Lead Aquarist Jobs

Lead Aquarist

SEA LIFE Minnesota, 120 E Broadway
Bloomington, Minnesota, 55425
United States

SEA LIFE is the world’s largest aquarium brand, welcoming over 20 million explorers into our incredible underwater world every year. We focus on bringing the wonders of the sea to life through a fantastic visitor experience delivered by passionate, knowledgeable teams and great interactivity.

Here at SEA LIFE Aquarium at Mall of America our love of the oceans is at the heart of everything we do. Our aquarium is full of passionate, dedicated people who are committed to making sure our guests’ experiences are the best they can be. So, dive into a career with us today!

About the Role

The Lead Aquarist role works closely with the Curator Team. The Lead Aquarist has the ability to supervise, train others, and performs job duties without guidance. This roll will assist in the delivery of industry-leading, engaging and impactful displays, animal welfare standards and programs. It is achieved through effective working relationships with the Curator, displays team, and all other departments at SEA LIFE at Mall of America. Compensation for this opportunity is at $21/hr.

• Strictly observes all appropriate financial authority mandates.
• Follow the SEA LIFE Animal Ethical Sourcing protocols and assisting in managing site collections to maximize animal welfare.
• Working with the curator to develop recommendations in line with technical and animal expertise, assisting with business decisions around animal/display-related actions.
• Ability to educate team members about creatures as needed.
• Has day to day accountability for all their animal/display decisions across attraction
• Support SEA LIFE’s conservation efforts and initiatives through education and involvement.
• With minimal aid show ability to meet the diving needs of the aquarium through making the dive schedule with the Dive Safety Officer.
• Capable of filling in when the Curator is not on site.
• Ability to work on a weekly aquarium menu understanding of the nutritional needs of the animals and be able to calculate diet weights by percent and create diet records to track intake.
• Assists the curator in line with attraction Senior Leadership Team to develop annual plans and priorities.
• Participates in PR opportunities through delivery of meaningful and relevant conservation and research initiatives.
• Adopts a passionate approach to guest service by maximizing guest engagement with creatures.
• Capable of training and mentoring junior displays team members on animal husbandry, water quality, life support systems and other aspects of the job role.
• Effectively operate, monitor and maintain the life support systems (LSS) on sites to maintain the highest animal welfare standards and deliver on SEA LIFE Experience Mandatories. Ensuring deficiencies in LSS systems are effectively reported to be resolved.
• Demonstrates ability to “think-on-feet”.
• Delivers world-class aquatic and terrestrial displays by actively listening, communicating, and engaging with team members, managers, and guests.
• Ability to manage a two-week schedule using staffing program to meet the needs of the attraction and staff PTO. Including ability to shift labor as needed to fit the needs of the business.
• Knowledge of regulations for food prep, food handling, food rotation, established kitchen protocols, and ability to train team members.
• Assists the Curator within the scope of Merlin and CWE Policy and Procedures to implement and improve Curatorial practices.
• Ability to lead morning team meeting, set daily expectations, and ensure they are achieved by staff.
• Can problem solve daily issues as they arise.

About You

• B.A/B.S. degree in Life Sciences (Biology, Marine Biology, Zoology, and Psychology) or a two-year certification from an accredited aquarium science/zoological program is preferred.
• Ability to perform job functions of an Aquarist.

About the Perks

In return you will find a competitive salary and benefits package (including affordable and robust medical, vision & dental plans, company-paid life insurance and 401(k) matching plan offering), free entry to all of our Merlin attractions which also extend to family and friends. In addition, you can expect continued growth of joining an exciting, global organization.

Everyone Matters at Merlin.
At Merlin we welcome the world to our magical attractions and resorts every day and we want to reflect that same multicultural mix inside our business too. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse workplace where people can be themselves, have the same opportunities and thrive together. Because at Merlin, everyone matters! Together, we work to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, no matter their age, race, gender, disability or sexual orientation. Although we understand that we'll always be learning and growing, we aim to be the most inclusive and flexible employer in our industry.

We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to perform their best at interview, so if you have any additional requirements due to ill health or a disability, please contact our friendly team to have a discussion. You can get in contact at [email protected].

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