Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Zoo Engineer

🎯 Role Definition

The Zoo Engineer is a hands-on facilities and systems engineering professional responsible for planning, maintaining, and improving the built environment and mechanical/electrical systems that support animals, staff, and visitors. This position blends preventive maintenance, capital project delivery, systems troubleshooting, and cross-functional coordination with animal care teams to ensure safe, operable, and humane habitats. The ideal candidate brings strong HVAC, plumbing, structural, and controls competency; experience with life‑support and specialized enclosure systems; a safety-first mindset; and the ability to prioritize projects that directly impact animal welfare and guest experience.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Facilities Technician / Maintenance Technician
Mechanical or Electrical Technician (HVAC, Plumbing)
Zookeeper with mechanical or construction experience

Advancement To:

Senior Zoo Engineer / Lead Facilities Engineer
Facilities Manager / Head of Maintenance
Capital Projects Manager or Director of Facilities & Operations

Lateral Moves:

Exhibit Designer / Fabrication Supervisor
Animal Care Supervisor with emphasis on enclosure systems

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement and lead a comprehensive preventive maintenance program for all zoo infrastructure including HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, electrical distribution, generators, and water filtration systems for aquatic and amphibious exhibits; track KPIs and adjust schedules to reduce downtime and extend equipment life.
Inspect, diagnose and repair mechanical and electrical failures in animal habitats and guest areas, prioritizing fixes that impact animal welfare or public safety; perform root-cause analysis and document corrective actions in CMMS.
Design and execute capital improvement projects and small-scale exhibit modifications from requirements gathering through construction, ensuring structural integrity, animal-proofing, egress, and compliance with local building codes and zoo-specific regulations.
Maintain and optimize life support systems: water treatment, filtration, dosing pumps, misting and humidity control, and recirculation systems used in aquatic exhibits, reptile houses, and aviaries; calibrate sensors and ensure redundancy.
Install, maintain and program building automation and control systems (BMS/SCADA) for HVAC, pool systems, and environmental controls; develop monitoring dashboards and set alarm thresholds for critical habitat parameters.
Fabricate, retrofit and reinforce exhibit barriers, moats, gates and holding areas using welding, carpentry and metalwork skills to maintain animal containment and visitor safety while meeting behavioral enrichment requirements.
Manage electrical distribution and generation assets: perform load calculations, transfer switch maintenance, generator testing, UPS upkeep and emergency power planning to guarantee continuous operation of life‑support equipment.
Oversee plumbing and drainage systems across animal areas: design backflow prevention, maintain chlorination and chemical feed systems, repair leaks and ensure effluent meets environmental discharge and permit requirements.
Coordinate with animal care staff to schedule habitat access, lockout/tagout, and safe entry procedures; plan shutdowns and temporary environmental changes to minimize stress to animals and maintain biosecurity.
Lead or participate in emergency response for system failures, inclement weather, and infrastructure incidents affecting animals or public safety; prepare and drill contingency plans and rapid restoration procedures.
Maintain documentation, as-built drawings, SOPs, and shoring/rigging plans for permits and inspections; produce technical reports for regulatory compliance and accreditation (e.g., AZA standards).
Manage external contractors and vendors: scope work, solicit bids, supervise construction and commissioning, review invoices against deliverables and ensure on-site contractor compliance with zoo biosecurity protocols.
Implement safety and regulatory programs including confined space entry, hot work, fall protection, LOTO, and hazardous materials handling; maintain records of training and certification for engineering staff.
Conduct energy efficiency audits and pilot sustainable technologies (heat recovery, variable speed drives, LED lighting, solar, water reuse) to reduce operating costs and advance zoo sustainability objectives.
Perform structural assessments and maintenance of buildings, walkways, roofs, and exhibit foundations; coordinate with structural engineers for repairs or upgrades to meet safety load requirements.
Operate heavy equipment and fleet vehicles for grounds work, exhibit installation, and site maintenance while ensuring safe animal separation and compliance with site traffic protocols.
Source, test and qualify materials and components to be animal‑safe, durable, and non-toxic — including paints, sealants, fasteners, and substrate materials — and maintain supplier lists and material datasheets.
Program and maintain environmental enrichment devices and automated feeders, ensuring timing, dosing and mechanical reliability that support species‑specific care plans.
Track capital and operating budgets for engineering projects; prepare estimates, manage purchase orders, and work with finance to forecast lifecycle replacement and reserve funding.
Collaborate with education, veterinary, horticulture and guest experience teams to support exhibit refurbishment, seasonal changes and special events while preserving system integrity and animal routines.
Lead onboarding and mentoring of maintenance staff, apprentices and seasonal technicians; establish performance standards, training modules and competency checklists for safe equipment operation.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc habitat modification requests and feasibility studies for exhibit upgrades.
Contribute to the zoo’s disaster preparedness planning focused on infrastructure resilience and animal evacuation logistics.
Provide technical input to the animal welfare committee for exhibit design and retrofit projects.
Participate in cross-disciplinary project meetings, budgeting sessions and capital planning reviews.
Maintain and improve the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) data integrity and asset hierarchy.
Assist in guest-facing communications for temporary closures related to engineering work, ensuring messaging aligns with branding and safety guidelines.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Preventive maintenance program design and execution across mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
HVAC system troubleshooting, refrigeration, and environmental control for specialized animal enclosures.
Water treatment and life‑support systems knowledge: filtration, UV, ozone, dosing systems and water chemistry fundamentals.
Electrical distribution, load calculation, generator maintenance and transfer switch testing.
Welding (MIG/TIG), metal fabrication, carpentry and general construction skills for exhibit repairs and custom builds.
Building automation systems (BAS/BMS) configuration and PLC/SCADA familiarity for monitoring habitat conditions.
Experience with CMMS platforms (e.g., IBM Maximo, Hippo, Fiix, eMaint) for work orders, spare parts management and asset tracking.
Knowledge of building codes, NFPA, OSHA regulations, confined space, and permit processes relevant to public facilities.
Structural assessment basics and ability to read and produce as‑built drawings, schematics and technical specifications.
Ability to operate heavy equipment (forklift, skid steer, boom lift) and maintain relevant certifications.
Proficiency in estimating, budgeting and vendor management for capital and maintenance projects.
Competence in selecting and validating animal-safe materials and coatings, and applying biosecurity best practices.

