Animal Keeper II
Salary
$43,513.60 - $63,148.80 Annually
Location
Big Bear, CA
Job Type
Full-time
Job Number
26-43040-01
Department
Special Districts
Opening Date
04/25/2026
Closing Date
Continuous
The Job
The San Bernardino County Special Districts - Big Bear Park and Recreation is recruiting for an Animal Keeper II to perform a wide range of routine animal care and maintenance functions at the Districts Big Bear Alpine Zoo. Primary duties include daily observation and behavior reports of assigned animals, feeding, training, assisting veterinarians with medical treatments, and preparing and providing presentations to patrons or off-site locations.
This position is located in the mountain area of Big Bear, CA (approximately 1 hour/45 miles from downtown San Bernardino, CA).
ABOUT BIG BEAR ALPINE ZOO
The Big Bear Alpine Zoo is a rehabilitation facility offering injured, orphaned and imprinted wild animals a safe haven temporarily while they heal or permanently as they are unable to survive on their own. We are extremely proud that the vast majority of animals brought to us for rehabilitation are successfully released back into their native environment. Those that remain with us on exhibit are either too injured or have been imprinted by humans and cannot be released back into the wild to care for themselves.
The Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District, a Special District of San Bernardino County, owns the zoo, the facilities and the animals. County employees are hired for animal care, grounds keepers, maintenance, education and administration. The zoo is located within the 3rd District of San Bernardino County. The Park District oversees the operation of the zoo, and the Curator oversees the day to day activities of the zoo. The zoo is located in the San Bernardino National Forest at an elevation of 7140 feet. For more information visit https://bigbearzoo.org/
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Pre-Employment Process: Prior to appointment, applicants must undergo a background check, which includes fingerprinting and a medical exam.
Availability: Must be able to work in the mountain area of Big Bear, CA and report to work in extreme weather conditions such as ice and snow. Please indicate availability for Big Bear on Agency Wide Question #2. Must be able to work evenings, weekends and holidays.
Travel: Travel within the County may be required. A valid California Driver License and proof of automobile liability insurance must be provided at time of hire and maintained throughout employment.
Working Conditions: Applicants must be able to work outdoors in varying mountain weather conditions, drive in all weather conditions, lift and/or carry heavy objects up to fifty (50) pounds, stoop, kneel, crouch, bend over, crawl, and perform other physical activities in the performance of job duties for this position.
Sponsorship: San Bernardino County is unable to consider to candidates who require Visa Sponsorship at this time or in the future. Candidates must be able to present their legal right to work in the United States at the time of employment.
Excellent Benefits
To review job-specific benefits, refer to:
Summary of Benefits
Memoranda of Understanding (MOU
Minimum Requirements
Candidates must meet ONE (1) of the minimum requirement options.
OPTION 1
EDUCATION: A completed bachelors degree from an accredited college/university in Zoology, Biology, Animal Science, or closely related field.
OPTION 2
EXPERIENCE: Four (4) years full time equivalent experience providing animal care, feeding, exercising, observing/documenting behavior, and cleaning enclosures, in a zoo, hospital/clinic, wildlife rehabilitation center or similar experience. Experience must include a variety of wildlife/exotic animals or sick/injured animals.
Desired Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have a completed Bachelors degree in Zoology and Animal Science with 2 years of full-time experience working in a zoo or wildlife center.
Selection Process
Application Procedure: Please complete and submit the online employment application and supplemental questionnaire. Applications will be accepted until further notice; recruitment may close at any time once sufficient applications are received. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the application and/or supplemental questionnaires.
There will be a competitive evaluation of qualifications based on the information provided in the Application and the Supplemental Questionnaire. You are encouraged to include detailed descriptions of your qualifying experience and skills, as only the most highly qualified applicants will be referred to the Department.
All communications regarding the selection process will be via email. Applicants are encouraged to check their e-mail frequently to learn additional information regarding this recruitment. Check your GovernmentJobs account for notifications. Update your firewalls to allow e-mails from San Bernardino County through governmentjobs.com. Update your Spam, Junk, and Bulk settings to ensure it will not spam/block/filter communications from email addresses with the following domain "@hr.sbcounty.gov". Finally, be sure to keep your personal information updated. Taking these steps now will help ensure you receive all communications regarding this recruitment.
To ensure timely and successful submission of your online application, please allow ample time to complete and submit your application before the posted filing deadline. Applicants will be automatically logged-out if they have not submitted the application and all required materials prior to the posted deadline. Once your application has been successfully submitted you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email. We recommend that you save and/or print these for your records. Please note: if you do not receive an onscreen confirmation and an email acknowledging our receipt of your application, we have not received your application.
