Senior Animal Care Specialist (SACS) - Mammals East presso San Antonio Zoo

Senior Animal Care Specialist

Collaborate with a passionate Zoo Crew in San Antonio
Choosing where to grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the place you choose to work at will support and guide you. With a diversity of passionate people, San Antonio Zoo is a place where you can collaborate with others securing a future for wildlife.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role
Senior Animal Care Specialist (ACS) will serve as a lead keeper within the Mammals East department, which consists of both full and part-time staff and cares for a wide variety of taxa to include hoofstock, carnivores, and macropods. The senior’s primary role is to assist in overseeing day-to-day operations of the department and to provide training and development to new team members. Acting as a liaison between the team and leadership, a senior ACS will help to assure adherence to policies and procedures while developing supervisory skills. They will work independently with minimal supervision, with individual assignments determined by the manager based on current workloads and department needs.

As a Senior Animal Care Specialist, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative and diverse people in San Antonio. Here, you will make an impact by:

Daily Care

• Provide general husbandry and daily care of assigned animals.
• Inspect, clean, and maintain both on-exhibit and off-exhibit areas.
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills with the ability to maintain, train, and troubleshoot complex animal behavior daily.
• Maintain detailed daily records on assigned animals.
• Possess a knowledge of safety SOPs and reporting protocols.
• Demonstrate the ability to assist other team members with their animal-related goals and challenges.
• Perform industry best practices, safety protocols, standards, and guidelines established by San Antonio Zoo, governing agencies, and regulatory/accrediting bodies.
• Uphold all company policies as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures, Team Member Handbook, and Code of Business Conduct.
• Consistently exhibit an attitude of service inside and outside of the Zoo, showing hospitality to all.
• Be fully committed to the mission of San Antonio Zoo to create awareness that inspires action to care for the wild world we steward and animals we protect.

Behavioral Observations

• Perform daily behavioral observations and utilize operant conditioning techniques to maintain current behaviors and build new repertoire in experienced and naïve animals.
• Increase the behavioral repertoire of all assigned animals.
• Continually observe and evaluate animal behavior and conditions for animals in the department and report any problems to the appropriate manager.
• Maintain detailed daily records on assigned animals.
• Perform regular wellbeing assessments with staff
• Propose and implement species specific enrichment

Safety

• Exercise sound judgment in analyzing animal behavior concerns or emergencies and respond with the appropriate action
• Work safely around delicate, wild, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous animals
• For the safety of our internal and external guests, you must secure animals, their enclosures, and other associated structures.

Collaboration

• Assist veterinary staff in the treatment of the collection of animals.
• Act as a liaison between vet staff, leadership, and the Mammals East team.
• Assist in animal procedures including, but not limited to, translocations, veterinary procedures, and crating.
• Participate in or assist with the capture and restraint of a variety of taxa, including dangerous species, also guiding fellow team members in safety practices, improved techniques, and procedures for handling or restraining animals.

Creating Community

• Engage with the Zoo guests, staff, volunteers, and VIPs at exhibits, during programs and training demonstrations, and/ or behind-the-scenes experiences.
• Promote active guest engagement during both formal and informal discussions, during events, and as otherwise assigned.

 
Staff Management and Development

• Study-specific reference materials pertinent to animal care, behavior, and natural history as assigned.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with fellow employees.

Other Responsibilities

• Perform other work-related duties as required and assigned.

Your Skills and Expertise
To set you up for success in this role from day one, the San Antonio Zoo recommends the following skills/qualifications:

• Three years of extensive zoo keeping experience is preferred.
• Associate degree or higher in Wildlife Management, Animal Science, Zoology, Biology, or related field preferred. May substitute schooling for additional training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills preferred.
• Responsible for completing all online training courses by assigned deadlines.
• Must be 18 years of age or older with a clean driving record for vehicle operation.
• This position requires a valid Class 'C' Texas Driver's License or a valid driver's license from another state with the ability to obtain a Class "C" Texas Driver's License within 45 days of employment.
• Successful candidates must complete a pre-employment drug screening, background check, and TB test.
• Must be able to work in varying climate and weather conditions (rain, snow, hot, or cold).
• We enjoy year-round operation- staff must be available weekends, holidays, and occasional special after-hour assignments.

The San Antonio Zoo is an equal opportunity employer.  San Antonio Zoo will not discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.