Animal Care & Land-Based Studies Technician

Salary: MH 5-8 £ 26,427 - £27,709 FTE

Hours

Full-Time: 37 hours per week (all year round). Flexibility across term-time and school holidays, weekends and evenings is required.

Responsible to

Head of Technical Services

General

At Mary Hare we deliver a range of vocational qualifications to students of mixed ability.

Animal Management and Land-Based Studies resources include a garden area, mixed woodland and a collection of small animals including chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, tortoises, geckos, and dogs. We regularly visit a local school farm to work with their livestock. The position requires a flexible person who, in addition to the technician duties, we hope will help to deliver lessons to small groups of students and support the teaching staff in the work that they do.

The Role

An element of this role will be helping us to develop and expand our animal collection in conjunction with animal welfare requirements. You will be responsible for the high standard of welfare in our animals and their primary carer for the during the school holidays and some weekends. This involves feeding and watering animals, checking their health, and maintaining and rotating accommodation. The post will include some weekend and school holiday work to help to provide 365-day care for the animals.

We currently deliver qualifications in Level 1 Land-Based Studies and City and Guilds (Level 2-3) in Animal Care and Animal Management. You will also be the technician for our land-based studies and horticulture work, some of which takes place in the woodland. We therefore hope the appointed person will have an interest in ecology, horticulture/arboriculture and will be willing to work with our environmental group. Work for the woodland may include overseeing the resourcing, tools, equipment, and lesson preparation and supporting the development of the woodland for lessons and other uses.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for monitoring the animal welfare and ensuring all animal husbandry standards are maintained at an optimum.
• Keep abreast of changes in government policy specifically around the animal husbandry and welfare.
• To advise the organisation of imminent threats and mitigating actions that need to be implemented and then to put them in place.
• Maintaining animal enclosures/housing and provide reports and plans where there is to be an unplanned expenditure or when external companies are needed for work to be completed.
• Ensure good standards of record keeping (i.e. weights / health checks / import and export paperwork / feeding logs / risk assessments), writing process and policy paperwork where necessary.
• Complete risk assessments on an annual basis
• Work on a flexible basis to meet the needs and welfare of the animals on site.
• Stock taking, ordering and management of stores of animal and plant resources.
• Support lessons through the preparation of resources. To attend relevant meetings, open days and parent consultations, including the May Bank holiday.
• To maintain up-to-date and relevant CPD

Qualifications and Requirements

• English and Maths (Grade C/4)
• Higher level qualifications related to animal husbandry.
• Degree Level in a Science or an animal related subject
• Qualifications or interest in Ecology, arboriculture and horticulture.
• Level 3 TAQA (Assessor) qualification (or willingness to work towards)
• Level 4 IQA qualification (or willingness to work towards)
• Animal knowledge and experience
• To be up-to-date and have a full understanding of animal welfare legislation.
• Passion for working with animals and young people.
• You will be a confident communicator with the ability to build and maintain excellent working relationships with colleagues, students and stakeholders bot internally and externally.
• To have experience of working with animals in a professional capacity.
• Awareness of Safeguarding requirements and good practice within an education setting
• Experience of teaching and/or instructing/presenting
• An interest and knowledge of horticultural, arboriculture and ecology.
• Good level of computer literacy
• Love of outdoors
• Availability to work during term time and school holidays
• Excellent communication skills to enable effective dialogue with colleagues, staff, visitors and where applicable, students
• Organised and self-motivated, with a proven record for meeting targets and deadlines
• Able to perform well and remain professional whilst under pressure
• Dedicated team-player, who strives for excellence and leads by example
• Tactful and discreet, whilst mindful of observing safeguarding and professional standards
• Reliable
• Displays a positive mindset
• Enthusiastic, with an eagerness to learn new skills and a commitment to personal continuous development
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Self‑motivated and able to work alone without direction
• Adaptable and flexible with working patterns when required
• Committed to contributing toward the School community
• Willingness to accompany and support students on educational visits
• Reasonable physical fitness

All employees are expected to actively promote and demonstrate our school’s core values:

Confidence, communication, curiosity, independence and kindness.

Benefits

As well as an inclusive and supportive work environment, and a stunning location benefits also include:

Generous pension scheme, subsidised canteen, free on-site parking, 24/7 Employee Assistance Program for employee's and household members and much more…

Mary Hare | Arlington Manor | Snelsmore Common | Newbury | Berkshire | RG14 3BQ

This School is committed to safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a criminal records self-disclosure form and successful candidates will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks along with other relevant employment checks. We are committed to securing genuine equality of opportunity in all aspects of our activities as an employer and education provider. The role you are applying for is ‘exempt’ from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

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