Facility
The Living Coast Discovery Center; Chula Vista, CA
Closing Date
March 4, 2019
Description
The Living Coast Discovery Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit zoo and aquarium organization dedicated to providing environmental education on coastal resource conservation, and instilling a respect for nature and wildlife in people of all ages. Located on the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Chula Vista, CA, the Living Coast features a collection of non-releasable birds of prey, shorebirds, small mammals, fish and reptiles native to Southern California.
The Animal Care Specialist is responsible of all aspects of the care and husbandry of the animal collection of the Living Coast Discovery Center focusing in either the Avian or Aquatic and Reptile Departments. Through crossing training, responsibilities include preparing diets, cleaning, training, record keeping, exhibit upkeep and enrichment within each area. The Animal Care Specialist is also responsible for guiding volunteers, implementation of protocols, and assisting in the delivery of training for staff and volunteers. The Animal Care Specialist will work alongside the Lead Animal Care Specialist and Animal Care Manager to ensure the highest quality of care and presentation of the animal collection, along with providing exceptional customer service to visiting guests. This position will require availability to include weekends, holidays, and occasional evenings.
DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Animal Care & Husbandry
o Provide the highest quality daily care and husbandry to the animal collection while adhering to approved protocols and animal care standards.
o Provide quality environmental enrichment for exhibit and program animals, adhering to approved and adopted protocols and standards.
o Keep detailed and organized daily records and observations.
o Assist in the delivery of on- and off-site animal presentations and outreaches involving animal ambassadors.
o Participate in the construction of new exhibits and the upkeep of existing exhibits and holdings.
o Ensure that a safe environment is maintained for the animal collection, personnel and guests while adhering to safety protocols.
o Participates in capture and restraint of animals.
o Maintain high and consistent quality standards for animal exhibits, animal care and interpretive animal programming.
• Other Duties
o Update record sheets as needed and maintain organization of records and files.
o Participate in animal training sessions for other staff and volunteers along with the Lead Animal Care Specialist and Animal Care Manager.
o Keep track and communicate food inventory and needed supplies to Animal Care Manager.
o Be the point person for the volunteer and interns to report to each shift.
o Occasionally assist in other departments as needed and have other duties assigned (special events, etc.)
• Volunteer Management
o Provide and assist in training volunteers within the department.
o Provide direction and assistance to volunteers during their shifts and always lead by example.
o Create and manage daily task lists for individual volunteers based on their skill levels.
o Provide animal training sessions to volunteers and record training sessions.
o Assist in the development of interns’ public interpretive talks and final projects.
o Notify Animal Care Manager if volunteers are not following procedures or behaving appropriately while on shift.
• Interpretive Presentations & VIP Animal Encounter Tours
o Deliver engaging presentations to guests at scheduled times.
o Engage visitors with animal interactions when time permits and during special events.
o Lead VIP Animal Encounter Tours for registered guests and provide a safe and exciting animal interaction experience if primary VIP staff is unavailable.
o Assist in training other staff, interns and volunteers on interpretive and presentation techniques.
Education and Pre-requisites
QUALIFICATIONS
• Preferred Experience
o A Bachelor’s degree in biology, zoology, life sciences, or equivalent experience.
o Current First Aid & CPR Certification or must be willing to obtain certification upon employment.
o A minimum of two years of experience in animal husbandry working with non-domesticated animals in a professional setting; including experience in enrichment, training, and the use of animals in interpretive programming.
o A minimum one year of experience in aquarium systems and aquatic animal husbandry is preferred.
o Previous experience with the maintenance and operation of large life support systems including sand filters, canister filters, UV sterilizers, protein skimmers, and ozone generators is also preferred.
o One year experience supervising volunteers and interns.
o A proven ability to work cooperatively and enthusiastically with team members.
o A proven ability to promote a quality guest experience.
• Preferred Knowledge
o Endemic and exotic wildlife and coastal and wetland environmental issues.
o Animal husbandry, enrichment, training and behavior standards and techniques.
o Microsoft Office Suite.
o Current trends and techniques in animal care, exhibitory and training.
o Interpretive techniques and public speaking experience.
o Animal restraint and delivery of medications.
o Familiarity with water quality testing and life support systems.
o Familiarity with diagnosis and treatment of fish disease.
o Familiarity with avian behavior and illnesses.
• General Skills
Ability to:
o Interpret and follow rules and regulations.
o Perform emergency first aid and CPR as needed.
o Communicate clearly verbally and in writing.
o Assess and evaluate situations effectively.
o Respond to high stress scenarios safely and efficiently.
o Exert optimal effort in successfully completing tasks and manage time efficiently.
o Take initiative with minimal supervision.
o Extract and record data and carry out calculations accurately.
o Set up and operate equipment that can require selection from options or different settings.
o Work within and contribute to the effectiveness of a team, respecting differences.
o Perform physical labor.
o Work effectively in a team.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
This position is primarily an outdoor job with exposure to a variety of weather conditions, physical hazards, noise, and odors. A lesser portion the job requires office work, research, and recordkeeping. Occasional driving to move equipment or pick up supplies may be required. Physical requirements include walking or standing for long periods of time, performing physical activities on a continual basis, seeing in the normal vision range with or without correction, hearing in the normal range with or without correction, bending, stooping, crouching, kneeling, climbing, balancing, stretching, reaching and lifting up to approximately 50 lbs.
Compensation and benefits
16-32 hrs/week, Non-Exempt
$12.00 – $14.00 per hour, depending on experience
Application instructions
The Living Coast Discovery Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
If interested in being considered for this opportunity, please submit a cover letter and resume in electronic format to Beth Sabiston, Animal Care Manager, directly at Beth@thelivingcoast.org by 5:00 PM on Monday, February 25, 2019.
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