Team Supervisor of Natives and VCZ

The Royal Zoological Society of SA Inc; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoos SA is seeking an experienced Team Supervisor for the Natives section at Adelaide Zoo. You will lead keepers, volunteers and students, with a hands-on presence in animal husbandry and welfare, safety and visitor engagement.

The role oversees native, variety children's zoo animals and requires strong supervisory capability. You will support workload planning, staff development and delivery of keeper talks, while contributing to continuous improvement and collaboration with veterinary and

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a zoological setting with expertise in animal husbandry and collection management.
• Experience caring for a diverse range of species, ideally including Australian native wildlife and domestic animals.
• Supervision and staff development experience in a practical animal care environment.
• Strong communication skills with staff, volunteers and the public.
• Experience delivering keeper talks and visitor experiences.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and coordinate daily husbandry and operations across Native and Variety Children's Zoo collections.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to keepers, ensuring animal care, safety and record-keeping standards.
• Support workload planning, rostering and performance feedback for staff.
• Monitor animal health and welfare, working with veterinary staff on treatment and enrichment.
• Lead by example in safe animal handling and adherence to SOPs.
• Contribute to exhibit planning, maintenance and safety evaluations to support welfare and visitor experience.
• Deliver keeper talks and public interactions to connect visitors with wildlife and conservation outcomes.
• Liaise with internal teams and external partners on conservation and animal management initiatives.

Skills

Zoological experience

Supervisory skills

Public speaking

Team leadership

Animal husbandry

Communication

Safety awareness

Education

Certificate III in Captive Animals

Job description

Adelaide Zoo is in an exciting time, with several significant projects planned for the near future. Zoos SA offers a unique opportunity to build a career in a forward-thinking conservation organisation, while enjoying South Australia's exceptional lifestyle and access to Australia's wild places.

Adelaide Zoo is seeking an experienced, motivated and values-driven Team Supervisor to join the Life Sciences team. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced animal care professional to lead the Natives section and support high standards of animal welfare, team performance, safety, and visitor engagement. This role is permanent and full-time, on a 7-day roster.

ABOUT THE ROLE...

Reporting to the Assistant Curator, the Team Supervisor of Natives plays a key leadership role in the day-to-day supervision and coordination of keepers, volunteers and students, while maintaining a strong hands-on presence with the animal collection.

Overseeing the Native and Variety Children's Zoo animal collections, this role offers the opportunity to work with a diverse range of species, from Australian native wildlife, including Koalas, Tasmanian Devils and Wombats, to the domestic animals featured in our children's zoo, including Chickens, Goats and Flemish Rabbits.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise in animal husbandry with demonstrated supervisory capability to support high standards of animal welfare, safe work practices, team performance and visitor engagement.

Working with minimal supervision and within established guidelines, you will support the delivery of section goals, animal programs and operational priorities, while contributing to continuous improvement across the team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As part of the Life Sciences team, your responsibilities will include:

• Supervising and coordinating daily husbandry and operational activities across the Native and Variety Children's Zoo animal collections.
• Providing technical leadership and guidance to keepers, ensuring agreed standards of animal care, safety and record-keeping are maintained.
• Supporting the Assistant Curator with workload planning, task allocation, rostering, performance feedback and staff development.
• Monitoring animal health and welfare, working closely with veterinary staff and participating in treatment, enrichment and animal training programs.
• Leading by example in the safe management of animals and ensuring compliance with workplace health and safety requirements, risk controls and standard operating procedures.
• Contributing to exhibit planning, maintenance and evaluation to support animal welfare, visitor experience and operational safety.
• Delivering and overseeing keeper talks, presentations and public interactions that connect visitors with wildlife and conservation outcomes.
• Liaising with internal teams and external partners on conservation, research and animal management initiatives.
• Assisting with the induction, training and supervision of staff, volunteers and work experience students.
• Deputising for the Assistant Curator as required.

As with all curatorial roles at Adelaide Zoo, you may be required to work across other sections of the department in line with operational needs.

ABOUT YOU

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Extensive experience working within a zoological setting, with demonstrated expertise in animal husbandry and collection management.
• Experience caring for a diverse range of species, ideally including Australian native wildlife and domestic animals.
• A Certificate III in Captive Animals or equivalent qualifications.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, guide and support others in a practical animal care environment.
• Strong communication skills, with confidence engaging staff, peers, volunteers, external stakeholders and the public.
• Experience delivering or overseeing public presentations, keeper talks and visitor experiences.
• Sound knowledge of animal training, enrichment and conditioning programs.
• A strong understanding of workplace health and safety, risk management and safe animal handling practices.
• The ability to plan, prioritise and manage daily workloads effectively while responding to changing operational requirements.
• A collaborative approach, with a commitment to continuous improvement, team development and Zoos SA's conservation purpose.

Supervisory or leadership training, along with experience supporting staff development and performance, will be highly regarded.

Zoos SA is passionately committed to equal employment opportunity. We believe diversity, inclusion and reconciliation are fundamental to our rich organisational culture and values, and we demonstrate this commitment through all our employment practices, ensuring our people continue to reflect the local communities in which we work. If you are unable to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or require reasonable adjustments, please contact Genesse via 08 8230 1211 and [e-mail]

Applications close: 30th October 2026 5pm