’s programme of preventative and curative veterinary care, pathology and nutrition in line with the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo practice

• Working with the Veterinary Services Manager in the pre-export and import health screening of animals leaving or being introduced into the collection

• Assisting in the teaching of the final year student rotations and the DVM student for the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences (SVMS) at Twycross Zoo, and participating in the assessment of students where necessary

• Supporting DVM student, undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary research projects

• Participating in Twycross Zoo’s welfare and ethical process, and providing input into the care and welfare of animals used for education

• Representing the zoo at conferences and CPD events to disseminate knowledge in the zoological field

• Deputising for the Veterinary Services Manager for all clinical work, BALAI duties and Rabies quarantine duties as necessary

• Assisting with Keeper, Team Leader and First Aiders training as required

Requirements for this Veterinary Associate vacancy

• Be a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

• At least 3 years experience of working within a veterinary practice, or ideally within a zoo or other exotic animal setting

• Enthusiasm for disseminating scientific knowledge

• Excellent communication and time management skills

• Ability to maintain a calm approach, even when under pressure • Willingness to be trained as a First Aider

• Willingness to be trained in the use of firearms on site for veterinary and emergency procedures and be on the firearms rota

The Package

Staff engagement is at the very core of what we do. We are committed to the fundamental approach of equal opportunities in employment. As the Veterinary Associate you’ll benefit from a salary of £30,000, along with 31 days annual leave.

You will be employed on a permanent contract working 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm with weekend cover via an on-call rota system. Flexibility will be required to meet business needs.

All applications for this Veterinary Associate vacancy are to be submitted online via this link: https://jobs.twycrosszoo.org/twycrosszoo/search/vacancy/all/1/4006584

FYI

This vacancy has been posted out to the many thousands who read the popular Zoo Jobs Blog Page and then on to the 129,400 plus followers of the ZooNews Digest Facebook Page. It is then immediately forwarded on to Twitter and then to Pinterest and Linkedin (8,000+ connections). Many vacancies are shared to individuals and groups. In short your vacancy will have the potential of reaching something in the region of some 80,000 plus people within 24 hours. Most of these people are working in a zoo environment, Keepers, Curators, Vets, Zoo Directors, Trainers, Aquarists and more.

ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 1200 Zoos in 150+ countries. Zoo professionals are International.

The number of people who will actually read the posted vacancy will actually be considerably less. Usually this will be between two hundred and three thousand. This will depend on the type of post, the time of the year and where it is located…of course not all will apply. I wish you the very best of luck in finding the right candidate for your post.

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