Animal Care Supervisor

sbzoo; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 43,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Santa Barbara Zoo seeks an Animal Care Supervisor to coordinate daily animal care operations and supervise keeper staff. You will support mission-driven care and zoo-wide initiatives, ensuring welfare, cleanliness of exhibits, and guest satisfaction.

Under Zoological Managers, you will mentor keepers, enforce safety protocols, and collaborate with veterinarians, nutritionists, and enrichment consultants to advance training and enrichment programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Science (Biology, Zoology, Ecology) and minimum three years of routine animal care experience in a zoo or related setting.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities and ability to supervise staff and volunteers.
• Strong knowledge of animal care, welfare, husbandry, enrichment, and training concepts.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Animal Care Keepers and volunteers; mentor staff and conduct performance reviews.
• Coordinate daily animal care operations and ensure high standards of welfare and safety.
• Collaborate with veterinary and nutrition staff to optimize animal health and nutrition.
• Maintain daily records and ensure compliance with AZA and USDA standards.
• Lead guest relations and educational outreach related to animal care programs.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Team coaching

Emergency response

Animal welfare

Observation

Staff supervision

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Life Science

Tools

ZIMS

MS Excel

MS Word

Outlook

Job description

The Santa Barbara Zoo is looking for an Animal Care Supervisor to coordinate daily animal care operations, supervise keeper staff, and support mission-focused animal care and zoo-wide initiatives.

Position Status

Full-Time, Hourly, Regular, Non-exempt

Schedule

40 hours per week, work days TBD

Compensation

$31.30 - $34.50 per hour

Summary

Under the general direction of the Zoological Managers and Director of Animal Care, the Animal Care Supervisor is responsible for supervising and coordinating daily animal care operations to optimize animal care and wellbeing, maintenance and cleanliness of exhibits, supervising keeper staff, supporting and implementing mission-focused animal care and zoo-wide programs and initiatives, ensuring compliance with regulations, and providing a positive guest experience. The Animal Care Supervisor will be assigned to animal care zones based on departmental needs and assigned direct reports based on animal care zone needs.

Essential Duties

Animal Care & Welfare

• Supervises direct reports (keepers) as assigned by Zoological Manager, including coaching and mentoring, regular feedback and accountability, and annual performance evaluation.
• Collaborates with the Zoological Manager to support management of a team of Keepers in providing the highest standards of care to ensure the health and well-being of the animal population
• Supports the Zoological Manager with day-to-day operations, and is responsible for supervising animal care operational tasks as assigned by Zoological Manager
• Acts as Animal Care and/or Zone Point of Contact when directed, and in Zoological Managers’ absence
• Acts as a role model/leader in animal husbandry, health issues, and welfare
• Applies an understanding of animal husbandry, health, and welfare to determine animal management direction, including operational procedures
• Recognizes and determines the seriousness of abnormal behavior and medical condition
• Recognizes the importance of animal welfare and regularly assesses the welfare of animals through daily operations and population level welfare assessments, including facilitating welfare assessments, collation of assessments and completion of identified actions, and strives to optimize welfare for all animals under their care
• Assists with regular adherence to USDA Animal Welfare Act, regional, federal, and AZA standards associated with animal care and welfare, and ensures Animal Care staff are accountable to these standards
• Assists Zoological Manager in ensuring that all animal husbandry and health duties are performed in the safest manner, following established standard operating guidelines (SOGs) and protocols
• Identifies specific animal husbandry/health problems, and implements a systematic approach to solving the problem
• Communicates veterinary and animal husbandry information in a timely manner to the keeper team, Animal Care & Health team, and to Senior Management staff
• Works collaboratively with the Veterinarians and Veterinary staff to ensure the highest level of medical care for the animals in the collection
• Works collaboratively with the Nutritionist to ensure optimal nutrition and feeding strategies for the animals in the collection
• Assists the Zoological Manager in ensuring the application of training to optimize care and welfare, supports keepers in the identification and implementation of training goals, developing shaping plans, and collaborates with the animal training consultants to achieve training goals and advance the training program
• Assists Zoological Manager to ensure the application of enrichment and enriching experiences to optimize care and welfare, supports keepers in the identification and prioritization of enrichment goals, evaluates enrichment activity schedules & devices to determine effectiveness, and collaborates with enrichment consultants to achieve enrichment goals and advance the behavioral enrichment program
• Supports the Animal Training and Enriching Experiences Programs to advance the behavioral enrichment program
• Assists the Zoological Manager to develop and support the Ambassador Animal Program
• Collaborates with the Animal Care team and other zoo departments on exhibit/animal space modifications and enhancements, and designing new exhibits/animal spaces
• Assists with development, review and updating all applicable SOG’s and protocols for animal husbandry and the Ambassador Animal Program
• Attends weekly Animal Management and Quarterly Animal Welfare Assessment Working Group meetings in the Zoological Manager’s absence or as directed
• Supports the goals of breeding programs for managed populations (SSPs) and may be assigned as an institutional representative for managed populations (SSPs)
• Actively encourages and supports Keepers to participate in AZA animal programs (TAGs, SAGs, SSPs, SAFE programs, committees) and leads by example by supporting AZA animal programs, such as being a SSP coordinator, studbook keeper, TAG/SAG/SAFE/other committee member
• Encouraged to present at scientific meetings/workshops/conferences, to give informal presentations, and to prepare scientific papers or articles for publication
• Gives informal and formal presentations or trainings to zoo staff as assigned
• Knowledge of AZA accreditation standards and AZA animal programs
• Assists Zoological Manager to ensure animal daily records are entered into the electronic recordkeeping system (ZIMS) accurately, consistently, and in a timely manner
• Collaborates effectively with other departments such as Education, Guest Services, Institutional Advancement, and Marketing to achieve the goals of the AC&H department and zoo-wide programs and initiatives
• Other duties as assigned

