Ambassador Animal Care Supervisor

Ambassador Animal Care Supervisor Reporting to the Behavioral Husbandry Curator, the Ambassador Animal Care Supervisor assists with the daily leadership of the animal care staff and volunteers on the Ambassador Animal Care and Ambassador Animal Program teams to ensure optimal animal welfare, maximize human and animal safety, ensure the successful delivery of engaging educational animal presentations, and promote a positive work environment. The Ambassador Animal Supervisor will collaborate with the Curator of Behavioral Husbandry in the development, implementation, evaluation, and staff training of husbandry standards, enrichment, animal training, and presentation standards for the ambassador animals. This position will also assist with the operant conditioning of and presentation development of the ambassador animals. This position works directly with animals daily, including but not limited to, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, amphibians, and birds including parrots and raptors This position’s pay ranges based on experience: $26.61 - $31.30 per hour ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform daily inspections of assigned exhibits/animals to evaluate the health and condition of animals and monitor the physical condition and operation of exhibits.
• Collaborate with the Behavioral Husbandry Curator to design, develop, implement, review, and modify animal handling/presenting protocols.
• Collaborate with Behavioral Husbandry Curator to ensure animal training, enrichment, and presentations encourage natural behaviors, condition animals appropriately for presentation, and reduce animal stress during presentations.
• Oversee the implementation of staff and volunteer training on the care, management, training and presentation of ambassador animals.
• Oversee the implementation of quality control protocols for educational, interpretive and outreach programs.
• Observe and participate as needed in the delivery of veterinary care to individuals in the collection, restraining animals as necessary.
• Assist with the development of onsite and offsite educational ambassador animal presentations.
• Assist with evaluation of ambassador animal presentation efficacy in achieving goals and objectives.
• Work with other departments, as needed, to properly support the Zoo’s mission including but not limited to Rentals and Events, Volunteers, Education, Development and Marketing efforts.
• Make purchases within guidelines established by the Behavioral Husbandry Curator.
• Assist with daily husbandry, training, and presentation of ambassador animals as needed.
• Assist with the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Standard Operating Procedures for animal care and presentation with ambassador animals to ensure safety, consistency, clarity, and alignment with USDA guidelines and AZA standards.
• Make recommendations to improve the quality of animal habitats, husbandry practices, training, enrichment, and presentation of ambassador animals in a manner that best meets and/or exceeds the animals’ physical, psychological, and behavioral needs, the safety of the staff, guests, and animals, and the education goals of the Zoo and the Ambassador Animal Program.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist with the daily leadership of the ambassador animal care staff, ambassador animal presenters, and volunteers in the ambassador animal areas
• Direct daily duties, projects and assignments to the Ambassador Animal Care team.
• Oversee the creation and distribution of Ambassador Animal Presentation schedule for onsite and off-site animal presentations in accordance with the internal animal handling protocols and program goals and objectives.
• Oversee the training and evaluation of ambassador animal presenters.
• Participate in the performance management process for those members of their team by providing coaching, evaluation, and direct feedback to team members regarding the implementation of standards and procedures; and making meaningful recommendations for discipline, hiring, and terminations

QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability and strong desire to lead and motivate others and manage work teams to support organizational objectives and goals.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, multitask, and show flexibility with daily responsibilities
• Ability to interact positively with a wide array of individuals from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Basic computer literacy and working knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, desktop publishing, computer graphics, multimedia presentation and database applications.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communications skills, and presentation delivery ability.
• Ability to learn and use with proficiency time and attendance and scheduling systems
• Working knowledge of the principles and practices of exotic animal management.
• Working knowledge of animal psychology and behavior, and ability to identify abnormal behaviors indicating stress, illness or other animal conditions requiring monitoring and attention.
• Working knowledge of operant conditioning and demonstrated ability to successfully shape animal behaviors using positive reinforcement training techniques.
• Working knowledge of interpretation and interpretive design. Demonstrated comfort and confidence in public speaking.
• Working knowledge of safe and humane practices for restraining and transporting animals.
• Working knowledge of safe animal handling and exhibit techniques.
• Knowledge of Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation requirements.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local statutes and regulations governing zoo safety, sanitation and accessibility.
• Must have a valid Michigan driver's license or the ability to obtain one.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Zoology, Animal Husbandry, or a closely related field or equivalent experience.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible and demonstrably successful experience in the care of an animal collection or equivalent experience.
• Previous leadership experience with projects, peers, or others is desired.
• Previous experience handling and training animals for guest presentations.

WHO WE ARE At John Ball Zoo, our mission is to inspire our community to be actively engaged in the conservation of wildlife and our natural environment. John Ball Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1983 which assures excellent animal care and a dedication to conservation. As one of the top attractions in Grand Rapids, we welcome over 700,000 guests each year who are able to experience over 2,000 animals of over 230 species that represent the beautiful wildlife living in our world! We are passionate about our mission focused on education and conservation but know that our 120+ full time and 350 seasonal people guided by our core values accomplish this mission. Our core values are:

• Conservation
• Education
• Community
• Celebrate
• Compassion

BENEFITS AT JBZ

• We offer incredibly competitive benefits. This includes FREE:
• Medical plan option
• Short-term disability
• Long-term disability
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Dental & Vision for employee & family
• 12 Full weeks of parental leave

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS We offer generous vacation time, 6 days of personal time, and 11 paid Holidays each year. We offer a 4% match and 3% employer contribution to your 401k, zoo discounts, employee-only zoo experiences, tuition reimbursement, additional medical benefits to meet your and your family's needs, and a FREE Premium Zoo membership for you and your family WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL DEMANDS Employee will work in various environments both inside and outside and will be exposed to inclement weather; pollen, mold, dust, dirt, and other airborne contaminants; and temperature variations. Must be able to tolerate exposure to anti-bacterial, disinfectants and other cleaning compounds. Must be able to wear all required protective clothing and equipment. Must be able to work near exotic and domestic animals and tolerate exposure to animal dander, animal wastes, and other zoonotic contaminants. Must be able to lift at least 50lbs and stand for at least three hours. Must be able and available to be tested annually for tuberculosis. Must be, or able to be, immunized against Hepatitis-B and rabies NEW TO GRAND RAPIDS Come live in the beautiful Grand Rapids where you can find live music, art festivals, outdoor recreation, and nationally ranked food and craft beverages. You can drive 20 minutes and be by the beautiful Lake Michigan, hike and kayak by the Grand River, or stay downtown and enjoy a variety of food and drinks. Grand Rapids is known as Americas’ best beer city, nation's craft beverage capital, and a top 20 U.S. Foodie city. There is a little bit of everything here in Grand Rapids to attract everyone including our growing zoo! John Ball Zoo is a drug free facility under federal regulations. Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. We invite individuals from all backgrounds, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, hairstyles, or any other characteristic to join our team where diversity is not just acknowledged but celebrated.

We envision a future of being a world-class zoo, a premier education facility, a renowned conservation center, and a wildly successful national visitor attraction. Want to help make the adventure come alive? Apply today and join us! Note 1: Employees in this classification must be tested annually for tuberculosis, must be, or be able to be immunized against hepatitis B and rabies Note 2: Must be able and available to regularly work evenings, weekends, and holidays Note 3: May be required to possess and maintain, or obtain, a First Aid and/or CPR certification.