Position Title:
Instructor, Zoo Overnight and Evening Adventures

Department:
Education

Reports to:
Education Naturalist

FLSA Status:
Non-exempt/Hourly

Pay Rate:
$12.20/hour

Posting:
Applications are now being accepted for Zoo Overnight and Evening Adventures Instructor in the Education Department at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. There is one seasonal, part-time position to be filled at this time.

Summary:
The success of the Zoo Overnight/Evening Adventures Program is directly tied to the quality of the programming offered by the Instructor. The Instructor (working solo or in teams of two to four individuals) is responsible for presenting a variety of dynamic and crowd- pleasing interpretive programs throughout the night and early morning for groups of 25 - 100 individuals, ages seven and above. General responsibilities include: preparing for the group’s arrival; welcoming and orienting the group to the zoo and the upcoming program; and presenting formal and informal programs and tours. The Zoo Overnights and Evening Adventures Instructor is required to: spend the night at the zoo with the group; conduct morning program activities; see to the safe departure of the group off zoo grounds; sell t-shirts; store props and perform general cleanup.

Schedule:
Weekends: Friday/Saturday and/or Saturday/Sunday.
Weekdays: Wednesday/Thursday and Thursday/Friday events will be offered based on staff availability.

Overnight Adventure: 5:00 p.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Evening Adventure: 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Instructors must be available to work at least four Adventures per month during the program season (February through November). The busiest program months are March through June. Additionally, instructors are required to attend a two-hour staff meeting held one evening a month and additional trainings, as necessary.

Hours:
Total hours worked depend on the number of Zoo Overnight/Evening Adventures scheduled. Work hours will vary from 3.5 hours to 17 hours in length, depending on the program and shift assigned (Instructors typically work 10-17 hour shifts).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: include the following:

• Provide lively interpretation of animals and their habitats with current conservation messages.
• Learn and present crowd-pleasing, scripted programming, and other presentation elements.
• Develop and present live animal presentations with animals from several taxonomic groups.
• Lead thematically based evening and/or morning tours of zoo exhibits utilizing props or other materials relevant to the program theme.
• Prepare for the group’s arrival, organize the registration/check-in process, welcome and orient the group to the zoo and the upcoming program.
• Work cooperatively with Zoo Keeper presenters and zoo Security staff.
• Handle money and prepare required accounting records for t-shirt sales.
• Organize rooms, paperwork, materials and food for the program.
• Operate audio-visual equipment for program.
• Spend the night at the zoo with the group, and handle any problems, needs or emergencies that might arise during the night. Instructors are responsible for the safety and well-being of Zoo Adventure guests.
• Assist with morning cleanup before departure. Store materials.

Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be able to work evenings and overnight.
• Excellent customer service skills on the phone and in person with a diverse group of individuals, including children and adults.
• Strong organizational skills, with ability to be extremely detail-oriented and accurate.
• Ability to work effectively as a team member, and independently with little supervision.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Ability to present dynamic, fun programming to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to handle animals confidently while presenting programs.
• Ability to manage unknown situations between animals and the public in a professional and responsible manner.
• Minimum of one year of experience with a zoo, aquarium, museum, park or other educational facility, presenting thematically based interpretive programs to audiences of all age levels.
• Experience in handling animals is beneficial.
• Successfully demonstrated ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines with professionalism.
• Reliable and punctual.
• Proficiency and experience with Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Outlook.
• Knowledge of Woodland Park Zoo, preferably gained through working at the zoo in a volunteer or staff capacity.
• Knowledge of the use and setup of audiovisual equipment preferred.
• Commitment to the mission of the zoo and the institution’s Core Values.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• CPR and First Aid updated yearly, as well as safety training offered by zoo Security staff for nighttime tours on grounds.
• Valid Washington State Driver’s license is required.

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear when working on the computer and analyzing graphs, etc. The employee is occasionally required to walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds.

How To Apply:

Woodland Park Zoo is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression.

<No Phone Calls Please>

Our Application for Employment is available below in two formats:

• Online
  Fill out the online application (which allows you to attach your cover letter and resume) and submit electronically.
  
• Portable Document Format
  Print and send the application along with a Cover Letter and Resume via U.S. mail or fax. If you experience difficulty downloading the PDF document you can obtain the necessary software (Adobe Acrobat Reader) here.

Attn: Instructor, Zoo Overnight and Evening Adventures
Fax: 206-548-1538
Email: hr@zoo.org

US Mail:
Human Resources        
Woodland Park Zoo
601 North 59th Street
Seattle, WA 98103

Application Deadline: Open until filled