Conservation & Science

• Assists Zoological Manager by collaborating with the Conservation & Science department to support participation in local conservation programs and fieldwork opportunities
• Assists Zoological Manager by collaborating with the Director of Conservation & Science, Veterinarians, and Director of Animal Care to fulfill institutionally approved research requests
• Supports in-house research activities and welfare studies

Emergency Situations

• Acts as incident commander in animal escape situations or other emergency situations as appropriate
• Responds to animal emergencies quickly and calculates risks involved for animals, guests, and staff
• Remains calm and creates an atmosphere of calm and control for those dealing with the emergency situation
• Utilizes emergency chemical immobilization as required and trained
• Uses capture equipment when required
• Collaborates with the Zoological Manager to evaluate the impact of emergency or mock situations on all areas of the Zoo and suggests improvements to the emergency response systems

Guest Relations

• Ensures exhibit presentation quality standards for cleanliness and maintenance to maximize our guest experience
• Assists the Zoological Manager to ensure appropriate, well-maintained graphics and signage at exhibits.
• Interacts with guests to assist and share information about animal care and wellbeing
• Responds to all guest inquiries, complaints, and comments according to Zoo guest relations procedures
• Assists Zoological Manager in developing and facilitating formal and informal educational programs

Staff Development

• Supervises Animal Care Keepers, Volunteers, and Interns and/or performs duties of subordinates as needed
• Assists Zoological Manager in sharing critical information, best practices, and procedures on a consistent basis with staff to achieve departmental and zoo-wide goals
• Demonstrates leadership skills that support staff, goals of the AC&H department and zoo-wide programs and initiatives
• Participates regularly in training provided by the zoo and by external consultants/classes for the development of their leadership skills, including but not limited to, coaching, difficult conversations, providing feedback, conflict resolution, and time management
• Provides staff coaching and feedback on a regular basis to direct reports such as one on one meetings, coaches coworkers, volunteers, and interns, and provides informal feedback as needed
• Performs regular, formal evaluations for direct reports
• Promotes a collaborative relationship across the whole AC&H department and with other zoo departments
• Provides staff training and shares expertise on animal husbandry, handling, capture, restraint, animal training, enrichment, and animal welfare
• Collaborates with the Director of Animal Care and Zoological Managers to develop and implement professional development opportunities and pathways for the Keepers that relate to animal care, animal welfare, animal training, behavioral enrichment, AZA programs, public relations, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills
• Proactively supports opportunities for the Keepers to contribute to conservation programs and participate in conservation fieldwork
• Encourages staff to present at scientific meetings/workshops/conferences, to give informal presentations, and to prepare scientific papers or articles for publication
• Collaborates with the Zoological Managers in staff assessment, the hiring process, development of performance improvement plans and termination processes
• Assists the Zoological Manager in developing and facilitating team goals in accordance with departmental and zoo goals
• Builds relationships and collaborates with peers at other AZA institutions

