Zookeeper - Northwest Passage/Sea Lions (Seasonal)

Summary:

This position is primarily responsible for the daily husbandry of a collection of animals as it relates to their physiological and psychological well-being as well as providing general maintenance of enclosures and habitats within the Northwest Passage section of the zoo. This position will primarily involve daily intensive diet prep habitat cleaning and the facilitation of the daily management and care of seven California Sea Lions. The candidate will be responsible for ensuring a positive guest experience when interacting with guests facilitating keeper chats and assisting with the narration of our daily sea lion show.

Essential Job Functions:

• Daily husbandry of assigned animals.
• Facilitates formal and informal public presentations to engage guests and provide a positive guest experience.
• Actively observes animals behavior checking for any signs of illness or disorder; reports irregularities and abnormal behavior to supervisor; works with vet staff to address medical needs.
• Prepares and administers appropriate daily diets and maintain accurate records of assigned animals.
• Appropriately cleans and disinfects assigned animal enclosures/habitats according to written protocols and ensures a sanitary and safe environment.
• Exercises good judgement when making decisions that affect our collection.
• Assists hospital staff in all aspects of animal treatment within the assigned section.
• May incorporate modern behavioral husbandry techniques such as operant conditioning and environmental enrichment into animal care.

Minimum Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Some college level coursework in the fields of Zoology Biology Psychology or related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience working with animals (care and handling) in a captive setting.

Competencies:

• Written and oral communication.
• Proficient in MS office current technology and applications for communication research and record keeping.
• Records and reports creation and management.
• Critical thinking.
• Problem Solving/Analysis.
• Stress Management/Composure.
• Flexibility.
• Teamwork Orientation.

Supervisory Responsibility:None.

Reporting Structure: Reports to Associate Curator Team Lead.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: Seasonal positions are defined as temporary work to meet an organizations temporary needs during certain times of the year and can last up to 6 months. This position can be scheduled to work approximately up to 40 hours per week. Scheduling is at the discretion of the manager. This position regularly requires flexible hours including weekdays holidays and weekends.

This position is considered non-exempt under the federal and state wage and hour laws.

Work Environment:

While performing the duties of the job the employee will frequently work in outdoor settings (Zoo grounds). When outdoors this position is required to work in various weather conditions including rain humidity and extreme heat or cold.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This position requires frequent sitting/standing/walking/bending/kneeling and may occasionally move or lift objects up to 50 pounds.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other Duties:Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Other Requirements:

• 18 years or older.
• Clear background check.
• Clear drug screening.
• Clear TB screening.

Benefits & Perks

The Memphis Zoo has a comprehensive benefits and employee perks package. Please see ourMemphis Zoo Careerspage for details.

EEOC and Inclusion Statement:

The Memphis Zoo believes that human diversity is as important as the biodiversity we seek to conserve. World-class zoos are comprised of world-class team members representing a variety of backgrounds perspectives and skills. We value a diverse workplace and strongly encourage people of color LGBTQ individuals people with disabilities members of ethnic minorities and veterans to apply.

The Memphis Zoo is an equal-opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race color sex sexual orientation gender identity or expression age religion national origin citizenship status disability ancestry marital status veteran status medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local state or federal laws. If you need to request any accommodations for the interview or hiring process please let the Human Resources team (HR) know. HR can be contacted at

The Memphis Zoo participates in E-Verify and is an EEO/ADA/Veteran employer.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of pre-employment screening. Memphis Zoo is a drug-free workplace.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted via the Memphis Zoo Careers page. Please note that any other application submissions will not be considered.