West Midland Safari Park - Learning Senior Officer

West Midland Safari Park - Learning Senior Officer

Hours: 37.5 a week

Duration: until 15th Jan 2016

Description: Learning Officers play a key role in helping raise awareness of knowledge of wildlife conservation to the Park’s guests both on and offsite. This is done through the delivery of a range of formal learning sessions such as hands on Discovery Sessions, guided walks, guided tours and outreach sessions (primarily to school audiences, but also includes pre-school, college and university groups), informal learning activities including Friendly Animal Encounters, African Village Encounters, craft sessions and fundraising activities.

Informal encounters occur on a daily basis, with additional themed encounters running through special events. Craft sessions and fundraising activities run most weekends and throughout holiday periods. Formal learning sessions are dependent on the needs of the schools visiting, and although generally occur through the busy Summer term, may be booked at any time of the year.

Alongside the formal and informal education activities, Learning Officers are responsible for carrying out daily husbandry of the department’s animal collection, and keeping the department clean and tidy. The animal collection usually includes cockroaches, millipedes, stick insects, snails, tree frogs, geckos, bearded dragons, corn snakes, milk snakes, tarantulas, rats, ferrets, skunks, armadillos, chinchillas, raccoon dogs and tenrecs. Although full training is provided, suitable applicants would be expected to have a good knowledge of small animal husbandry, and experience in handling at least a selection of the animals above.

Senior Learning Officers are responsible for co-ordinating the team, ensuring all department tasks are carried out efficiently on a daily basis. Senior Learning Officer (formal) is responsible for co-ordinating all of the formal learning planning and preparations, including lesson plans, presentations and resource packs for Discovery Sessions, guided walks and tours, and outreach sessions. Ensuring all standard sessions are kept up to date in line with the curriculum, all Learning Officers are delivering the sessions to the same exceptional standard throughout the year, and developing any new bespoke sessions as and when they are requested.

This particular role requires someone who is confident and customer focused, has excellent communication skills and has experience presenting educational content to groups. In particular the successful applicant will need to demonstrate a wide range of experience in a formal teaching environment with a range of ages and topics. Good knowledge of the curriculum and experience planning and preparing formal teaching sessions is essential. Due to driving company vehicles for outreach sessions, we are looking for applicants who have full, valid drivers licenses.

Weekend work and flexibility in working hours is essential to this role.

To submit your application for this role, please Apply Online

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