Animal Keeper Supervisor

Hamilton Island Enterprises; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Island lifestyle

Staff perks

Gym access & dining discounts

Job summary

Hamilton Island Wildlife Park is seeking an experienced and passionate Animal Keeper Supervisor to lead our Animal Keeping team. Working closely with the Director of Operations, you'll oversee best-practice animal husbandry, welfare, collection management and guest experiences while helping develop engaging exhibits and presentations that promote the conservation of Australia's native wildlife.

As Head Keeper, you'll supervise and develop the Animal Keeping team while ensuring the highest

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Animal Husbandry, Zoology, Certificate III or equivalent (Essential).
• Minimum 2 consecutive years' full-time paid experience with Australian native animals (Essential).
• QLD Blue Card (Essential).
• Current QLD Driver Licence (Essential).
• Current First Aid Certificate and CPR (Essential).
• Demonstrated experience supervising an Animal Keeping team.
• Knowledge of koala husbandry and koala browse species.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise the Animal Keeping team daily.
• Maintain animal welfare and collection management standards.
• Roster, train, mentor and develop keepers.
• Develop engaging wildlife presentations for guests.
• Maintain accurate husbandry, welfare and compliance records.
• Coordinate purchasing of animal feed, supplies and keeper equipment.
• Build relationships with external wildlife organisations.

Skills

Leadership

Animal husbandry

Guest education

Compliance

Team development

Communication

Education

Animal Husbandry / Zoology qualification

Certificate III or equivalent

Job description

Hamilton Island Enterprises – Melbourne VIC

ANIMAL KEEPER SUPERVISOR – Hamilton Island Wildlife Park

Hamilton Island Wildlife Park is seeking an experienced and passionate Animal Keeper Supervisor to lead our Animal Keeping team. Working closely with the Director of Operations, you'll oversee best-practice animal husbandry, welfare, collection management and guest experiences while helping develop engaging exhibits and presentations that promote the conservation of Australia's native wildlife.

Why you’ll love working with us

• Lead animal care and conservation across a unique island wildlife park
• Live island-side with no commute and tropical reef lifestyle
• Enjoy staff perks including gym access and dining discounts

Your Role

As Head Keeper, you'll supervise and develop the Animal Keeping team while ensuring the highest standards of animal husbandry, welfare and exhibit presentation. You'll work closely with the Director of Operations on collection management, team development and innovative guest experiences while maintaining strong safety, compliance and operational standards.

Where you’ll make an impact

• Lead and supervise the Animal Keeping team and daily husbandry operations
• Ensure collection management plans and animal welfare standards are maintained
• Roster, train, mentor and develop Animal Keeping team members
• Maintain high-quality care for both display and non-display animals
• Provide specialist species knowledge and guidance to the Keeping team
• Develop engaging wildlife presentations promoting education and conservation
• Monitor animal health and escalation welfare or illness concerns promptly
• Maintain accurate husbandry, welfare and compliance records
• Develop and maintain appropriate diet sheets for all species
• Coordinate purchasing of animal feed, supplies and keeper equipment
• Monitor operational expenditure and support departmental budget targets
• Build relationships with external wildlife and zoological organisations
• Ensure WHS requirements and animal, guest and employee safety are maintained

What we’re looking for

You are an experienced wildlife professional and confident leader with a genuine passion for Australian fauna and conservation. You combine strong animal husbandry knowledge with the ability to develop people, maintain compliance and deliver engaging educational experiences for guests of all ages.

To be successful, you will need:

• Tertiary qualification in Animal Husbandry, Zoology, Certificate III or equivalent (Essential)
• Minimum 2 consecutive years' full-time paid experience with Australian native animals (Essential)
• QLD Blue Card (Essential)
• Current QLD Driver Licence (Essential)
• Current First Aid Certificate and CPR (Essential)
• Demonstrated experience supervising an Animal Keeping team
• Knowledge of koala husbandry and koala browse species
• Strong animal husbandry, welfare and collection management knowledge
• Ability to train others in animal handling and presentations
• Strong reporting, record keeping and compliance skills
• Excellent communication, leadership and team-building abilities
• Confidence delivering engaging wildlife presentations to diverse audiences

About Hamilton Island

Our mission is to share the wonder of Hamilton Island with the world by creating wonder-filled experiences for our guests, employees and community.

Every team member plays a role in shaping those experiences – making Hamilton Island not just a great place to visit, but a great place to work.

A little island can do wonders – make your next career move one to remember!