Zoo Jobs: Primate Care Team Manager

Primate Care Team Manager

Charity Overview: Wild Futures is a leader in the field of primate welfare and conservation, environmental education and sustainable practice. Our Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall has over 50 years’ experience of caring for primates rescued from the pet trade.

Job Summary

Primate Care Team Manager:

Responsible for: Primate Care Team and for the welfare and care of the primates at the Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary.

Benefits: £20567pa 30 days annual leave

Responsible to: Director

Summary:

The role requires a team player who understands and works with the Wild Futures objects, aims and ethos.

Qualifications/Experience:

5 years primate care

Management of staff/team

The Primate Care Team Manager will coordinate the Primate Care Team to include:

Training: Be able to mentor, train and enthuse members of team and enable other team members to do the same. See Carer details below. Much of the Primate Carer job description is applicable to the manager, with time given on the rota to enable the extra responsibilities of the managerial position.

Instruct and oversee best practice. To be able to effectively and respectfully communicate to colleagues of all levels regardless of their position.

Organise and track carers’ progress, ensure that charts are updated, coordinate with trainers.

Coordinate monkey care in consultation with experienced staff, team and veterinary practice as appropriate.

Rotas and recruitment

Meetings: Health Care Team: ensure good communication of all primate care issues between staff and coordinate work. Provide updates at All Staff meetings.

Manager Team: Weekly meetings with the Site Manager and Director to coordinate work and report and discuss welfare, practical, personnel and governance issues.

Trustee Meetings: Attend and report to the statutory Trustee meetings (x4 per year).

Familiarity and compliance with all health and safety protocols and documentation. This includes emergency procedures, risk assessment and safe working practices. Ability to instruct others in the above and monitor compliance.

Manage budget (as agreed by Director and Trustees).

Report to and consult with Director on all of above.

Primate Carer

You should be knowledgeable about and have a commitment to the aims of Wild Futures and The Monkey Sanctuary. You will learn to work with each of the various primate species resident at the Sanctuary. We currently house capuchin monkeys (Cebus and Sapajus sp), Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus), marmosets (Callithrix sp) and woolly monkeys (Lagothrix sp). Due to the intensive and lengthy training process, a commitment of at least two years is required for applicants to be considered for this role.

You will become a functional member of the Primate Care Team. This role includes the following: You will be expected to learn to distinguish individual monkeys, to become knowledgeable about their backgrounds, and to show a sensitivity to their needs which indicates your suitability as a primate carer. Over the course of your training, you will (under the supervision of experienced staff) become one of the monkeys' primary caregivers; managing the monkeys, cleaning, maintaining and enriching enclosures; preparing and distributing food and medication; monitoring the health and well-being of the monkeys in your care. You will be responsible for maintaining daily up-to date information on the status and well-being of each individual through a computer database. You will become knowledgeable about the behaviour and ecology of each species of monkey and apply this knowledge in their daily care.

You will be required to do cover (that is, stay on-site and be the responsible member of staff) one or two overnight shifts per week.

Other responsibilities

The Sanctuary is open to the public for seven months of the year. You will spend a sizeable amount of time speaking to the public, in large and small groups, about our rescued monkeys, monkeys in the wild, the ethos and history of Wild Futures and the Monkey Sanctuary, and more. You should demonstrate confidence and willingness to do this.

You will also:

Be asked to supervise volunteers on monkey cleaning routines, making enrichment and other tasks that are essential to the day to day running of the Sanctuary.

Be asked to assist with other work such as territory maintenance, grounds and gardening work, and general household duties.

Be expected to develop and maintain good communications with all team members and evolve a co-operative living and working relationship with other members of the community. A regular review process will enable you and the team to monitor your progress and mentor you through your training.

Show that you can be flexible in your work, adapting to new situations as they arise and you will be able to prioritise work according to tasks you have been given (with monkey care always being the most important).

Be expected to work five full days a week and to be flexible about your days off.

You will have an allowance of thirty days annual leave per year; to be allocated in collaboration with other members of staff. Bank Holidays are work days. Applicants must be UK or EU residents or have permission to work

in the UK.

Please note that this role is physically demanding; candidates must be fit for the work.

Please send CV and motivational letter to rachel_hevesi@wildfutures.org

Thank you!

Wild Futures: Registered Charity no. 1102532