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Senior Animal Keeper (Birds, Herps and Inverts)

Twycross Zoo is an award-winning conservation and science-led zoo in the heart of England. This year we are celebrating our 60th birthday! We are rapidly growing and welcoming over 600,000 people every year to our 100-acre rural site near Atherstone.

We are home to 400 animals, including one of the largest chimpanzee families in the UK, and our primate collection is up there with the best in the world! We’re the only zoo in the UK to house all four great apes and we care for many other endangered species to the highest welfare standards, including Eastern black rhino, Sumatran tigers, Amur leopards and snow leopards.

The Role – Senior Animal Keeper (Birds, Herps and Inverts)

Reporting to the Deputy Team Manager and Animal Team Manager, as a Senior Animal Keeper you will ensure a high standard of animal care across the bird, herptile and invertebrates section of Twycross Zoo, working with a wide variety of bird species such as Ecuadorian Amazon parrots, Humboldt penguins and Chilean flamingos. The section also includes various species of herptiles and invertebrates such as chapa bug-eyed frogs and Aldabran giant tortoises. Your duties will include:

• Assisting with the day to day running of the section, suggesting improvements to current practices and using a modern, progressive outlook to drive the team forward
• Assisting with the training and development of six keepers of differing levels, including suggesting performance improvements
• Maintaining and improving animal welfare standards in line with Best Practice Guidelines, as well as the presentation of the collection and workplace practices relevant to zoonotic diseases
• Assisting in the writing of section protocols and risk assessments
• Participating in on-site research projects (mostly behavioural, cognitive and welfare studies)
• Engaging with visitors and responding to enquiries
• Supervising guests during animal encounters and keeper for the day experiences

Our Requirements – Senior Animal Keeper (Birds, Herps and Inverts)

• Substantial relevant experience of zoological animal management, which must have included working with birds, herptiles and inverts within a zoo or similar environment
• Experience of modern husbandry and management practices and positive reinforcement training of relevant species
• Experience working with life support systems such as aquatic systems (for various taxa), thermal gradients in vivaria type settings, as well as a good working knowledge of lighting and UV provision for captive species of varying taxa
• Have a flexible approach to duties and working hours, supervising the section effectively, when required
• Good team player with an enthusiastic outlook and the ability to motivate a team
• Excellent IT skills, with good working knowledge of ZIMS
• Superb communication skills, both written and verbal
• Great attention to detail and ability to record accurate daily records
• A passion for the Zoo’s work and purpose

Although not essential, experience supervising or managing a team would be advantageous.

The Package

• Permanent contract
• Salary of £24,850
• 31 days annual leave
• Staff membership card giving you free entry to the Zoo on your days off
• Complimentary Twycross Zoo ticket allowance for friends and family
• 25% discount in the Twycross Zoo gift shop
• 20% discount in Twycross Zoo food and beverage outlets
• Star of the month award scheme
• Access to work counselling services

You’ll work 43 hours per week on average 5 days out of 7 on a three-week rolling rota between the hours of 8am to 6pm during the summer and 8am to 5pm during the winter months.

More About Us

Twycross Zoo is at the forefront of conservation, education and research. We have a strong commitment to our award-winning education programme, aiming to increase the level of awareness, knowledge and understanding of visitors about our animals. We aim to inspire visitors to support biodiversity conservation in any way they can.

This is an exciting time to join Twycross Zoo following £19m grant funding to develop the National Science and Conservation Centre (NSCC) on the Twycross Zoo site. The NSCC will support vital work around species conservation. It will bring together experts in conservation science and train the next generation of conservationists, whilst offering researchers from around the world the opportunity to study the four great apes and other endangered species, in naturalistic complex environments. The facilities will include a lecture theatre, classrooms, and laboratories, all planned to open in 2025.

How to Apply

Shortlisting and interviews for this Senior Animal Keeper (Birds, Herps and Inverts)role will take place while the advert is live; the vacancy will be closed as soon as the successful candidate is appointed. Applicants are therefore encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible.

All applications for this Senior Animal Keeper (Birds, Herps and Inverts) vacancy are to be submitted online, and strictly no agency calls or agency CV submissions.