Facility
Randall Oaks Zoo
Closing Date
[jobclosingdate]
Description
The Randall Oaks Park and Zoo is looking for Animal Care staff and Zoo Summer Camp staff to join our team!
As a member of our Animal Care staff you are responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations of our zoo and parks under the supervision of our Zoo Manager. This position has the potential to be combined with our Zoo Summer Camp counselor position for the length of Summer Camp season. The Randall Oaks Zoo is home to over 160 animals including goats, cows, horses, farm birds, birds of prey, reptiles, and exotic mammals. As an Animal Care staff your responsibilities include the following:
•Carries out all aspects of daily care of animals including cleaning, feeding, exhibit maintenance, and general upkeep of zoo and park.
•Maintains clean, safe 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.
•Monitors and reports animal health or behavioral issues to the Zoo Manager.
•Identifies potential maintenance or safety issues and reports them to the Zoo Manager.
•May participate in delivery of educational programs, and/or other public interactions. Must be comfortable with talking to small groups, and display excellent customer service skills.
•May oversee work activities and/or provide training for interns, seasonal staff, or volunteers.
•Exhibits good teamwork and communication skills both within the home team and when working with other teams and departments.
•Must be able to safely maintain and operate maintenance equipment.
•Will potentially be delivering both Keeper Talks and Training demos to the public on a daily basis during operating hours.
•Designs, executes, and distributes a variety of enrichment on a daily basis to the zoo animals.
•Will be using Positive Reinforcement to train a variety of different animals as part of their daily tasks, some of those training sessions will be for public presentations.
•Will potentially be asked to give breaks to the Cashier, Petting Zoo, and Pony Ride staff during the operating season. Must be flexible and willing to learn new positions when needed.
As a Zoo Camp Counselor your requirements are as follows:
•Responsible for leading/overseeing groups of 10 to 20 kids ranging in ages from 4 to 16 years old
•Comfortable giving presentations to large groups of children
•Will create and implement variety of nature and animal related activities for children
•Working with our Zoo Programs Supervisor to effectively lead our Zoo Summer Camps
Education and Pre-requisites
To qualify for this position the applicant must have the following:
•At least 6 months experience working with animals in some capacity (zoo, farm, shelter) not including household pets.
•Previous experience with kids is preferred for the Camp Counselor position
•Strong interpersonal, team-building, and communication skills.
•Must have a valid IL drivers license (Class D).
•Ability to handle regular exposure to significant levels of heat, cold, moisture, inclement weather, cleaning chemicals, animal excrement, dirt and dust.
•Ability to climb, bend, stoop, kneel, twist, reach and crawl.
•Ability to spend long hours on your feet and be able to lift 50 lbs.
•Must be comfortable participating in public presentations.
•At least 18 years old
•Able to understand and carry out a variety of specific care instructions particular to each animal.
•Ability to keep accurate records.
•Ability to work comfortably with potentially dangerous and unpredictable animals.
Compensation and benefits
This position is three to five days per week, 6:30 am – 3:00 pm (days and hours may vary) Weekdays, Holidays and Weekends required. Position is from Mid March till Mid December with some flexibility with start dates. This is currently a seasonal position with the possibility of becoming year round.
Pay Rate: $8.50 – $9.00 hour depending on experience
Application instructions
Application Procedure: Apply online at www.dtpd.org
Additional open positions include the following:
– Zoo Educator
– Petting Zoo Attendant
– Pony Ride Attendant
– Zoo Cashier