Animal Assistant Forest Hill, England
Job description
Job title and reference: Animal Assistant (ref: CCE9.23)
Salary: £22,872 per annum (£23,333 after probation)
Contract: Permanent
Hours of work: Full time, 35 hour week on a rolling rota which includes shift work between 8.00am – 5.30pm and weekends
The Horniman Museum and Gardens in south east London has been open since Victorian times, when the tea trader and philanthropist, Frederick John Horniman first opened his house and extraordinary collection of objects to the local community. Since then, our collection has grown significantly and includes internationally important collections of anthropology and musical instruments, as well as an acclaimed aquarium and natural history gallery – all surrounded by 16 acres of beautiful Gardens offering breath taking views across London.
The Animal Walk & Butterfly house further brings to life founder Frederick Horniman’s vision of an outside space reflecting the Museum’s collections. The Animal Walk is home to alpacas, goats, sheep, guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens. Both the Animal Walk & Butterfly House guides visitors on a walk through the centre for a close up view of the animals.
We are looking for an Animal Assistant to assist the Animal Manager in the day-to-day running of the Animal Walk & Butterfly House. You’ll have a BTEC in Animal Management (or equivalent) and genuine flair and enthusiasm for animal care.
You will have had hands-on experience of caring for animals (ideally in a city farm/wildlife centre/zoo environment), and will be used to interacting with the public in a busy and popular attraction - you’ll be able to inform and enthuse visitors of all ages about the animals in your care. You’ll be able to work in all aspects of running the Animal Walk & Butterfly House (animal care, maintenance, record-keeping, plant propagation and care) and willing to work outside all year round in all weathers.
The closing date for applications is 10am on 22 May 2023. Interviews will be held on 7th and 9th June 2023.
The Horniman is an equal opportunities employer and we value and celebrate diversity. We want to better represent the communities in which we work but recognise that there is still much work to do in this area. We welcome and encourage all applicants and particularly encourage you to apply if you are from a community that is often disadvantaged by society or of minority background.
How to Apply
Click on “Apply Now” at the top or bottom of this page. When you apply you will be asked to upload a covering statement in Microsoft Word format (the document must be in .doc format and the maximum file size is 2 MB). Please also ensure that you have uploaded your CV as a separate document which you can do when you create an account or login.
Please provide an overview of no more than 2 pages describing your experience relevant to the role as outlined in the Job Description and Person Specification.
After the application closing date, please ensure you monitor your spam email folders for potential correspondence from us.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title Animal Assistant
Section Animal Walk/Butterfly House
Reports to Animal Manager
Responsible for No responsibility for staff
Hours of work 35 hours per week on a rolling rota
Main purpose of the job
To assist with the care, wellbeing and development of the Horniman Animal Walk and Butterfly House stock. To liaise with colleagues in the Aquarium, Gardens and Learning teams on the operational workings of the Animal Walk and Butterfly House and in their interpretation to the public.
Section description
The Animal Walk was opened in 2013. It is open from 12.30pm-4.00pm, and is the home to alpacas, goats, sheep, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and more, the Animal Walk guides visitors on a walk through the centre for a close up view of the animals. The Butterfly House opened in July 2017 and is open to the public from 10.30am-4pm each day.
The living collections brings to life founder Frederick Horniman’s vision of an outside space reflecting the Museum’s Natural History collections.
Main responsibilities
Animal Care (85%)
- Assist the Animal Manager with all aspects of the management of the Animal Walk and Butterfly House livestock in accordance with standards set by the Horniman.
- Provide for the wellbeing of the stock ensuring that they are well cared for and safe, ensuring that hygiene standards are maintained.
- Assist with plant propagation to meet the needs of the Butterfly House
- Assist the Animal Manager in ensuring records are maintained.
- Assist the Animal Manager in the upkeep and development of the enclosures and Butterfly House.
- To lift and carry feed and stock as required.
Public Communication (10%)
- Provide polite and knowledgeable customer service to visitors of the Animal Walk and Butterfly House, as requested.
- Participate in public programmes including animal feeding sessions
Apprentices and Volunteers (5%)
- Support the Horniman’s volunteers programmes as required
General responsibilities
- Act in a professional manner and uphold the Horniman’s Code of Conduct
- Follow and promote safe systems of work and observe health and safety regulations
- Operate within the guidelines set by the Zoo licence and Museums ethical review committee
- Drive the Gator to unload deliveries and empty the bins
- Drive the Horniman vehicles for vet visits as required
- Any other duties that may be required to ensure the effective running of the Animal Walk
Job activities may vary and evolve over time to meet business needs.
PERSON SPECIFICATION - Items are essential (E) or desirable (D)
Minimum Shortlisting Criteria
- Proven experience of working with animals (E)
- Reliable and confident with the ability to work unsupervised (E)
- Ability to carry out the manual lifting requirements of the role (E)
Additional Shortlisting Criteria
Education/qualifications
- BTEC in Animal Management or equivalent qualification (E)
Knowledge and experience
- Experience in the day to day management of animals (E)
- Possess relevant practical maintenance experience (E)
- Full driving licence (E)
Further Selection Criteria – to be tested at interview
Knowledge and experience
- Experience of working in a butterfly house or similar environment (D)
- A demonstrable interest in animal care biology and behaviour (E)
- Experience communicating to the public about animal behaviour and biology (D)
- Some record keeping experience (D)
- Horticultural experience in plant propagation and care. (D)
- Working alongside volunteers (D)
Skills and abilities
- The ability to work positively and flexibly as part of a larger team of staff and volunteers and with colleagues from other departments (E)
- Effective written and verbal communication skills (E)
- Relevant IT skills and experience of using MS Office (D)
- Able to use hand tools to carry out maintenance within the Animal Walk (E)
- Able to carry out duties as required including cleaning and manual handling tasks (E)
Personal attributes – all Essential
- An empathy with the Horniman mission and an interest in its exhibitions, activities and events
- Commitment to equality and diversity
- Willingness to work flexibly to achieve corporate objectives
- Commitment to own learning and professional development
Circumstances
This posts require a fixed rolling rota including weekend work.
A basic DBS check is required for these post.
