Team Leader Ectotherms (Herpetology)

Zoological Society of London (ZSL); Greater London; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 12%

Flexible working

25 days leave

Family-friendly policies

Life assurance

Wellbeing support

Staff tickets

Cycle to Work

Season ticket loan

Job summary

Zoological Society of London (ZSL) seeks a dedicated Team Leader for the Ectotherms Department at London Zoo. Lead the keeper team, champion welfare, and drive high standards of husbandry, with training and mentoring to advance skills across the section.

You’ll collaborate with various departments and work a 37.5-hour week on a rota that includes weekends and bank holidays, ensuring safe operations and excellent animal care.

Qualifications

• Extensive practical experience with reptiles and amphibians, including freshwater aquatics.
• DMZAA level (or equivalent) qualification.
• Strong taxonomic knowledge and understanding of breeding programmes and enrichment.
• Proven ability to supervise, motivate and develop a team while maintaining welfare and safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Team Planning & Rotas: manage staff rotas and overtime with the Section Manager.
• Protocols & Best Practice: develop safe systems of work and training processes.
• Health & Safety Leadership: promote a safety culture and oversee risk assessments.
• Staff Training & Mentorship: train and mentor team members, maintain high welfare and cleanliness standards.
• Hands-on Animal Care: assist keeper team with daily husbandry and hygiene.
• Animal Health & Record Keeping: monitor health, administer treatments, keep accurate records.

Skills

Team leadership

Animal husbandry

Reptiles & Amphibians

DMZAA level

Veterinary procedures

Health & safety

IT literacy

Communication

Education

DMZAA level

Job description

ZSL is looking for a dedicated and experienced Team Leader to join our Ectotherms Department at the iconic London Zoo, Regent’s Park.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in the care and conservation of an extraordinary collection of ectotherms, including critically endangered amphibians and reptiles. You’ll work with species such as Lake Oku Frogs, Mountain Chickens, Chinese Giant Salamanders and Darwin’s Frogs, alongside Komodo Dragons, Ethiopian Mountain Vipers and Galápagos Tortoises. You will also have opportunities to support the husbandry of our coral, terrestrial invertebrates and live food collections, giving you the chance to work across a diverse and fascinating range of species.

As Team Leader, you’ll help champion high standards of animal welfare and best-practice husbandry, while supporting the development of the team through training, mentoring and day-to-day leadership. You will work closely with the Section Manager and fellow Team Leader, contributing to the ongoing development of husbandry protocols and helping ensure the department operates safely, effectively and to a consistently high standard.

The role also offers plenty of opportunity to collaborate across ZSL, working with colleagues in areas including facilities, purchasing, animal health, health and safety, animal encounters and visitor-facing activities.

This is a full-time role, working 37.5 hours per week on a rota basis, including weekends and bank holidays.

Key responsibilities:

• Team Planning & Rotas: Manage and monitor section rotas, ensuring appropriate staffing levels at all times and agreeing any overtime in advance with the Section Manager.
• Protocols & Best Practice: Develop and implement safe systems of work, risk assessments, training processes, and animal husbandry best practice procedures.
• Health & Safety Leadership: Champion a strong health and safety culture by regularly reviewing risk assessments, identifying training needs, and ensuring the safety of staff, visitors, and animals.
• Staff Training & Mentorship: Train, mentor, and supervise team members, maintaining high standards of welfare, cleanliness, safety, and maintenance across the section.
• Hands-on Animal Care: Work as an active member of the keeper team, supporting daily husbandry duties and maintaining excellent hygiene and housekeeping standards.
• Animal Health & Record Keeping: Monitor animal health, administer veterinary treatments as directed, and maintain accurate records and follow-up observations.

About You:

• Extensive practical experience working with Reptiles and Amphibians including fresh water aquatics within a zoological collection, ideally qualified to DMZAA level (or equivalent)
• Strong taxonomic knowledge, with particular expertise relevant to the section, and an understanding of breeding programmes, population management, and evolving husbandry practices including positive reinforcement training and enrichment.
• Demonstrable Category 1 reptile experience, including the safe handling, care and management of venomous species and large reptiles.
• Proven ability to supervise, motivate and develop a team, maintaining high standards of animal welfare, biosecurity, and health & safety compliance.
• Confident in animal health monitoring, handling techniques, veterinary procedures, and maintaining accurate records, with sound knowledge of life support systems and species-specific requirements.
• Proactive, innovative and organised, with excellent observational, problem-solving and workload management skills, and strong IT literacy.
• A collaborative communicator, comfortable engaging with colleagues, visitors and external partners, with flexibility to work weekends, bank holidays, travel when required, and occasionally work across sites.

This role is subject to standard pre-employment checks, including confirmation of your right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

ZSL recognises that conservation is one of the least diverse sectors, and we actively encourage applications from candidates who identify as part of underrepresented communities. We are committed to building a supportive and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and celebrate the value of having a team of employees with diverse skills, experiences, and heritage.

About Us:

We’re ZSL, an international conservation charity. Through our unrivalled animal experts in our two zoos (London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo), the work of our pioneering scientists, our dedicated conservationists, our purpose is to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wild animals going extinct. Our vision is a world where wildlife thrives and we’re working every day to achieve this. From investigating the health threats facing animals, to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, we are committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction.

What We Offer?

Alongside the opportunity to do purpose-driven work that helps create a world where wildlife thrives, you'll enjoy a range of benefits, including:

• Up to 12% contributory pension
• Flexible working options
• 25 days' annual leave plus UK bank holidays, increasing with service
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Life assurance from day one (for eligible employees)
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and wellbeing support
• Access to our staff Equality Networks
• Complimentary London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo tickets, plus retail discounts
• Cycle2Work scheme and interest-free season ticket loans (for eligible London-based employees)

You can find the full details of our benefits in the attached Benefits Guide.

We anonymise applications until interview stage to ensure a fair hiring process. It’s important to highlight your unique skills, experience, and knowledge. Over reliance on AI-generated content may miss key criteria outlined in the job description and reduce the effectiveness of your application.

If you have any questions about this role, we’d love to hear from you! Please get in touch with our recruitment team at - [e-mail]