The Oregon Zoo is looking for a Limited Duration Animal Keeper who specializes in the care of California Condors. This position is responsible for daily husbandry tasks as well as other essential duties that support the health, welfare, and enrichment of the animals in our care.
As the Limited Duration Animal Keeper - Condors you will
- Provides daily care for condors, including feeding, cleaning, monitoring health and behavior, and maintaining species-appropriate social and environmental conditions.
- Applies knowledge of species’ natural history and current care standards to support feeding strategies, breeding and rearing practices, and social management.
- Maintains and disinfects animal habitats and keeper areas; checks enclosures, tools, and equipment for safety and functionality, and reports or initiates repairs as needed.
- Prepares and distributes prescribed diets in a safe and species-appropriate manner, including for mixed-species exhibits; monitors food intake and recommends dietary adjustments.
- Observes animals for signs of illness, injury, or abnormal behavior and communicates observations with management team; administers medications as prescribed; collaborates with veterinary staff and follows treatment plans and care instructions, including occasional hand-rearing or artificial incubation as needed.
- Maintains detailed records on health, behavior, diet, reproduction, inventory, and other metrics; assists with animal capture, restraint, transfers, and medical procedures.
- Engages with the public through keeper chats, tours, and educational presentations; contributes to conservation messaging and provides accurate animal information to staff and visitors.
- Responds to emergencies, participates in safety drills and protocols, and uses appropriate equipment to maintain a secure and safe environment for animals, staff, and guests.
- Collaborates with zoo staff across departments, contributes to a positive team culture, attends meetings, and participates in professional development, research, and conservation programs.
Attributes for success
- Knowledge of animal husbandry practices for species under care.
- Comfort and experience working with exotic and potentially dangerous animals in a safety-oriented work environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Contribute to a positive team atmosphere and contribute in a close, team-oriented environment.
- Passion for animal care and conservation.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
- At Metro, we strive to cultivate diversity, advance equity, and practice inclusion in all of its work.
- This means attracting and empowering a workforce that is inclusive of a broad range of human qualities.
- Workplace diversity is both a moral imperative and a business strength, essential to providing quality support and services to our region.
- Metro’s goal is to hire, develop and retain highly skilled and talented individuals across all departments and programs who best reflect the diversity of our community.
Learn more about Metro’s Diversity Action Plan
TO QUALIFY
- We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required.
- Please be clear and specific in your application materials on how your background is relevant.
Minimum qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in; biology, zoology, or related fields in relevant taxa and
- Three years of professional animal keeper experience working with condors; or
- Any combination of education and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the classification duties and responsibilities.
Required:
- Valid driver’s license
- Additional Requirements
- Additional medical testing and/or immunizations (not already stated in this announcement) may be required as the duties of this position may require close contact with animal areas and enclosures where animals may be present.
- If this statement is true for you, then you may be ineligible to apply
- If you were terminated for cause during any employment with Metro, or resigned in lieu of termination, you may be ineligible for rehire for a minimum of 3 years.
Like to have qualifications
- You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills to qualify.
- However, keep in mind we may consider them when identifying the most qualified candidates.
- Your transferable skills are any skills you have gained through education, work experience, including the military, or life experience that are relevant for this position.
- 1 year of incubation experience
SCREENING AND EVALUATION
The application packet:
- The application packet consists of the following required documents.
- Please ensure that you upload these documents in your online application.
- Make sure your application is complete, missing any part of these items could result in an incomplete application and will not be moved forward in the recruitment.
- A completed online application
Resume
- Responses to supplemental questions
- The selection process: We expect to evaluate candidates for this recruitment as follows.
- The selection process is subject to change.
- Initial review of minimum qualifications
- In-depth evaluation of application materials to identify the most qualified candidates
- Consideration of top candidates/interviews
- Testing/assessments (if applicable)
- Reference check
- Background, driving records check for finalist candidate (if applicable)
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND REPRESENTATON
- The full-salary range for this position is step 1: $30.85 an hour to step 5: $41.36 an hour.
- However, unless a candidate’s qualifications justify, based on the Oregon Pay Equity Act requirements and Metro’s internal equity review process, the appointment will likely be made between Step 1: 30.85 to the equity range Step 3: $36.10.
- This position is and is as an Animal Keeper.
- Classification descriptions are typically written broadly and do not include the specific duties and responsibilities of the positions. View the classification description.
Questions?
- Recruiter: Christina Rentas
- Email: christina.rentas@oregonmetro.gov
Salary
- $30.85 - $41.36 Hourly
