Job opportunities

Pinniped Trainer

Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park is set amidst a beautiful 28-acre natural valley, situated near the North Devon coast. We are home to over 70 species with around 300 individual animals.

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and passionate individual to join our Animal keeping team on a full-time basis. The successful candidate will primarily be responsible for the daily husbandry and training of our California Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, African Penguins and Great White Pelican. It is an exciting time for this growing section, as we complete our new Harbour Seal enclosure.
We are looking for an experienced trainer to join our enthusiastic team and help to grow and develop this section. You must be able to maintain high standards of animal welfare and husbandry, as well as carry out presentations, guest experiences and training sessions.

Candidates must have:

·         Experience working with Pinnipeds

·         An in depth understanding of operant conditioning

·         Great public speaking skills, and be confident in delivering educational talks, presentations and experiences to visitors

Candidates must be able to:

·         Maintain high standards of animal welfare and husbandry

·         Undertake & record animal observations

·         Maintain daily record keeping and have good verbal and written communication skills

·         Work independently, as well as in a team environment

·         Adhere to all the parks protocols and procedures

·         Work outside in all weathers, be physically fit and a confident swimmer

·         Work under their own initiative

·         Carry out enclosure furnishing and maintenance

·         Deliver excellent customer service.

·         Engage visitors throughout our open season, through our daily talks and interactions.

Candidates should ideally have:

·         An animal-related qualification

·         Two years’ paid experience working on an animal department within a zoo

·         Experience with Life Support Systems

·         Experience with environmental enrichment

·         A full clean UK driving licence, due to our location

This full-time position is 40 hours in our summer season and 35 hours in the winter season. Flexibility is required to meet the needs of the business, including working weekends and bank holidays.
This position will be paid at the rate of the national minimum wage. You will get 28 days paid holiday, split between our two seasons.

There is also no accommodation available for this role.