General Curator - Oltremare, Italy

General Curator - Oltremare, Italy

Starting date: As soon as position fulfilled

Oltremare is a facility located on the ADRIATIC COAST (Eastern Italy) and it is open to the public from March to November with a few exceptions for educational or encounter programs in the low season (winter).

Oltremare currently seeks an enthusiastic candidate to improve the daily management operations and to develop new exhibits with qualification of General Curator, responsible for the technical and functional supervision of the animal husbandry management program in the park.

The animal collection is constituted by a large group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), a collection of numerous species of seahorses, children zoo, Darwin center with alligators and tropical fish, few local riverine exhibits and a show of birds of prey.

The staff includes a veterinarian, marine mammal curator, heads of sections and LSS and maintenance staff.
There is an institutional focus on operant conditioning and environmental enrichment as well as strong wish to collaborate to conservation programs with other institutions on both a national and international level.

Skills and Qualifications: the applicant must have:

· Positive attitude and strong work ethics

· Strong communication and team building skills (combination of experience and education may be qualifying)

· University Degree, preferable in in Aquatic Biology, Zoology, Marine Science or related field.

· Six years of experience in the maintenance and care of a variety of classes of zoological or aquatic species with at least two years documented employee supervisory experience in an accredited zoological institution recognized either by AZA or EAZA.

· Extensive knowledge of a variety of aquatic animals and their care requirements in a public aquarium setting, good skills in planning tanks and enclosures for aquatic animals and birds (previous experience with marine mammals management and care is qualifying).

· Good knowledge and application of various LSS designs including pro and cons of all the most updated disinfection, filtration techniques and building materials for exhibits

· Valid Driver’s License with a good driving record

· Diving license and ability to attain Scuba diving instructor certificate

· Computer programs (e.g. Word, Excel, Power point, Database Administration and ISI System, etc.)

· Fluent English and Italian (or any other similar language skills): strong desire to learn Italian is absolutely requested for long term employment.

Responsibilities/ Duties:

· Responsible for the health and welfare of the animal collection, LSS and water quality supervision, budget preparation and long range exhibit planning and development

· Utilizes leadership and organizational skills to create and implement a positive and supportive work environment within the staff of the different departments providing tools and rules of working together; with these objectives he/she will also be in charge of staff recruitment, training and
management

· Supervision of daily maintenance of the aquarium collection and displays, coordinating the animal collection daily workload in order to meet the company long-term goals

· Reviews maintenance schedules, fill and provide proper computerized records including animal records and inventory

· Play an active role in animal acquisition, marine education and conservation efforts; be a capable communicator as all animal staff give talks and demonstrations as an integral part of their work

· Negotiates with vendors

· Performs all other duties as assigned and directed demonstrating mature and responsible behaviour in duties.

Working Conditions:
this contract is regulated under the national law (CCNL Turismo – Parchi/Pubblici Esercizi) and this position is full time and the candidate reports directly to the CEO.
The candidate must be available to work night, weekends and holidays.
Works is distributed in an office setting and as well as curatorial and exhibit areas.

Local, national and international travel is required if needed.
Pay scale for this position will be evaluated upon candidate’s experience, with a basis of a fixed amount salary and a system of premiums upon achievement of targets set by the company.

To apply for this position please send a complete CV, 3 referees and a covering letter detailing your suitability and career objectives to:
Francesco Soressi – Oltremare CEO (f.soressi@oltremare.org) before August 17th, 2008.

For full details please go to http://www.zoonewsdigest.com

Please mention you saw the advertisement in ZooNews Digest should you apply for this post

http://www.geocities.com/peterd482001/ZooNews_Digest.html