Operation and Business

• Exemplifies the highest ethical standards to ensure the health and well-being of the animal collection
• Reports animal maintenance issues and potential hazards for staff in a timely manner
• Identifies and allocates resources appropriately for efficient day-to-day operations and in response to emergency situations.
• Holds direct reports and peers accountable for their performance
• Assists the Zoological Manager with scheduling staff in a manner that prioritizes animal welfare, health, operational needs, and conservation opportunities. Recognizes when overtime hours are required and requests appropriate staff overtime
• Collaborates with Zoological Managers and other Animal Care Supervisors to optimize efficiency and effectiveness of the department
• Completes all tasks associated with time card processing
• Collaborates with HR and Education to schedule interns
• Collaborates with the Volunteer Supervisor and Zoological Manager to schedule volunteers
• Collaborates with the Education Department to develop and maintain the Ambassador Animal program and animal experiences program
• Collaborates with animal events to develop and support animal experience programming
• Assists with AZA accreditation preparations and inspections as needed, safety inspections, and USDA inspections
• Represents the zoo for public relations and media events on behalf of the department
• Adheres to Zoo’s policies and procedures as outlined in the Employee Policy Manual
• Attends bi-monthly all-employee meetings
• Attends departmental meetings as assigned
• Attends volunteer meetings as needed

Secondary Duties

Guest Relations

• Greets every guest with a smile
• Thanks guests for supporting/visiting the Zoo
• Answers phone calls, voice mails, and e-mails promptly
• Ensures the Zoo’s presentation standards for cleanliness and maintenance are met by keeping work areas clean, picking up trash, reporting unsafe or unsightly conditions
• Associates with guests to assist and share information
• Responds to all guest inquiries, complaints, and comments according to Zoo guest relations procedures
• Maintains a clean neat appearance and adheres to the Zoo’s uniform dress code
• Takes responsibility for staying informed about happenings at the Zoo, such as reading employee communications and attending meetings
• Reflects the qualities outlined in the Guest Relations Statement, the Zoo’s Core Values, and the Employee Pledge
• Applies and exemplifies “green” (sustainable) practices whenever possible
• Other miscellaneous duties as required

Position Criteria

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Science such as Biology, Zoology, Ecology, or closely related discipline
• Minimum three years of experience in routine animal husbandry in a zoo, aquarium, or closely related activity
• Demonstrated leadership abilities

License, Certification, or Preferred Qualifications

• Valid driver’s license with good driving record is desirable
• Ability to certify in First Aid/CPR/AED
• Must have current negative TB test and rabies titer and provide documentation, or be willing to have a TB test and rabies titer
• Hiring contingent on successful LiveScan DOJ background check

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Knowledge of animal behavior and natural history
• Knowledge of procedures for observation, handling/restraint, training, enrichment, reproduction, facility needs and health of animals
• Understanding of emergency situation procedures, specifically those involved with guest and staff safety
• Must possess sound judgment and ability to use common sense for effective decision-making
• Basic computer skills (Word, Outlook, Excel)
• Ability to remain calm and lead in stressful situations and in times of emergency/crisis
• Ability to interact with a team including the ability to gather information and generate team consensus
• Ability to follow oral and written direction
• Effective oral and written communication skills
• Ability to develop warm and friendly relationships at work
• Ability to interact courteously and respectfully with supervisors, fellow employees, volunteers, our guests
• Ability to exercise safe work habits while in the proximity of potentially dangerous animals
• Awareness of, sensitivity to, and empathy with animals

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• Requires the ability to access all areas of the facility
• Ability to negotiate the zoo work environment including behind-the-scenes, lawns, gravel, and hilltop
• Must be able to participate in operational practices; including climbing stairs, manipulating tools, and standing/walk for long periods of time
• Must be physically able to operate a variety of machines and equipment including electric cart, two- way radio, and capture equipment
• Ability to be trained for the use of heavy equipment
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds occasionally, and 10 or fewer pounds frequently
• Ability to exert a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly push, pull, or otherwise move objects
• The ability to use abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing
• The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs
• The ability to be an active member of the Weapons Team (Training and Emergencies)
• Ability to work successfully in a shared office with open