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SalaryPosition Summary
Under the direction of a Zoo Supervisor, the Zookeeper is responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations associated with the husbandry of the animals and the maintenance of animal enclosures within a specified Houston Zoo animal program. This position will coordinate all program objectives in addition to day-to-day husbandry and enclosure maintenance. Members of the Aquarium and Sea Lion/Penguin team will need to be active members on the dive team to do routine maintenance and cleaning of the aquatic environments, following all dive protocols.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
- Carries out all aspects of the daily care of assigned animals including cleaning, feeding, exhibit maintenance, general upkeep of support facilities.
- Maintains clean and organized exhibits, holding areas, service areas and equipment.
- Prepares and feeds appropriate diets as per established feeding practices and diet sheets.
- Administers prescribed medications, supplements, or treatments under the guidance of the veterinary and supervisory staff.
- Records and reports any abnormal animal health or behavioral issues to the Zoo Supervisor.
- Maintains daily reports, logs, training and enrichment records, research or veterinary records, as appropriate and according to established guidelines; requires basic skills with TRACKS and Microsoft Office software applications.
- Understands and applies a practical understanding of operant conditioning as it relates to the daily management of species under his/her care.
- Understands and applies the basic principles of animal enrichment as part of the daily management of species under his/her care.
- Maintains clean and organized exhibits, equipment, and keeper areas.
- As appropriate, maintains water quality through filtration, balance of chemical elements, and sanitation methods for aquatic or semi-aquatic animal species.
- As appropriate, maintains live exhibit plantings to enhance exhibit aesthetics; eliminates weeds and toxic plants from animal enclosures.
- In conjunction with the Zoo’s pest control officer, may assist in pest control through the use of exclusion or traps.
- Identifies potential maintenance or safety issues and reports them to the Zoo Supervisor.
- Participates in keeper chats, tours, animal presentations or demonstrations, and/or other public interactions as requested by the Zoo Supervisor.
- May assist with departmental research projects, conservation, AZA, or other industry activities as directed/approved by the Zoo Supervisor or Curator; provides support for Zoo projects.
- May oversee work activities and/or provide training for interns, seasonal workers, or volunteers.
- Exhibits good teamwork and communication skills both within the home team and when working with other teams or departments.
- May be required to safely operate a motor vehicle.
- Contributes to saving animals in the wild through: reduction of waste, water and energy use and inspiring guests and staff to take wildlife protecting actions.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
- Associate’s degree or two years of college level education (60 semester credit hours) in zoology, biology, animal husbandry or a related field.
- A certificate of completion from an acceptable animal care program of not less than 30 semester hours may be substituted for 30 hours of college hours.
- One year of experience in animal care at an AZA or equivalent facility, gained through employment, internships, or volunteer experience.
- Experience with species in captivity, in a conservation setting.
- Experience with basic carpentry and mechanical skills.
- Must have or be able to obtain a valid Texas driver’s license.
- Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, procedure manuals, professional journals and SOPs. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively and present information and respond to groups of managers, guests and the general public.
- Ability to add and subtract two-digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. Ability to perform these operations using units of money, weight measurement, volume, and distance.
- 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.
- Proficient computer skills including electronic mail, record keeping, routine database activity, word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, etc.
- Experience in Microsoft Office applications.
- Job Knowledge/Technical Knowledge: Demonstrates a sound working knowledge of current role and the technical systems and applications used in performing this role and understands the impact this role has on other business functions within the organization.
- Interpersonal Communication: Writes and speaks effectively based on the psychological, relational, situation, environmental and cultural dynamics within the situation.
- Manages Change: Demonstrates effectiveness and flexibility with changing environments, responsibilities, tasks, and people.
- Problem Solving: Identifies and resolves issues timely by gathering and analyzing information skillfully.
- Attention to Detail: Follows detailed procedures to ensure accuracy in the entry and reporting of data/information.
- Organization: Uses time efficiently by prioritizing and planning work activities. Methodical and efficient in structuring tasks to be accomplished.