Soft Skills

Strong problem-solving and analytical skills with an emphasis on practical, rapid troubleshooting in live animal environments.
Clear, professional communication with animal care staff, management, contractors and public stakeholders.
Prioritization and time-management under concurrent operational demands and emergency conditions.
Team leadership and mentorship abilities to train technicians and enforce safety culture.
Flexibility and adaptability to evolving schedules driven by animal needs, weather and special events.
Attention to detail and disciplined documentation practices for maintenance logs and compliance records.
Collaborative mindset to integrate engineering solutions with animal welfare and guest experience goals.
Customer service orientation when interacting with staff, volunteers and visitors about infrastructure impacts.
Resourcefulness in sourcing spare parts and temporary repairs in time-sensitive situations.
Ethical and safety-first decision-making when balancing operational constraints against animal and public safety.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED with significant technical experience; trade certifications (HVAC, electrical, welding) strongly preferred.

Preferred Education:

Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Facilities Management, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical / Electrical / Facilities Engineering
Construction Management or Trades (HVAC, Plumbing, Welding)
Environmental Systems / Water Treatment Technology
Applied Science with emphasis on building systems or animal-related infrastructure

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–8 years of facilities, mechanical or maintenance experience, with at least 2 years in a public venue, animal care environment, aquarium, zoo, botanical garden, or similarly complex operation.

Preferred:

5+ years maintaining HVAC, refrigeration, water treatment and electrical systems.
Demonstrated experience managing contractors, capital projects and budgets.
Prior exposure to exhibit life‑support systems, BMS/SCADA controls, and CMMS usage.
Certifications such as OSHA 30, EPA Section 608, confined space, crane or lift operation, and first aid/CPR are advantageous.

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