Animal Keeper I

Salary: $19.41 - $28.18 Hourly Location : Big Bear, CA Job Type: Full-time Job Number: 26-43008-01 Department: Special Districts Opening Date: 04/25/2026 Closing Date: Continuous The Job -THIS IS A SPECIAL DISTRICTS POSITION- The San Bernardino County Special Districts - Big Bear Park and Recreation is recruiting for an Animal Keeper I to perform general and routine animal care tasks under supervision at the District's Big Bear Alpine Zoo. Primary duties include feeding exotic animals, observing and documenting animal behavior, answering questions from the public, assisting with presentations, animal training, performing maintenance in and around animal enclosures, and maintaining a high level of Animal Care Standards. This position is located in the mountain area of Big Bea r, CA (approximately 1 hour/45 miles from downtown San Bernardino, CA). For more detailed information, refer to the job description. Excellent Benefits To review job-specific benefits, refer to: 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 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. Minimum Requirements EXPERIENCE: One (1) year full time equivalent (40 hours per week) experience providing animal care, feeding, training, 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. Volunteer, internship, or professional experience is acceptable and must be included in the work experience section of your application. Note : Personal, non-work related experience such as taking care of pets, dog sitting, breeding animals, and/or working in facilities such as pet boarding or grooming is NOT considered qualifying experience. Desired Qualifications Animal Keeper experience and training with exotic animals is preferred. Coursework in wildlife rehabilitation/husbandry and a current Veterinary Technician license is highly desirable. 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 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 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 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 * for more information Refer to the appropriate MOU, contact the County's Employee Benefits and Services Division at View phone number on click.appcast.io or visit the for more detailed information. *Retirement benefits subject to change. 01 Competitive Evaluation: The information from your complete County Application and the Supplemental Questions below will be used to determine whether applicants meet the minimum requirements for this position, and will provide the basis for a competitive evaluation with other candidates in the selection process. It is to your advantage to provide complete, organized and detailed responses to each question. Do not refer to a resume. I understand. 02 Location Availability: This position reports to the mountain area of Big Bear, approximately 1 hour/45 miles from downtown San Bernardino. Please indicate your willingness and availability to report to this location, and that you have indicated Big Bear on Agency Wide Question #2. Note: This position is located in Big Bear. If you mark "no" below and/or have not indicated Big Bear on Agency Wide Question #2 you will not be considered for this position. Yes, I am willing and available to report to Big Bear and have indicated Big Bear on Agency Wide Question #2. No, I am not willing or available to report to Big Bear. 03 Work Availability: This position is required to work evenings, weekends and holidays. Please indicate your willingness and availability to work those shifts.Note: This position is required to work evenings, weekends and holidays. If you mark "no" below you will not be considered for this position. Yes, I am willing and available to work evenings, weekends and holidays. No, I am not willing or available to work evenings, weekends and holidays. 04 Education/Coursework: Please list any completed coursework in wildlife rehabilitation/husbandry. Please include the following: Course Subject/Number/Title, School, Number/Type of Units (semester or quarter). If you don't have education/coursework in this area please indicate N/A. 05 Qualifying Experience : Please indicate the type of experience you are utilizing to qualify for this position: Zoo Animal Hospital/Clinic Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Other closely related field None of the above 06 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." 07 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). I acknowledge that I have read, understood, and agree to the above. 08 **ATTENTION GMAIL USERS** We have become aware of an increase in Gmail's 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. 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 (Neogov) account inbox. All notifications will appear there. I understand 09 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. I acknowledge that I have reviewed my application and understand that I will not be able to update or revise any part of it once submitted. Required Question