Animal Experiences Strategist - Calgary, Canada - Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo

Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo

Verified Company

Calgary, Canada

1 week ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

beBee Recruiter

Description

Grow your career as an animal care professional by joining the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo We are currently recruiting for a
full-time permanent Animal Experiences Strategist in our Animal Care, Health & Welfare (ACHW) branch.

In this role, you will be responsible for internal animal programming needs through stakeholder engagement, evaluation of all current animal programs and experiences (not limited to animal experiences, tours, and events), documented review of all front and back of house areas with a lens on improving internal customer and visitor experience, drafting recommendations for capital planning in existing and new habitats to improve exceptional experiences for a variety of audiences, researching best practices in animal program delivery and animal wellbeing, as well as the recommendation, documentation, and training for new experiences that are approved by Senior Managers in ACHW.

Reporting to the Manager, Operations & Administration - ACHW, this is a new and evolving position which will focus on program evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and experience development over the first year, and may evolve into a supervisory position or a maintenance and delivery model ongoing or seasonally once established.

What you will do:

Structured and informal meetings with internal stakeholders with varying levels of authority/decision making with an intent to understand their needs for programs and experiences
Develop and recommend new experiences, test, evaluate, and train for experiences as approved by Senior Managers in ACHW
Evaluate current practices to determine how to make changes, improvements, or new programs to meet the needs of different departments and their audiences
Liaise with other AZA accredited institutions to gather information on programming successes, challenges
Demonstrate and encourage enthusiasm, flexibility and collaborative approaches in an environment with lots of change
Work constructively and collaborate with other departments to ensure programming options align with end user needs and the mission and vision of the organization, informing or escalating to ACHW leadership regularly
Understand the ongrounds amenities, operations, and services to better support the ACHW team in customer interactions
Develop, contribute to, create new experiences with and around animals to better meet the needs of clients while maintaining or improving animal welfare, and engaging/inspiring the target audiences
Train, guide, and direct animal experience and Animal Care staff in exceptional program delivery
Administrative coordination of the program and all components from evaluations and calendar development to booking management (documenting, planning, scheduling meetings and training, communication, reporting, training)
Coordinate daily and weekly plans and schedules for the team considering seasonal events, etc.
Participate in animal husbandry (i.e. animal handling, training, or care) under the direction and leadership of an Animal Care management

What you will bring:

A Bachelor's degree in Biology, Zoology (or equivalent) or compensating experience
Valid Class 5 Alberta Driver's License
At least five (5) years experience working a zoo setting, handling animals, and having a solid understanding of animal welfare
Strong customer and program delivery focus
Demonstrated interest in visitor engagement and/or program delivery to connect, engage, and inspire audiences
Strong communication skills and presentation skills
Keen observation skills

Working Conditions:

Outdoor work
Evening and weekend work is required
Offsite work is required
Physical work including lifting, pushing/pulling, hauling

Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo employees and volunteers in our ACHW branch are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in accordance with the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo's COVID 19: Vaccination Policy.

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is an outdoor facility and all staff working at the zoo must be comfortable working in a large variety of outdoor conditions.

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo follows the advice of Environment Canada when responding to temperature and air quality issues.
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will be a no smoking environment including vaping as of January 1, 2023.

What We Offer:

Competitive compensation, vacation, and flex days entitlement
Flexible benefits plan, including a health spending account
Employer matching RRSP program
Discounts on food, beverages, and merchandise
Participation in the Staff Pass Benefit Program
A fun, rewarding work environment and the opportunity to work in a park full of animals from around the world

Are you ready to join one of Canada's leaders in wildlife conservation?
If this position suits your skills, experience and personal attributes, we want to talk to you

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo s