Salary: $23.29 Hourly
Location : Asheville, NC
Job Type: Seasonal
Job Number: 2023-00962
Department: Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities
Division: WNC Nature Center
Opening Date: 07/24/2023
Closing Date: 8/20/2023 5:00 PM Eastern
Summary
About Our Opportunity
We are currently hiringa part time, temporary/seasonal Animal Care Technician to join the Western North Carolina Nature Center. The purpose of this position is to provide daily animal care, routine habitat maintenance, and guest education at the City’s nature center.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a team of professionals at Western North Carolina’s premier, 42 acre zoological park. The Western North Carolina Nature Center connects people with the animals and plants of the Southern Appalachian Mountain region by inspiring appreciation, nurturing understanding, and advancing conservation of the region’s rich biodiversity.
Hire Rate: $23.29 per hour
Schedule: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 8:30am-2:30pm.
Benefits: Please note that this position is temporary/seasonal, and part-time and is not eligible for benefits with the City of Asheville.
About Us
The City of Asheville is dedicated to providing quality service for the residents and visitors of our beautiful city, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. Asheville, NC is a thriving mountain city that has a culture enriched in diversity.
The City of Asheville values and respects a diverse community, workforce and ideas, and is committed to promoting an equitable, fair, and just employment environment. Our organization seeks to create and provide access and opportunities to employees, residents and visitors to fulfill their potential through inclusive engagement practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Cares for various animals in the nature center’s collection, including, but not limited to, large carnivores, venomous snakes, non-venomous snakes, large domestic livestock, weasels, snapping turtles, hawks, and owls: prepares and feeds center animals in accordance with species-specific diet and feeding protocols. Trims hooves; shears coats; performs physical exams; captures and/or restrains animals; transports animals.
Designs and implements species-appropriate enrichment programs for all species; maintains, orders, and stores inventory of feeding and animal care materials; observes animal behaviors; conducts investigative research; and implements actions to encourage or prevent behaviors.
Implements safety and emergency protocols to ensure the safety of staff, animals, and guests: ensures adherence to established safety and emergency protocols.
Assists with providing veterinary care: reviews and adheres to veterinary medication prescriptions and medical instructions.
Performs routine habitat maintenance: cleans and scrubs habitat areas; removes animal waste and debris; trims trees; mows lawns; monitors and maintains perimeters, electric fences, and locks; identifies and removes toxic plants; maintains aquatic life support, such as filters, pumps, and water quality testing; maintains terrariums; loads, moves, unloads, and rakes mulch, sand, and gravel; and performs routine carpentry, plumbing, and electrical duties.
Maintains animal records and documentation: records observations of animal behavior, environmental parameters, enrichment interaction, and training sessions.
Supervises interns and volunteers: screens, interviews, selects, trains, and supervises interns and volunteers to assist in a limited capacity with habitat maintenance, diet preparation, and animal care.
Implements community education and outreach: presents interpretive programming formal and informal tours to guests; provides information and answers questions; ensures guests comply with facility rules.
Maintains a current, comprehensive knowledge and awareness of applicable laws, regulations, principles, trends, and practices relating to animal husbandry and animal care; and attends meetings, workshops, conferences, and training sessions as required.
Operates a variety of tools and equipment to complete essential functions, such as forklift, four-wheel all-terrain vehicles, power and hand tools, dump truck, golfcart, gator and others as required to complete essential functions.
Communicates with supervisor, subordinates, other City employees, vendors, the public, outside agencies and organizations, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.
Processes a variety of documentation associated with department/division operations, within designated timeframes and per established procedures.
Supplemental Functions: Performs other duties as assigned.
Please view this link to read about the full Position Description.
Education & Experience
Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science or a related field required; supplemented by one year of related work experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.
Specific License or Certification Required: Must possess and maintain a valid North Carolina driver’s license.
Applicants with equivalent experience and/or education may be considered.
Knowledge
- Advanced knowledge of procedures and practices to analyze and resolve unusual or difficult problems.
Skills and Abilities
- Ability to read, summarize and/or compare general workplace data and graphics, such as flow charts, maps, tables, etc.
- Ability to conduct advanced research on organizational policies and procedures, best practices and innovative techniques.
- Ability to share research findings with direct supervisor or co-workers.
- Ability to think creatively for the primary purpose of increasing efficiency and effectiveness.
- Ability to communicate effectively in spoken and written form.
- Ability to research program documents and narrative materials, and develop reports from information gathered.
- Ability to analyze situations to pinpoint problems and assist with solving problems or identifying sources of obstacles.
- Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships as required by work assignments.
- Ability to work independently with limited supervision.
- Ability to analyze and interpret policy and procedural guidelines and to apply this understanding to tasks and the ability to bring resources together to resolve a problem or provide a solution.
ADA Compliance:
Physical Ability: Tasks require the ability to exert moderate, though not constant physical effort, typically involving some combination of climbing and balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and prolonged standing, and which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (12-20 pounds).
Sensory Requirements: Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate colors or shades of colors, sounds, odor, depth, texture, and visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally.
Environmental Factors: Performance of essential functions may require exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature and noise extremes, water hazards, hazardous materials, toxic agents, unsafe structures, heights, confined spaces, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, bright/dim lights, animal/wildlife attacks, animal/human bites, firearms, violence, disease, pathogenic substances, or rude/irate customers.
Employees are Benefited
01
Do you have a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science or a related field? (required)
- Yes
- No
02
Is your education supplemented by one year of related work experience?If yes, please explain:
03
Do you possess and maintain a valid North Carolina driver’s license, or out of state license with the ability to obtain? (required)
- Yes
- No
Required Question