All communications regarding the selection process will be via email. Applicants are encouraged to check their e-mails frequently to obtain any correspondence associated with this recruitment. Please be sure the email provided on this application is always current; it is your responsibility to update your personal information. Update your Spam, Junk, Bulk and Firewall settings as needed to ensure that you receive all information pertaining to this recruitment.
EEO/ADA: San Bernardino County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant employer, dedicated to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants.
ADA Accommodation: If you have a disability and need accommodations during the testing process, please submit the Special Testing Accommodations Request Form within one week of a recruitment filing deadline.
Veterans' Preference: Eligible veterans and their spouses or widows/widowers who are not current County employees may receive additional Veterans Preference points. For details and instructions on how to request these points, please refer to the Veterans Preference Policy.
For more important details, review the links below:
Guide to Completing a County Job Application
Applicant Information and the County Employment Process
Non-Represented Compensation Plan
San Bernardino County offers a range of benefit programs for employees and their eligible dependents. These include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as a variety of other voluntary benefits. Programs and benefit amounts vary and are based on bargaining unit, family size, hire date, plan selection, and number of hours worked.
Please review the appropriate Summary of Benefits* for more information
Refer to the appropriate MOU, contact the County's Employee Benefits and Services Division at (909) 387-5787 or visit the Employee Benefits website for more detailed information.
01
PLEASE READ THE BELOW STATEMENT
Instructions: The information provided on your application and in your responses to the following Supplemental Questionnaire will be used to determine if you meet the minimum requirements for this position, as well as in a competitive evaluation of qualifications. It is in your best interest to be as thorough as possible in your responses. Resumes will NOT be reviewed to determine qualifications. Applicants will not be able to update their application materials or answers to the questionnaire once the application has been submitted. Note: Experience listed on this questionnaire must also be listed and fully detailed in the work experience section of your application.
02
Coursework/Training: List any courses you have taken or training/certification you have completed in Rehabilitation, Wildlife, or Animal Keeper Training. If none, indicate "N/A."
03
Qualifying Experience: Please indicate the type of experience you are utilizing to qualify for this position.
04
Animal Care Experience: Please describe your experience providing care to wildlife, exotic, sick or injured animals. Include the following information for each position with relevant experience: job title, employer, dates of employment, and hours worked per week. Ensure this employer is listed on the Work Experience section of your application. If none, indicate "N/A."
05
Applicant Acknowledgement - Notification via email: As part of our efforts to increase efficiency and promote conservation of resources, human resources uses email to communicate with applicants. Therefore, all future communications regarding this recruitment, including applicant status and testing notifications, will be made via email. Each applicant needs their own email address. We strongly encourage you, as an applicant, to ensure that the email address you have provided us with your application is current, secure, confidential, and readily accessible to you. Adjust Spam and/or other filters so that our emails are accepted. Please carefully read any notices that we send you and follow any instructions provided in a timely manner. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails (i.e., for the non-delivery of our emails or if you fail to check your e-mail on a timely basis).
06
ATTENTION GMAIL USERS
We have become aware of an increase in Gmails spam filter sensitivity. Due to this change, it is possible that emails coming from San Bernardino County Human Resources may be marked as spam and will not make it into your Gmail inbox.
For your convenience, a step-by-step guide to create and apply filters within Gmail is available in the attached PDF. Download the PDF Guide. Once downloaded, follow the instructions so that you will receive future emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources.
Note: If you apply the filters and still do not receive emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources you can check your www.governmentjobs.com (Neogov) account inbox. All notifications will appear there.
07
Applicant Acknowledgement - Application Complete: Thank you for taking the time to complete this application and supplemental questionnaire. Please be sure to review all information provided prior to submitting it as you cannot update or revise it once submitted. Your submitted application will be reviewed and evaluated as is. Please do not refer to a resume or other documentation in lieu of completing the employment history section or responding to the supplemental questions; they will not be reviewed or considered.
Once your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email confirmation will be sent to the email address listed on your application. We recommend that you save and/or print these for your records. Please note: if you do not receive an onscreen confirmation and an email acknowledging our receipt of your application, we have not received your application.
Required Question
Employer San Bernardino County
Address 175 West Fifth Street, 1st Floor
San Bernardino, California, 92415-0440
Phone (909) 387-8304
TTY Users: 711
Website http://www.sbcounty.gov/jobs