Job Description

DEPARTMENT:Aquarium
REPORTS TO:Manager, Saltwater Habitats
STATUS:Full-time, Non-Exempt
PAY RATE:$25.00/hr.
LOCATION:Onsite

POSITION OVERVIEW:Shedd Aquarium illustrates a commitment to optimal animal care and welfare to facilitate impactful public engagement with wildlife. Our animal-first approach has a foundation that individuals and groups of animals can exhibit natural behaviors encouraged through complex environmental design, innovative behavioral training, and enrichment.

The Aquarist, Cnidarian Collection: Tropical Marine Invertebrates reports to the Manager of Saltwater Habitats and performs the daily husbandry of Shedd Aquarium’s invertebrate taxa, including cnidaria (sea jellies and corals), crustaceans, gastropods, and cephalopods. This role also participates in the care of other animals under the department’s responsibility as needed.

This position works closely with their Manager and the rest of their team, along with Animal Health, Environmental Quality, and Facilities, to ensure the smooth and effective operations involving animals and habitats, especially as they relate to the planning, husbandry, and welfare. They will also work with the Conservation and Research Team to advance in-situ and ex-situ research goals. This position works cooperatively with the animal care management teams to ensure compliance with all accreditation and regulatory requirements for departmental operations and provides full support of the aquarium’s SCUBA diving program as directed by the Dive Program Manager.

Aquarists are learning to serve as leaders in the Animal Care and Science Division. They will assist Senior Aquarists, Supervisors, and Managers with inter-departmental productivity and participation in strategies to meet institutional objectives and initiatives requiring support of the Animal Care Department, and may get the opportunity to serve as an aquarium spokesperson when ready.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Demonstrates commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission, and values.
• Achieves goals and objectives assigned for short- and long-term operations.
• Provides primary care for Shedd Aquarium’s Tropical Marine Invertebrate collection, including:
  • Culturing corals, sea jellies, and cephalopods.
  • Providing appropriate environmental parameters with special regard to lighting and flow.
  • Performing tests and interpreting correctly critical water quality parameters, including alkalinity, calcium, pH, and phosphate.
  • Utilizing water quality results to correctly supplement habitats with the appropriate trace elements.
• Produces and maintains good animal records following Aquarium Team standards and as directed by the Manager, including the use of TRACKs animal record keeping software.
• Prepares diets and feeds animals to meet their nutritional requirements as assigned.
  Develops, applies, and records enrichment for animals to meet their psychological requirements as assigned.
• Maintains front-of-house habitats at an inspection level of readiness.
• Maintains back-of-house areas and habitats at an inspection level of readiness.
• Works proactively with Animal Health to provide optimal animal care, assessment, and treatment as needed.
• Assists in animal treatments and procedures as required.
• Performs minor maintenance/repair on gear, tanks, or supplies needed for the section.
• Identifies major maintenance/repair problems in any section and reports to their manager.
• Provides timely communication to the manager and covered staff members.
• Maintains awareness and communication expectations by checking email daily, along with any additional platforms used by the Animal Care departments.
• Maintains daily animal observations, records, and reports any abnormal behavior or appearance.
• Manages daily work of interns and volunteers, including evaluating performance, coaching, advancement, and accountability.
• Demonstrates gain of knowledge of all the primary animal groups cared for by the Aquarium team.
• Demonstrates gain of knowledge and understanding of modern husbandry techniques and a thorough understanding of the use of emerging science to advance animal care and welfare.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of practices and procedures and recommends improvements.
• Provides support for coworkers in their responsible roles as needed.
• Maintains legal compliance measures such as tracking of respirator use, adherence to OSHA standards, etc.
• Participates in 1-on-1, team meetings, department meetings, division meetings, and One Shedd meetings.
• Participates in Shedd’s DEAI objectives.
• Works with other divisions as assigned to meet strategic objectives.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Education:Bachelor’s degree in marine sciences, biology, zoology, or related field (or demonstrated comparable knowledge).

Experience:

• 1+ years of experience in animal care at an accredited zoo or aquarium with a focus on aquatic animals.
• 1+ years of experience caring for cnidarians, crustacea, and marine teleost
• Knowledge of water chemistry and quality as they pertain to living marine systems.
• Knowledge of proper animal care, training, and enrichment.
• Knowledge of collection planning processes
• Demonstrated success in care and handling of aquatic animals, with a focus on cnidarians (With a strong preference towards sea jelly experience)
• Ability to speak to the public and media.
• Ability to organize and manage time effectively.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership to manage volunteers/interns.
• Ability to understand basic mathematical relationships and formulas.
• Ability to learn intermediate-level accounting mathematics.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, including Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated ability to use other business operation software as assigned, including animal management software such as TRACKs.

Certifications:

• Must possess a valid driver’s license or can obtain one within 6 months from the start of employment.
• Must possess a valid passport or be able to obtain one within 6 months from the start of employment.
• Must possess a minimum of an Open Water SCUBA certification. Employment contingent upon passing a dive physical and check out protocol administered by Shedd Aquarium’s Dive Operations.

Physical Readiness: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job, including while wearing dive gear.

• Lift to 40 pounds
• Sit
• Stand
• Stoop
• Kneel
• Walk
• Swim
• Hear

Working Environment:The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. This person may be exposed to:

• Water
• Heat
• Cold
• Hazardous Chemicals
• Low noise
• Moderate Noise
• Loud Noise

BENEFITS OF WORKING AT SHEDD: We offer competitive compensation packages and opportunities for professional growth within our organization.

• Medical Insurance, including FSA and HSA plan options
• Vision and Dental Insurance
• Accrued Paid Time Off
• Up to 12 Paid Holidays
• Life Insurance
• Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance
• 401(k)
• Discounted Parking and Public Transit Subsidies
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Wellness program, including Preventive Care Incentive
• Employee Discounts
• Employee Tickets

Reasonable Accommodations: 
Shedd Aquarium is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations for any part of the employment process, please email us at jobs@sheddaquarium.org.

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.

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