Job opportunities

Veterinary Nurse

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Veterinary Nurse will assist in all aspects of animal healthcare and welfare, veterinary treatment, nutrition, disease surveillance and preventative medicine of ZSL animals, including those being transported and in quarantine.

The post holder will adhere to the code of conduct as set out for RVNs by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and will represent ZSL as a centre of excellence in the veterinary care of zoo and wild animals.

Key responsibilities:  

• Reporting to the Veterinary Nurse Manager, this role will assist in ensuring appropriate provision of healthcare and welfare, veterinary treatment, nutrition, disease surveillance and preventive medicine of all ZSL animals, including those being transported and in quarantine.
• Assist with stocks and readiness of equipment (including firearms and ionising radiation); drugs and disposables; record keeping (Zoological Information Management System - ZIMS, STAs/STCs, rabies, BALAI and CITES regulations); the preventive medicine program; and the archive of clinical samples.
• Contribute directly to animal healthcare and welfare, to include triage and administration of treatments, dispensing prescribed medication, maintaining animal records, preparing for and assisting with veterinary procedures and anaesthetic maintenance and monitoring. This may also include delivery of remote anaesthesia as part of the animal escape/emergency procedures.
• In-patient care (enclosure set up, husbandry and training) in the absence of section keeper or during sole working times. This will include venomous reptiles and Category 1 Animals. Implementing and adhering to quarantine guidelines where necessary according to the relevant legislation (Balai, Rabies).
• Collection and processing of clinical pathology samples for diagnostic tests. To include performing in house biochemistry, haematology, and basic microscopy.
• Help maintain strict biosecurity and cleanliness of the veterinary department.
• The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned from time to time.

ABOUT YOU

You will be an RCVS Registered Veterinary Nurse with paid veterinary nursing experience. Clinical nursing experience with a variety of animal taxa including zoo, exotic and wildlife species would be desirable.

You will have skills using MS office packages, specifically Excel and PowerPoint or equivalent software packages. You should have effective time management skills and proven experience working within a busy clinical team. Experience using ZIMS medical record keeping systems would be desirable.

You will need to hold a full driving licence. 

You will be willing to work during evenings, holidays, events and/or weekends as required.

This role is subject to standard pre-employment checks, including the candidate's right to work in the UK.

We strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds and celebrate the value of having a team of employees with diverse skills, experiences, and heritage. We are committed to ensuring our teams can bring their authentic selves to work without fear of discrimination. ZSL has active equality networks for our staff with lived experience and those who provide active allyship in Race and Culture, Team Pride, Disability Network, and Menopause Network, complemented by our strategic EDI Steering Group.

ABOUT US

We’re ZSL, an international conservation charity. Through our unrivalled animal experts in our two zoos (London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo), the work of our pioneering scientists, our dedicated conservationists, our purpose is to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wild animals going extinct. Our vision is a world where wildlife thrives and we’re working every day to achieve this. From investigating the health threats facing animals, to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, we are committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction.  

What do we offer?  

At ZSL, we are proud of our approach to employee benefits. Our benefits include: 

• Our vision and purpose - you’ll work alongside colleagues who are passionate about science-led conservation, knowing that you will help us to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wildlife going extinct  
• Pension scheme - we offer a generous pension scheme with up to 12% contributory pension
• Flexible working – talk to us about your flexible working requirements and we will do everything we can to make sure you work in a way that suits you  
• Holidays – 25 days annual leave allowance, plus UK bank holidays  Wellbeing – access to a blended programme of wellbeing initiatives, including confidential access to our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme  
• Life assurance – eligible employees will be enrolled in ZSL’s life assurance scheme from their first day 
• Complimentary tickets – annual allocation of Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo tickets, with a 30% discount in online and retail shops  
• Cycle2Work - our cycle to work scheme enables you to lease a bicycle  
• Season ticket loan - we offer an interest free loan for eligibly London-based employees to buy a season ticket for travel between home and work 
• Family friendly policies – we offer enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption packages  

NB: We reserve the right to close our advertisement early or extend the advertising date until a suitable candidate has been found.