Analysis Skills, Animal Care, Animal Husbandry, Animal Training, Benchmarking, Best Practices, Career Counseling, Coaching, Communication Skills, Conservation, Continuous Improvement, Documentation, Documentation Standards, Embedded Systems, English Language, Establish Priorities, Facebook, Follow Through, Leadership, Lift/Move 25 Pounds, Manage Agenda, Mentoring, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Multilingual, Operations, Organizational Skills, Physical Demands, Process Improvement, Procurement Management, Program Evaluation, Psychology, Public/Media/Press/Analyst Relations, Purchasing/Procurement, Registrar, Restaurant, Spanish Language, Staff Training, Standards of Care, Team Player, Training Program, Twitter, Veterinary Medicine, Work From Home, Zoology
How to Post Jobs
AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, Related Facilities, Commercial Members, Conservation Partners and Society Partners may post free unlimited online job listings as a member benefit. Non-members can purchase job listings. How to post a job
Career Center
Interested in a career in AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums? Learn more about types of zoo and aquarium jobs and relevant education programs in our career center.
Gladys Porter Zoo
Curator of Behavioral Husbandry
Gladys Porter Zoo is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Curator of Behavioral Husbandry to lead and elevate a comprehensive, zoo-wide animal training program. This role is responsible for driving institution-wide behavioral standards, translating evidence-based practices into consistent application across animal care teams, and advancing measurable animal welfare outcomes in alignment with AZA standards. The Curator of Behavioral Husbandry will work in close partnership with animal care, veterinary, and senior leadership teams to define priorities, develop staff expertise, and ensure behavioral husbandry is embedded as a disciplined, accountable, and continuously improving practice. Success in this role will include establishing clear behavioral benchmarks and demonstrating measurable progress through consistent documentation and program evaluation.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership for the development and oversight of a comprehensive, zoo-wide behavioral husbandry program
- Collaborate with curators, keepers, and veterinary staff to define and prioritize species-specific training goals aligned with welfare outcomes
- Ensure consistent, high-quality implementation of training practices across all animal departments
- Establish clear behavioral benchmarks and lead the development of systems to measure, document, and evaluate training progress and program effectiveness
- Design, implement, and refine documentation and reporting processes to ensure consistency, accuracy, and meaningful use of data
- Serve as a subject matter resource and mentor, building staff competency in behavioral principles, training techniques, and documentation standards
- Evaluate program performance and staff implementation, providing feedback and driving continuous improvement
- Stay current with advancements in behavioral husbandry and apply emerging best practices to institutional programs
- Partner with the Registrar to ensure accurate, consistent, and meaningful recordkeeping
- Lead regular training meetings, including agenda development, facilitation, and follow-through
- Identify and manage procurement of training supplies and resources
- Address program gaps or non-compliance, including documentation and follow-up
- Represent the program in media and public-facing opportunities as appropriate
Additional Responsibilities
- Develop and deliver targeted staff education and professional development opportunities
- Collaborate with Curators, Public Relations, and Education staff to support training and enrichment initiatives for special events and media engagement
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Zoology, Animal Behavior, or a related field, or equivalent experience
- Minimum of five (5) years of progressive professional experience in animal care, with demonstrated involvement in behavioral husbandry or animal training programs
- Demonstrated ability to lead programs, mentor staff, and influence practices across teams
- Strong working knowledge of positive reinforcement training principles and their application across taxa
- Excellent organizational, communication, and documentation skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree in Animal Behavior, Psychology, or related discipline
- Experience developing, implementing, or managing institution-wide training or enrichment programs
- Demonstrated success integrating behavioral husbandry into daily animal care operations
- Experience working within AZA-accredited institutions or similar standards
- Bilingual (English/Spanish)
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Ability to drive consistency and accountability across multiple departments
- Strong facilitation and coaching skills, with the ability to influence without direct line supervision
- Analytical approach to evaluating animal behavior, training progress, and program outcomes
- Professional, collaborative approach to working with diverse teams and stakeholders
Working Conditions & Requirements
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, holidays, and extended hours as needed
- Ability to work in varying and sometimes extreme weather conditions
- Regular exposure to animal environments, including dust, dander, hay, and cleaning agents
- Physical requirements include walking long distances, standing for extended periods, and the ability to lift at least 25 lbs
- Must pass a criminal background check
About Gladys Porter Zoo
Gladys Porter Zoo is committed to excellence in animal care, conservation, education, and community engagement. As a member of AZA, Gladys Porter Zoo maintains the highest standards of animal welfare and strives to inspire conservation action through meaningful guest experiences.
The City of Brownsville, TX, within the Rio Grande Valley is a rapidly growing area offering a tropical climate with shopping, cultural events, and beautiful parks and wildlife refuges. Nearby South Padre Island offers sandy beaches, restaurants and a variety of recreational activities. Come join our team!
Salary commensurate with experience and proven accomplishments.
Benefits: 100% Employer-paid health, vision, dental and basic life insurance.
Paid time off: Vacation, Holidays and Sick Leave. 401-K.
Supportive team environment!
How to Apply
Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter and resume (with references) to the General Curator, Kat Thompson-Hawk at kthompson-hawk@gpz.org.
Please put the words "Curator of Behavioral Husbandry" in the subject line.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Don't delay! Applications will be reviewed as they are received.
Gladys Porter Zoo
500 E Ringgold St.
Brownsville, TX 78526
Visit our website
Like us on Facebook
Return to All Job Posts
Edit your job posting
General Settings
How should a candidate apply?
- Example: the mailing address, email address, fax number or website the applicant should use to apply.
Job Perks
*
Company Info
Company Name
Address
City
State
Please Select Alberta Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas British Columbia California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Manitoba Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska New Brunswick Newfoundland Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Northwest Territories North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Nova Scotia Nunavut Ohio Oklahoma Ontario Oregon Pennsylvania Prince Edward Island Puerto Rico Quebec Rhode Island Saskatchewan South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Yukon
Zip
Company Phone
Company Fax
Company Website
Company Twitter Username
Company Facebook Page
About the Company
Company Logo/Avatar
Submitting your job posting...