Role: Veterinary Nurse - Taronga Zoo Sydney
Taronga Zoo Sydney has rare opportunity available in our Wildlife Hospital team!
We are seeking an experienced Veterinary Nurse to join the Taronga team.
- Located at Sydney’s Iconic Taronga Zoo – Cammeraigal Country
- Ongoing, full-time position
- TCSA Salaried Employees Award, Trade Keeper Level 1 to 4, annual salary package range from $80,208 - $92,240 per year, depending on experience (Includes base salary range from $70,767 - $81,383 + 12% superannuation and annual leave loading)
About the Role…
This role delivers high quality veterinary nursing and husbandry care to the animals in Taronga’s population, as well as injured, orphaned, and rehabilitating wildlife.
Our nurses here are part of a collaborative team who are highly involved in projects, conservation field work, data management, transactions, and many more exciting tasks that are not solely clinical in nature.
Staff in our wildlife hospital are expected to be involved in educational, promotional and engagement activities for the work done by Taronga Zoo, such as media opportunities, VIP tours, and visitor experience.
Key Accountabilities…
- Provide high-quality husbandry and veterinary nursing support for wildlife, hospital, and quarantine patients, including routine care, preventative health and response to illness or injury
- Apply strong animal husbandry skills across diverse zoo and wildlife species, including enclosure preparation and maintenance and set up, following biosecurity and hygiene protocols, enrichment, diet preparation, and safe capture/restraint
- Deliver compassionate wildlife rehabilitation, including admissions, liaison with carers and public, assisting with treatment, rehabilitation, and releases
- Support veterinary-led research and conservation programs
- Liaise effectively with keepers and vets, contributing to a positive team environment
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Maintain accurate records, reporting and data management relating to animal care, animal transactions, rehabilitation, and compliance
- Ensure compliance with Taronga policies, WHS requirements, relevant legislation, and animal welfare guidelines
- Participate in education and visitor experience activities (talks, tours, media).
- Work collaboratively in a high performing team with staff, volunteers, and students to achieve organisational and strategic outcomes
- Supervise, train and mentor junior staff, students, and volunteers
- Follow sustainability practices to support Taronga’s environmental targets
- Assist in emergency response situations
About You…
We are looking for candidates that have:
- Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing or equivalent plus 4 years+ experience working as a veterinary nurse, preferably with zoo and wildlife patients
- Certificate III in Captive Animals or equivalent plus 4 years+ paid experience caring for a range zoo and wildlife species
- Sound knowledge and competency in all aspects of veterinary nursing including anaesthesia monitoring, triage and first aid, radiography, sampling techniques, drug calculations, and treatment administration techniques
- Extensive zookeeping experience in a hospital environment for a wide variety of zoo and wildlife species, including enclosure set up, animal enrichment programs, and diet transitions
- Skills and experience in animal capture and restraint on a wide variety of species
- A demonstrated commitment to wildlife conservation and animal welfare
- Effective communication skills and ability to work well within a diverse team
- Exemplary hygiene and compliance with quarantine policies and relevant legislation; safely work around zoonotic and notifiable diseases
- Ability to comply with WHS policies and relevant legislation, promote a safe workplace, respond calmly in emergency situations
- A proactive, positive outlook with strong problem-solving skills
- An ability to multi-task and maintain high standards
- Staff are always required to present themselves in a clean, professional manner
- Resilience to cope in a fast paced, challenging environment that is often unpredictable; have capacity to balance difficult, sometimes competing priorities in a complex, busy and extremely varied workplace
- NSW C Class Drivers Licence (or the ability to transfer current unrestricted licence)
- Vaccinations against Zoonotic diseases, including Rabies, Q-fever, Tetanus, Hepatitis A/B, JEV, and Pre-employment TB test, in accordance with Taronga's Zoonotic disease vaccination matrix.
- A current paid NSW Working with Children Check at own expense
Benefits…
Our employees enjoy generous employment conditions including some of the following:
- Complimentary tickets to share and use at both at Taronga Zoo (Sydney) and Taronga Western Plains Zoo (Dubbo)
- Discounts on award-winning accommodations at both sites
- Discounted food and beverage purchases across the sites
- Option to join Fitness Passport
- Access to EAP-Employee Assistance program
- Free onsite car parking, outside of school holidays/ peak periods
- We are a social team and regularly get involved in activities and events across the zoo!
We Value Diversity…
Taronga is an equal opportunity employer, where we recognise the diversity of our workforce and community – be it based on gender, age, culture, religion, language, or personal circumstances.
Taronga is also committed to building on the perspectives, experience, knowledge, and skills that this diversity brings to our organisation.
About Applying…
Please prepare and submit the following:
- Cover Letter (limited to 1 page only)
- Curriculum Vitae/ Resume
- Separate page answering the following 2 x target questions:
- Describe a time where you have dealt calmly and effectively in a high-pressure situation.
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- In a particulary challenging environment, how do you handle working with team members who have different personalities and working styles?
Applications Close: 11.59pm Tuesday 10 March 2026