Herptiles Animal Care Assistant

About our opportunity:
The City of Asheville is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Animal Care Assistant - Temp/Seasonal in the Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities department. The WNC Nature Center is a wildlife park that connects people with the animals and plants of the Southern Appalachian Mountain region. This temporary, seasonal role supports the Center’s mission through hands-on animal care and habitat maintenance specifically for the reptiles and amphibians of the park. 

This position is scheduled for approximately 10 hours per week.The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Animal husbandry for non-dangerous animals: Cleaning involves the use of harsh chemicals, exposure to animal waste, and repetitive motions such as raking, sweeping, scrubbing, shoveling, and lifting. Handling animals can include tasks such as physical exams (via palpation), capture and/or restraint, and transportation of an animal from one place to another. Diet preparation and feeding involves following the diet preparation manual, using scales, using simple math, chopping, handling raw meat and rodents, and adhering to specific feeding protocols, which vary by species. Enrichment involves designing and implementing species-appropriate enrichment programs for all species represented in the collection. Unloading deliveries involves lifting 50 lbs repetitively. General equipment use involves operating large machinery and power/hand tools. Observation and research involves the daily observation of animal behavior and investigative research as needed, and can also require action to encourage or prevent behaviors (stereotypic, breeding, etc.) Other basic tasks include daily department meetings and reading and responding to reports from the weekend.

Implements safety and emergency protocols to ensure the safety of staff, animals, and guests: ensures adherence to established safety and emergency protocols, such as firearms safety and handling, animal escape, restraint, and capture, dangerous weather, guest or staff injury, fire, missing person on grounds, heavy machinery operation, handling hazardous chemicals and materials, zoonotic disease prevention, and other safety and emergency protocols; monitors work environment, use of safety equipment, and animal behaviors to ensure safety of staff, animals, and guests; initiates any actions necessary to correct deviations or violations; and attends and participates in safety and emergency drills and meetings.

Assists with providing veterinary care: reviews and adheres to veterinary medication prescriptions and medical instructions; assists with animal capture and restraint for procedures, anesthesia, or euthanasia; assists with injections, administering fluids, drawing blood, and monitoring vital signs; measures and records animal weight; and provides physical therapy and exercise for animals.

Performs routine habitat maintenance: Operates machinery such as weed eaters, lawn mowers, pole trimmers, leaf blowers, and power tools. Maintains perimeter/electric fences. Identifies and removes toxic plants. Maintains aquatic life support, including filters, pumps, and general plumbing. Water quality testing. Terrarium maintenance. Loads, moves and unloads substrates such as mulch, sand, and gravel. Cuts tree limbs. Monitors fence and gate conditions for animal, staff, and public safety. Maintains all locks. Utilizes basic carpentry, plumbing, and electrical skills.

Helps to maintain animal records and documentation: records observations of animal behavior, environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and water quality, diet administration and consumption, enrichment interaction, and training sessions; records medications given, supplements offered, and changes in health condition; and enters observations and medical information in daily journals and animal care databases.

Assists with training and supervising all volunteers to assist in a limited capacity with habitat maintenance, diet preparation, and animal care.

Ensures guest safety. Presents interpretive programming, as well as formal and informal tours. Answers questions. Ensures guests are aware and compliant with facility rules.

Communicates with supervisor, other City employees, the public, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review the 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: receives, reviews, prepares, completes, processes, forwards, or retains as appropriate various forms and other documentation; and maintains computerized and/or hardcopy records.

Operates a personal computer to enter, retrieve, review, or modify data, utilizing word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, Internet, e-mail, or other software; and operates general office or other equipment as necessary to complete essential functions.Minimum Qualifications:
High school diploma or GED required, supplemented by six months of animal care experience with reptiles and amphibians with zoo experience preferred; 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.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, or Abilities: Must be able to demonstrate proficiency in performance of the essential functions and learn, comprehend, and apply all City or departmental policies, practices, and procedures necessary to function effectively in the position.

Performance Aptitudes:

Data Utilization: Requires the ability to evaluate, audit, deduce, and/or assess data using established criteria. Includes exercising discretion in determining actual or probable consequences and in referencing such evaluation to identify and select alternatives.

Human Interaction: Requires the ability to work with and apply principles of persuasion and/or influence over others to coordinate programs or activities of a project, and resolve typical problems associated with the responsibilities of the job.

Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver, and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools and/or materials requiring complex and/or rapid adjustments.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, and/or advisory data and information.

Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; ability to calculate decimals and percentages; may include ability to perform mathematical operations with fractions; may include ability to compute discount, interest, and ratios; may include ability to calculate surface areas, volumes, weights, and measures.

Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of rational systems; to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form; and to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.

Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria.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.

The City of Asheville is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.