<h5>Facility</h5>
<p>North Carolina Zoo</p>
<h5>Closing Date</h5><p>
[jobclosingdate]</p>
<h6>Description</h6>
The North Carolina Zoo is looking for a dynamic, team-oriented leader that shares the Zoo's vision for a world famous elephant breeding program. This supervisory position involves the management of the African elephant breeding program for the North Carolina Zoo’s Watani Grassland Reserve exhibit. The program includes a state-of-the-art elephant barn, off-exhibit holding yards and two adjacent 3.5-acre natural habitat exhibits. The collection includes seven elephants, including two adult bulls. The incumbent will supervise a team of seven keepers and an occasional intern from a local community college’s zoo science program. The incumbent is expected to network with peers and other related facilities to stay abreast of the latest trends and methods, in order to constantly improve section programming.

 

The main focus of this job will be elephant management, including husbandry, training, natural breeding, artificial insemination, calf management, environmental enrichment and behavioral management. Under the direction of the Curator of Mammals and in conjunction with the Elephant Management Team, the incumbent will be responsible for developing, implementing, and communicating with others a comprehensive, written Positive Reinforcement Protected (Restricted) Contact elephant management system designed to meet program goals. (Protected Contact is a system for managing elephants that uses positive reinforcement training as the primary method to modify behavior. Directing the positioning and movement of the elephant is achieved through the use of targets. Keeper safety is achieved by elephant and keeper positioning relative to each other and to a barrier, which typically separates human and animal spaces.) 

 

Other duties also include:

Key communications link between work unit staff and Curator/Vets/other Sections for information exchange 
Direct management and supervision of work unit staff including hiring, scheduling, work plan development, employee evaluation, and staff training 
Resource management including preparing budget requests, tracking expenditures, ordering equipment and supplies 
Identifying facilities maintenance and repair issues  
Supervising the treatment of animals as directed 
Assisting keepers when needed with heavy lifting of hay, grain, manure, substrates, etc.; heavy duty cleaning and scrubbing is a routine occurrence. 
Systematic observation of animal health and behavior. Training and maintenance of husbandry behaviors, applying principles of operant conditioning, to gain cooperation of the elephants in their own care. 
Establishing procedures/guidelines for staff 
Development and implementation of behavioral enrichment programs to elicit species-typical behaviors in a captive environment. 
Thorough and accurate written records and computer spreadsheets. 
Leading team problem solving and decision making processes. 
Participates in and implements NC Zoowide programs, to include: behavioral management, enrichment and Environmental Management System (EMS) programs. 
Required to participate in the zoo's occupational health program due to potential exposure to zoonosis. 
Position has rotating schedule that involves working holidays and weekends and involves both indoor/outdoor work. 
Participates on the zoo’s weapons team 
Other duties as assigned

<h6>Education and Pre-requisites</h6>
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES / COMPETENCIES:
 
Applicants must document on the application their knowledge skills and abilities as well as all related work experience to the position for which they apply. 

 

Must have extensive working knowledge of animal husbandry of elephants, gained from working at a zoo or related facility, to include:
·         Elephant biology, including natural history, anatomy, physiology, ecology, and behavior

·         Animal training theory and terminology 

·         Animal feeding strategies and species-specific nutrition 

·         Safety and safe practices around dangerous animals 

·         Captive elephant husbandry, including all or some of the following: 

 

Must have demonstrated leadership and supervisory skills in guiding, planning, organizing and setting priorities for routine and non-routine daily tasks to manage day to day activities of the work team. 
Must have good interpersonal relations/teamwork skills. 
Experience with Microsoft Office, primarily Excel and Word programs, to effectively create and manage extensive written records. 
Must have good physical agility, strength, vision &amp; hearing, and the ability to perform strenuous physical work in extremes of weather and challenging physical environments, e.g. outdoor animal enclosures. Specifically, this means the ability to lift 50 pounds, walk, stand, see animals &amp; exhibits for observation and safety as well as hear animal's sounds, radio communication and emergency situations.
 
 
 
MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: 
 
Graduation from a two-year technical or community college with a degree in zoo animal technology or other related curriculum and four years of animal care experience in a zoo or related facility; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. All degrees must be from appropriately accredited institutions. 
 

<h6>Compensation and benefits</h6>
SALARY RANGE: 
 $33,190.00 - $52,063.00 Annually
  
SALARY GRADE / SALARY GRADE EQUIVALENT: 66 

For benefits, please see: www.oshr.nc.gov/State%20Employee%20Handbook%202012.pdf
 

<h6>Application instructions</h6>
All relevant experience must be included on application to receive proper credit.  Resumes are not accepted in lieu of state application.
SEE ATTACHED RESUME WILL RESULT IN AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION. 
To receive credit, all experience must be included in the work history sections.  Any information omitted from the application but included in the resume will not be considered for qualifying credit.

Please upload copy of college transcript (if applicable) or submit to address noted below by 5:00 p.m. on closing date to be considered.   
Persons eligible for veteran preference must submit a copy of Form DD-214.  
DENR uses the Merit-Based Recruitment and Selection Plan to fill positions subject to the State Personnel Act with the most qualified applicants. When a salary range is posted, the actual salary will be based on relevant competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities, internal equity and budgetary considerations pertinent to the advertised position. The State of North Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  
For additional information, please contact: 
NC Zoo 
HR Department 
336-879-7310 

Please visit our website at www.nczoo.org for additional information regarding our facility. 