- Professional maturity: The ability to separate emotional feelings from the real issues at hand. The ability to legitimately and objectively challenge the substance of our beliefs and biases of our observations.
- Initiative: Takes a responsible, proactive approach and willingness to get things done independently; readiness to take the lead on new projects, ideas, tasks or assignments.
- Responsibility: The ability to meet commitments made to yourself and others, keeping the promises you make, and acknowledging and accepting the choices you have made, the actions you have taken, and the results they have led to.
- Communication: The ability to write and speak effectively using appropriate convention based on the situation; actively listens to others, asks questions to verify understanding, and uses tact and consideration when delivering feedback to others.
- Flexibility: Demonstrate responsiveness and adaptability following change initiatives, and demonstrates ongoing support for change efforts.
- Intelligence: Understand and comprehend information, as well as find application and value from new knowledge.
- Integrity and Respect: Demonstrates upmost level of integrity in all instances, and shows respect towards others and towards company principles.
- Judgment: Demonstrates ability to make independent and sound decisions in all situations.
- Guest Focus: The ability to demonstrate a series of activities designed to enhance the level of guest satisfaction.
- Teamwork: Shares key information with others involved in a project or effort, works in harmony to accomplish objectives, responds with enthusiasm to directives, and shows support for departmental and organizational decisions.
- Energetic: Exhibits high levels of energy and enthusiasm.
- Quality: Sets high standards and measures of excellence to ensure quality assurance in every aspect of work performed.
- Computer Savvy: The knowledge and ability to use computers and technology efficiently and effectively.
- Collaboration and Partnership: Encourages and embraces dialogue from team members, while anticipating and resolving conflicting differences by exploring mutually agreeable solutions.
- Accountability: Takes personal responsibility and ownership for adhering to all company policies and procedures while also completing work timely and in accordance with performance expectations.
- Ascending or descending stairs, ramps, ladders and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms.
- Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing or crouching on narrow or slippery surfaces.
- Bending legs downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
- Standing or moving about on foot to accomplish task, particularly for long distances or sustained periods of time.
- Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force.
- Using upper extremities to exert force. Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally.
- Ability to swiftly respond or move quickly and demonstrate good hand eye coordination in time sensitive situations.
- Perceiving size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly the fingertips.
- Activities in which you must convey by spoken word or instruction to other workers accurately, loudly or quickly.
- Perceiving the nature of sounds with or without correction.
- Substantial movements (motion) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
- Visual acuity including color, close/distance vision, depth perception, and peripheral vision.
- Ability to adjust focus.
- Moderate physical activity performing somewhat strenuous daily activities.
- Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, pull, or otherwise move objects.
- Manual dexterity sufficient to reach/handle items, works with the fingers, and perceives attributes of objects and materials.
- Produce negative test results for annual tuberculosis testing and vaccination for rabies or other zoonotic diseases.
- Outdoors and indoor environment with adequate ventilation
- Moderate to loud noise
- Exposure to significant levels of heat, cold, moisture and/or air pollution
- Exposure to potentially dangerous animals and zoonotic diseases, chemical substances and physical trauma of a minor nature such as cuts, bruises and minor burns
- Requires heavy public contact requiring considerable interpersonal skill, extensive interaction with the public, donors, and members requiring a high degree of guest services skills.
- Hours include normal zoo operating hours, weekends, evenings, holidays, special events and extended hours.
Disclaimer
The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as a complete inventory of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an at-will basis.
Benefits
Full-time, regular positions are offered the following benefits.
- Medical and Prescription Drug
- Vision
- Dental
- Basic Life AD&D (100% Employer Paid)
- Short Term Disability (100% Employer Paid)
- Long Term Disability (100% Employer Paid)
- Supplemental Life
- Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account
- 401k, with employer match
- Free Zoo Membership
- Free Guest Passes
- Discounts on Food, Merchandise, Attractions, Admission and Programs
- Free parking
We thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
