Zoo Ranger - Weekend Fixed Term

Chester Zoo; Chester; On-site; Part time

Job summary

Join a vibrant team at a leading wildlife charity as a Zoo Ranger, where your creativity and passion for education will shine. In this engaging role, you will facilitate exciting activities for children, ensuring a safe and fun environment while managing animal habitats. With a flexible part-time schedule, you will contribute to conservation education and make a meaningful impact on young minds. Embrace the opportunity to work in a dynamic setting, where no two days are the same, and be part of a mission to prevent extinction. This role offers a unique blend of education, wildlife engagement, and community interaction, making it a fulfilling career choice for passionate individuals.

Benefits

Generous annual leave entitlement

Staff pass for zoo visits

Healthcare plan

Discounted gym membership

Discounts on cinema and restaurants

Pension scheme with employer contribution

Qualifications

• Experience in childcare or relevant qualification is essential.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills required.

Responsibilities

• Deliver engaging activities for children in holiday and weekend clubs.
• Maintain safety and high standards in children's care and engagement.

Skills

Childcare Experience

Public Engagement

Communication Skills

Organizational Skills

Teamwork

Customer Service

Creative Thinking

Knowledge of Animals

Education

Childcare Qualification

Degree in Biology or Education

Tools

Microsoft Office

iPads and Apps

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced and professional person to join the Zoo Ranger team to deliver high quality activities to primary school age children at our popular Ofsted registered holiday and weekend clubs.

This is a fixed term (February – November 2025), part time (6 hour) opportunity.

The role – Zoo Ranger

Supported by our experienced Lead Rangers and our Management Team, you will play an active role in the delivery and daily operations of our successful children’s clubs in the heart of Chester Zoo. It is fair to say in this exciting role and no day will ever be the same! As well as delivering our holiday clubs, you will support in managing our Fruit Bat Forest and Lemur Walkthrough habitats.

As Zoo Ranger in this role you will:

1. Provide a safe and secure environment for the children in our care to explore, learn and have fun.
2. Deliver all aspects of our 2 & 3 day holiday clubs, as well as our weekend clubs, in support of Chester Zoo’s mission, ensuring all activities deliver value for money, experience and impact.
3. Maintain accurate records and reports relating to your delivery activities adhering to our agreed high standards.
4. Ensure our policies and standard operating procedures are followed.
5. Build and maintain collaborative working relationships with colleagues to ensure programmes are delivered to the high standards of the wider Conservation Education and Engagement programme.
6. Engage with visitors of all ages including children, families, adult groups and other audiences whilst managing our 2 animal walkthrough habitats (Fruit Bat Forest and Madagascar Lemur Walkthrough). There will also be the opportunity to get involved in other public engagement activities.
7. Engage with visitors of all ages including children, families, adult groups and other audiences in fun, novel ways such as mascots, puppets and roleplay.

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

As the UK’s biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there’s always lots going on here. We’re an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and 500 seasonal team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost their career development.

The Package

1. Fixed term contract.
2. 6 hours a week, with flexibility to work up to 35 hours during CWAC school holidays. General hours of working will be between 8am – 5pm.
3. Generous annual leave entitlement (33 days including bank holidays based on 40 hours, to be pro-rated).
4. Salary of £12.43 per hour including our January 2025 pay award.
5. Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off plus a number of complimentary tickets for your family and friends.
6. Healthcare plan and employee assistance programme.
7. Discounted gym membership.
8. Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks.
9. Pension scheme with generous employer contribution.

Our Requirements – Zoo Ranger

1. Available to work during school holidays and weekends.
2. Experience of working in a childcare setting or a childcare qualification.
3. A creative mind, and ability to develop and deliver engaging, high quality public engagement opportunities for our visitors.
4. The ability to confidently deliver stories, shows, games and other playful, interactive engagement styles.
5. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact with a wide range of audiences in a playful and engaging manner.
6. A good working knowledge of Windows and Microsoft Office packages, as well as iPads and apps.
7. Good organisational and time management skills.
8. The ability to work effectively under their own initiative and as part of a team with a positive attitude.
9. Excellent customer service skills.

Although not essential, the following would be desirable:

1. A good knowledge of our animal collection and conservation work.
2. A degree or qualification in a relevant field e.g. biology, education etc.

Due to the nature of the organisation and the role, this post is subject to a DBS check.

More About Us

We’re not just an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction that’s home to 20,000 incredible animals. We’re not just the UK’s most popular zoo. We’re a major wildlife charity that’s committed to the recovery of endangered species, globally. And, as the world faces an extinction crisis, we’re making a hugely significant contribution to conservation at a time when it’s needed most. We are Chester Zoo and we prevent extinction.

Closing date for applications is 5th January 2025