Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Zookeeper Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Zookeeper Coordinator is a mid-level animal care and operations role responsible for coordinating daily husbandry, enrichment, exhibit maintenance, and animal welfare programs across a collection. This position blends hands-on animal care and training with administrative coordination, compliance oversight (AZA/USDA/CITES where applicable), scheduling, and cross-departmental communication. The Zookeeper Coordinator ensures high standards of animal welfare, safety, and visitor experience while supporting conservation, education, and research initiatives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Animal Keeper / Senior Animal Keeper
Animal Care Technician or Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician
Exhibit Maintenance Technician with animal experience

Advancement To:

Senior Zookeeper or Lead Zookeeper
Curator of Animals / Collections Manager
Animal Programs Manager or Head of Husbandry
Conservation Program Manager or Director of Animal Welfare

Lateral Moves:

Education or Public Programs Coordinator (Zoo Education)
Veterinary Technician / Veterinary Assistant (with clinical training)
Facilities/Operations Coordinator (exhibit and grounds management)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate and oversee daily husbandry for assigned species groups, ensuring consistent feeding, watering, cleaning, and enrichment schedules that meet or exceed AZA and institutional standards for animal welfare.
Lead and train animal care staff and volunteers on species-specific husbandry protocols, safe handling techniques, shift scheduling, and record-keeping procedures to maintain operational consistency.
Design, implement, and evaluate enrichment programs and behavioral training plans that stimulate natural behaviors, improve welfare, and facilitate voluntary husbandry and medical behaviors.
Maintain accurate and timely animal records including daily logs, feeding histories, behavioral observations, breeding data, medical treatments, medication administration records, and quarantine records in digital and paper systems.
Act as primary coordinator for intake, quarantine, and release procedures for new or transferred animals, ensuring biosecurity, quarantine monitoring, testing protocols, and permit compliance (CITES, USDA) are strictly followed.
Serve as the departmental liaison to veterinary staff—coordinating routine exams, diagnostics, surgical scheduling, medical treatments, and post-operative care while ensuring clear medical handoffs and documentation.
Monitor animal health and behavior daily, identify deviations from baseline, communicate concerns to supervisors and veterinary staff, and execute emergency response and stabilization protocols when necessary.
Oversee exhibit maintenance and animal-proofing tasks in collaboration with facilities teams, specifying enclosure upgrades, enrichment mounting points, drainage and substrate requirements, and safety improvements.
Manage and track inventory for diets, medications, enrichment materials, PPE, and husbandry supplies; purchase and receive items, maintain par levels, and work within budgetary constraints to control costs.
Coordinate animal transport logistics for incoming/outgoing transfers, field collection, or veterinary appointments, ensuring compliance with transport permits, containment standards, and animal welfare during transit.
Ensure institutional compliance with regulatory agencies and accreditation standards (AZA, USDA, local wildlife agencies), preparing documentation for inspections and contributing to accreditation reports.
Develop and maintain SOPs for feeding, cleaning, enrichment, training, and emergency procedures; conduct regular SOP reviews, updates, and staff training to ensure consistent execution.
Supervise daily crew workflows, create weekly rosters, approve time-off requests, mentor junior keepers, and participate in hiring, on-boarding, performance feedback, and disciplinary procedures where applicable.
Support active conservation and research projects by collecting behavioral and health data, participating in captive breeding plans, maintaining studbooks, and collaborating with external partners on recovery programs.
Deliver public-facing duties including guided tours, keeper talks, school program support, and guest interactions—communicating animal care narratives that support conservation education and positive visitor experiences.
Implement and enforce strict safety protocols for staff and public interactions with animals and exhibits, including PPE usage, emergency animal escape drills, and hazardous materials handling.
Coordinate and document animal training for voluntary husbandry behaviors (weighing, blood draws, injections, crate training) to reduce stress in medical procedures and improve animal welfare outcomes.
Prepare and manage departmental budgets and expense reports for assigned units, forecasting supply needs, and recommending cost-effective solutions while maintaining care quality.
Lead special projects such as exhibit retrofits, enrichment innovations, welfare audits, or collection planning initiatives from scope definition through implementation and post-project evaluation.
Maintain relationships with outside agencies, conservation partners, donors, and transport vendors; prepare permit applications, transfer paperwork, and donor stewardship materials as needed.
Respond to and manage crisis situations including animal escapes, staff injury, severe weather, and disease outbreaks—leading containment, mitigation, and incident reporting efforts while coordinating with leadership and emergency services.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Species-specific husbandry expertise across mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians; ability to develop and adapt care protocols to species biology and life stage.
Proficient in behavioral observation and data collection methods, including ethogram development and daily behavioral logs for welfare monitoring and research.
Strong knowledge of veterinary terminology, basic clinical procedures, medication dosing, and safe handling for medication administration under veterinary guidance.
Experience with quarantine and biosecurity protocols, infectious disease prevention, and sample collection for diagnostics.
Demonstrated facility and exhibit management skills including basic carpentry, locking systems, substrate management, drainage, and enrichment installation best practices.
Permitting and regulatory compliance experience (USDA, AZA, CITES, state wildlife permits), including permit application preparation and inspection readiness.
Excellent digital record-keeping skills—familiarity with ZIMS, MedARKS, or other animal management databases and common office tools (MS Office / Google Workspace).
Budgeting and inventory management skills, including purchase order processing, vendor relationships, and cost tracking.
Experience designing and implementing positive reinforcement training programs and desensitization protocols to facilitate voluntary medical and husbandry behaviors.
Emergency response planning and incident command experience for animal-related emergencies, including animal escapes, injuries, and severe weather contingencies.
Transport and logistics coordination skills including crating, animal restraint standards for transit, permit compliance, and third-party transporter management.
Basic mechanical/electrical troubleshooting skills for routine exhibit systems (locks, gates, climate control) and the ability to coordinate with facilities specialists.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and team coordination skills with the ability to mentor and motivate keepers, volunteers, and seasonal staff.
Clear and compelling communicator—able to translate technical animal care information into engaging public education messages and interdepartmental briefings.
Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, and priorities simultaneously.
Problem-solving mindset and calm decision-making under pressure with a focus on animal welfare and staff safety.
Collaborative team player comfortable working across departments (veterinary, education, facilities, conservation) to achieve institutional goals.
Empathy for animals and people, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to inclusive workplace practices.
Adaptability to changing operational needs, emergencies, and evolving industry best practices.
Strong ethical judgment and professionalism when handling sensitive animal or donor-related information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent with a minimum of 2–3 years of progressive animal care experience, OR
Associate degree in Animal Science, Zoology, Wildlife Management, or related field with relevant hands-on experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Zoology, Animal Science, Biology, Wildlife Conservation, or a related discipline preferred.
Continuing education or certifications in animal behavior, positive reinforcement training, animal first aid, or regulatory compliance (AZA workshops, USDA trainings) are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Animal Science
Zoology
Biology
Wildlife Conservation
Veterinary Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of professional experience in a zoological, conservation, or animal husbandry setting, including demonstrated supervisory or lead responsibilities.

Preferred:

3+ years coordinating staff schedules and daily operations in a zoo, aquarium, wildlife sanctuary, or similar facility.
Experience with AZA accreditation processes, USDA inspections, or equivalent regulatory frameworks.
Proven track record designing enrichment programs, supporting breeding programs, and coordinating veterinary care.
Demonstrated proficiency with animal management databases (ZIMS, MedARKS) and strong competency with Microsoft Office / Google Workspace.