Director Of Animal Care And Health

General Duty Statement

The City of Saint Paul is seeking a strong leader to provide effective management of Animal Care & Veterinary Care teams, a diverse animal collection, and a safe and enjoyable visitor experience at Como Zoo.

The ideal candidate

• The ideal candidate serves as the senior manager for the collection of animals and is part of the overall Como Management team to maintain the highest standard of animal care.
• Exceptional leadership skills which include being a role model, inspiring others to work towards a shared vision, challenging self, and others to look for innovative ways to foster collaboration, trust, and team building to improve the Zoo.
• Ability to strategically develop, direct, and oversee the planning and caring of the collection including nutrition and veterinarian healthcare, acquisitions and dispositions, breeding, and record keeping.

Description of work
Program Administration: Staff management of approximately 28 Zoo staff members. Directs and coordinates the programs and activities of programs assigned to the Animal Management section. Ensures expenditures remain within the assigned budget. Recommends changes in priorities and utilization of resources to meet program needs.

Collections and Conservation Management: Conducts animal collection planning, acquisition and disposition of animals, and protocols to meet exhibit and other program objectives. Follows accreditation standards and ethical standards established by the AZA, federal regulations, international treaties, state law and zoo policies. Participates in leading Como's conservation initiatives and programs.

Exhibit Planning and Visitor Experience: Participates in project teams to develop new exhibits. Collaborates with consultants and exhibit design firms on continuing development of the master plan to improve animal wellness and visitor experience.

Animal Care and Health: Provides appropriate nutrition, housing, regular veterinary check-ups, medical treatment, mental stimulation, and preventive care to ensure an animal's overall well-being and quality of life. Takes an active leadership role to collaborate with other accredited zoos to ensure long-term viable collections of species to represent, conserve and protect the wildlife of the world in North American zoos.

Essential Functions are the functions that the individual holding the position must be able to perform unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation. The Essential Functions for this position are identified in the Supplemental Information section of the official title of General Curator job description.

Benefits
The City of Saint Paul offers an excellent benefits package including health insurance, life insurance, retirement contributions, and holiday, vacation, and sick leave paid time off.

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
For over one hundred years, Como Park has played a vital role in meeting the recreational needs of residents of Saint Paul and surrounding communities. The original vision was to create an outdoor haven for the area’s urban population and provide a wide variety of free or reasonably priced recreational activities, services, and educational opportunities for all park visitors.

Today Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is operated by the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department. The zoo features seals and sea lions, a large cat exhibit, a variety of aquatic life, primates, birds, African hoofed animals, and a world class polar bear exhibit. Find out more here about the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory here.

Equity and Inclusion
The City of Saint Paul’s mission is to integrate equity and inclusion into how we approach all our work. Our vision is to be committed to building an equitable and inclusive city that will shift culture in city processes and policies, eliminate structural inequities, and ensure timely and relevant access to services, resources, support, and opportunity to every person in Saint Paul.

Requirements

A Bachelor's Degree in Animal Husbandry, Biology, or a related field, and six years of experience leading the care and management of animals at an AZA accredited institution. The experience must meet at least TWO of the following requirements:

• Involvement in budget development
• Developing policies and procedures
• Planning exhibits

Three years of supervisory experience is required.

Four years of additional experience may be substituted for the education requirement. There is no substitution for the supervisory experience requirement.

By Closing Date, you MUST

• Upload the following required documents via the online application system. You will not be able to submit your application without these documents attached. (Zip files and web links will not be accepted. Each uploaded attachment is limited to 10MB.)
  • A resume
  • A cover letter
• A resume
• A cover letter
• Submit a City of Saint Paul online application, including answers to the Supplemental Questionnaire.

First time applying online? Read our How to Apply Online Guide.

Selection Process Information

Assessment: Qualifications Rating

The Qualifications Rating is an assessment of your completed application, resume, and answers to Supplemental Questionnaire. Be as specific and detailed as possible in completing your application and questionnaire. You must submit your completed application and supplemental questionnaire by the application deadline.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Open Job Posting: This posting is open to anyone who meets the position requirements.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists typically are created from a pass/fail assessment. Those who pass the assessment will be placed on an eligible list for approximately six months. Hiring Managers may interview/hire anyone from the list.

Final Selection Process: You must receive a score of 75% or higher to pass the assessment and be considered for the position. Those who pass will be placed on an eligible list and all will be notified of their status. A Hiring Manager will consider those applicants eligible for hire. You will be notified if you are invited to participate in the final selection process which may include an interview, job simulation, work sample submission, or other evaluation method.

Condition of Employment: This position will require a background check which may include criminal history, and employment history as a condition of employment. Candidates will be required to submit proof of education to Human Resources upon conditional job offer. The City of Saint Paul encourages individuals to apply for positions regardless of criminal history.

Human Resources Contact Information:
Michelle LeBow at 651-266-6519
200 City Hall Annex
25 West Fourth Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Fax: 651-266-6490
E-mail: [email protected]

To refer to this information, we recommend you print this job posting before you apply. For technical assistance regarding the online application, please call 1-855-524-5627 during regular business hours. Additionally, City of Saint Paul staff are available for application assistance between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 651-266-6500.

Veteran’s Preference: If you are a veteran and would like to receive Veteran’s preference in accordance with MN Statute 197.455, you must submit a photocopy of your DD214 preferably at time of application. Click here for more information.

The City of Saint Paul is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Veterans, women, persons of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Working Title: Director of Animal Care and Health
Official Title: General Curator

• Life Insurance
• Deferred Compensation
• Sick Leave
• Vacation/Holidays
• Health Insurance
• Subsidized Metro Bus Pass
• Retirement Program

• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• Dental
• Disability Insurance