Animal Keeper Team Leader - Great Apes

TWYCROSS ZOO

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A unique career opportunity to lead the team caring for all 4 Great Apes!

East Midland Zoological Society has been running Twycross Zoo for almost 60 years in the heart of England in Atherstone. We are an award-winning conservation and science-led zoo which is rapidly growing, and pre-Covid, were welcoming over 600,000 people every year to our 100-acre rural site.

We are an ambitious organisation keen to drive the conservation and scientific aspects of the zoo to new heights as well as optimising on commercial advantages. We are the only zoo in the UK to house all 4 great apes - Gorilla, Orangutan, Bonobo and Chimpanzee - and we care for some of the most endangered animals to the highest welfare standards, including an extensive primate collection plus tiger, leopard, giraffe, rhino, penguin, flamingo and giant tortoise represented.

The Role - Animal Keeper Team Leader - Great Apes

Reporting to the Curator of Living Collections, you’ll play a key role in leading the team of around 14 colleagues caring for our Great Apes. Your role will require you to:

· Motivate and manage a team of Deputy Team Leaders and Keepers

· Ensure that the team are adequately trained and new employees are properly inducted

· Ensure that all departmental colleagues consistently demonstrate best customer service practice

· Carry out performance management of direct reports

· Liaise with the HR to ensure appropriate handling of people management issues

· Ensure that the day-to-day responsibilities for animal welfare and the presentation of the collection is met, while ensuring continued improvement of standards in line with best practice and being involved in making ethical decisions

· Work closely with the zoo’s animal health/veterinary department regarding all aspects of animal health care, including assisting with the capture and restraint of all species and being involved with implementation of preventative medicine programmes as required

· Maintain up-to-date knowledge and understanding, relevant to area of responsibility, utilising all available resources and making recommendations for change

· Ensure that budgeting guidelines and responsibilities are adhered to

· Represent the zoo on appropriate professional and scientific bodies and promote its profile and reputation as an outstanding centre of animal management, education and conservation

· Be part of the team ensuring the security of the zoo premises and grounds at all times, and handle emergencies as required

· Be part of the rota covering Duty Animal Manager role

Our Requirements – Animal Keeper Team Leader - Great Apes

· Proven relevant experience of zoological animal management, which must have included working with Great Apes

· Experience managing and motivating a team of animal keepers

· Flexible and calm working style to effectively handle a variety of issues at once

· IT competence, and good communication skills including ability to produce written documents as required

· A passion for the Zoo’s work and purpose

· Willingness to be trained as a first aider and to be on call as part of the zoo’s first aid duty rota

Although not essential, an appropriate animal related qualification or willingness to work towards, would be preferable.

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.

You will benefit from:

· A salary of £26,520

· 31 days annual leave

· A staff membership card giving you free entry to the Zoo on your days off and discounts in our retail and food outlets, and

· Free onsite parking

· Permanent contract, working an average of 43 hours per week on a rota. You’ll work 5 days out of 7 between the hours of 8am to 6pm during the summer and 8am to 5pm during the winter months.

More about Twycross Zoo:

Over the last 8 years we have opened a new gibbon island complex, a multi-million-pound chimpanzee area, built a new tiger habitat and a new rhino area and welcomed our largest visitor numbers ever in 2019. We launched our Tz2030Vision in late 2019 which sets out the developments for the next 10 years including a National Science and Conservation Centre.

Covid has hit us hard but with great teamwork and restructuring only put development plans on hold for a year so we are emerging with a renewed energy to restart and continue our growth and success.

You’ll be part of an evolving and progressive organisation at Twycross Zoo East Midland Zoological Society. We can promise a challenging and supportive workplace where your expertise is valued, and change is a constant! Our organisation strives to educate and inspire everyone to care about, and therefore help save, the other species with which we share our planet.