Description:SUMMARY Under direction of the Zoo Director, this position oversees the care of the animals and guest experiences in a children’s zoo. The position interacts with other departments and contributes to the whole operation of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. This job supervises Animal Care staff, and the position will carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the City’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include assisting with interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Animal Care Lead/Assistant Curator in the Animal Care Department at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. The ideal candidate will have experience managing people, producing animal programs, caring for and training animals, and working with children. This is a full-time, regular, and benefited position.
Benefits: Fantastic benefits package, to learn more click HERE .
Compensation (SEIU): Comprehensive compensation plan, to learn more click HERE.
Shift: Sunday through Thursday, approximately 8:30 - 5pm.
To review full job description, click here .
This position is an in-person 40-hours a week position.
Essential Duties:- Ensure that the highest animal care and welfare standards are upheld while providing a phenomenal guest experience. Continuously improving upon this guest experience, both according to established policies and procedures, as well as standards set by professional associations and regulatory agencies.
- When needed (e.g., due to staffing shortages or special events), assist Animal Care team with daily responsibilities, including cleaning, diet prep, medications, enrichment and training, and other tasks required to operate the zoo.
- Ensure that Animal Care staff’s time and resources are allocated appropriately for optimal animal care, including arranging coverage for vacation, illnesses, and other absences; and maintaining a detailed scheduling database for the Animal Care department.
- Maintain appropriate and up-to-date records in ZIMS by transferring appropriate information from daily reports. Work with Zoo Director and Animal Health Technician to keep updated medical records.
- Facilitate, oversee, update, and evaluate the behavioral husbandry, enrichment, training, and animal welfare evaluation programs, including maintaining and updating the required documents and checklists for zoo operations.
- Track pending maintenance and improvement work requests for animal exhibits and holding areas, prioritize those requests, and coordinate the scheduling of work or repairs.
- Coordinate and communicate effectively with other departments regarding shared concerns.
- Assist the Zoo Director in making purchases, tracking costs, and maintaining related budgets. Manage the commissary and husbandry supplies of the zoo.
- Support and encourage professional development opportunities for staff.
- Uphold the institution’s educational philosophy; promote the Socratic method for animal presentations and assist staff and volunteers in understanding and utilizing it.
- Aid in the planning and development of new animal programs and exhibits, including participation in the development of concepts and designs, and monitoring the impact of these new experiences to Animal Care operations.
- Assist Zoo Director with animal collection planning, acquisition and transfer, establishing and communicating care parameters for newly acquired species, ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Take a lead role during drills and emergencies such as animal escapes, natural disasters, and lost children.
- Resolve potential safety problems in the zoo, reduce risks and injuries, and track and report safety issues.
- Represent the veterinary needs and interests of the animals to the Zoo Director and Veterinarians; maintain effective and timely communication between Animal Care staff and institutional leadership.
- Responsible for Animal Care staff oversight, performance appraisals, and resolving personnel issues for direct reports.
- Train and evaluate new Animal Care staff and volunteers.
- Represent the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo to the City staff, the board, the community, and the media, as required.
- Support institutional fundraising/development efforts.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities, which would typically be acquired through:
- Bachelor's Degree in Arts/Humanities/Museum Studies/Science/Theatre or equivalent. and
- Two years of experience related to the specific position in the applicable discipline and with the appropriate technical equipment.
Special Requirements:
- Possession of a valid California Driver's License.
Ideal qualifications: Bachelor's degree in a life sciences field from an accredited four-year college or university; and five years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
- Solid computer skills, including proficiency working with databases and Microsoft Office suite, particularly Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Experience with zoological records management systems (ZIMS, Tracks, etc.) preferred.
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret relevant scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from visitors, regulatory agencies, or members of professional organizations. Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format. Ability to effectively present information to leadership, public groups, professional groups, and/or board of directors.
- Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
- The position requires an ability to move across the facility in variable weather conditions and enter animal exhibits. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 30 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds when cleaning and maintaining exhibits and moving animals. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Evaluating animal health, diet, or environment requires hearing, smell, and a variety of vision capabilities. Interaction with visitors and animals requires talking and hearing. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Supplemental Information:Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet or humid conditions (non-weather) and variable weather conditions. The employee is occasionally in direct contact with exotic animals. The employee is occasionally exposed to work near moving mechanical parts; work in high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; risk of electrical shock and vibration.
The noise level in the work environment varies. Occasional loud noises from visitors, animals or equipment are experienced.
The Selection Process:
- Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email. Governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time after the posting closes.
- The screening process for this position will be an in-person panel interview, followed by a final interview.
- The posting may close on or after October 11th, depending on the volume of qualified applications received. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply promptly to ensure their applications are considered.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday. The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
For more details visit our Careers Page, by clicking
HERE. Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking
HERE. Closing Date/Time: 10/18/2024 11:59 PM Pacific
