Animal Enclosure and Play Area Inspector

Closing date: 30/09/23

• Salary/Rate per hour: £27,303.25 per annum
• Full-time/Part-time: Full time
• Seasonal/fixed term/permanent: Permanent

About us:

Wild Planet Trust is a registered education, scientific and conservation charity established in 1957 and based in Devon, UK. We own two zoos in south west England, plus two local nature reserves and a National Nature Reserve. We support conservation in the United Kingdom and overseas using funds generated by the people who visit the zoos and the expertise and dedication of our staff.

Paignton Zoo first opened its doors as the Torbay Zoological Gardens in 1923. Almost 100 years later, our site, and work, has grown considerably and we are now one of the South West’s largest conservation organisations and top visitor attractions. There are over 230 species of animal that call Paignton Zoo home. As well as being a zoo, we’re also a botanical garden with over 4,000 species on record.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Animal Enclosure and Play Area Inspector to join our High Reliability team on a permanent contract. This is a full time role working 38.75 hours over 5 days. The salary for this position is £27,303.25 per annum.

What will this role involve?

You will carry out a variety of inspections to specific infrastructure and equipment throughout the zoo, liaising with maintenance and contractors to resolve identified issues. The role will also involve monitoring the progress of raised work requests and communicating any issues to the Support Services Manager. You will undertake scheduled and specified checks to equipment and infrastructure to ensure safe systems, operational standards and legal/licencing requirements; providing a targeted service to enabled keepers to perform duties and allow guests to have a safe experience. The role will also advise and have oversight of checks at Newquay Zoo.

What skills and experience are required?

The ideal candidate will have GCSE’s in Maths and English and experience carrying out inspections or audits, especially with infrastructure and play equipment. A City and Guilds or NVQ2 in at least one trade (preferably welding or carpentry) would be an advantage, as would an IOSH Managing Safely qualification. Desirable experience includes having a varied experience of multiple trades to include woodworking, basic metal fabrication and repair welding as well as a minimum of 3 years of maintenance or construction. Good IT skills, excellent time management and planning skills with the ability to meet deadlines are essential.

Benefits of joining our team include:

• 33 days paid holiday pro-rata (inclusive of Bank Holidays)
• Company sick pay
• Branded uniform provided (as required)
• Relevant internal and external training provided
• Free entry to our zoos for staff and immediate family
• Complimentary tickets
• Discounts in our Catering and Retail outlets (as applicable)
• Free staff parking
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Discounts Platform
• Access to Headspace Premium App

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Please note, we will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews throughout the advertising period for this role. Therefore, the role may be filled prior to the closing date.  We would encourage you to submit your CV and covering letter as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. We are only able to provide individual feedback to those candidates who are successful through to the interview stage.