Position Overview:

The Aquarist at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is responsible for living specimens and maintaining their life support systems. This is a part-time position with an hourly rate of $21.13.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS – ALL POSITIONS:

• Prefer four-year degree (B.S. or B.A.) in marine biology, biology, zoology, psychology or related field.
• A two-year degree (A.S./A.A.S.) in a relevant field plus a minimum of two years’ experience in a public zoo or aquarium husbandry/operations position may be substituted for formal education.
• A minimum six months’ experience in animal care (may be any combination of paid work, internships, or volunteer service) preferred
• Basic knowledge of animal husbandry, behavior, and life support systems (LSS)
• General knowledge of water quality testing, medical dosing, and lab equipment
• Strong command of the English language, both written and verbal
• Ability to lift 60 pounds
• Ability to negotiate stairs, climb high obstacles and maneuver easily in exhibit and support areas
• Able to negotiate various field conditions
• Ability to work standing up for extended periods of time
• Valid driver’s license with satisfactory driving record
• SCUBA certification preferred
• Able to work weekends and holidays

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provide care for various species of herpetofauna, birds, insects, small mammals, and fish.
• Participates in daily animal presentations, involving handling a variety of animals and speaking to the public on a microphone
• Provide daily animal care, including diet prep and feeding and exhibit cleaning
• Maintain exhibits and back-of-house areas and life support systems, including cleaning, backwashing, and water changes, etc.
• Evaluate animal health, diets, appetite and behavior, and report findings to manager
• Administer medication to animals as directed by veterinarians
• Performs water quality analysis, makes adjustments, follows up with subsequent testing
• Participate in or assist with the capture and restraint of a variety of taxa
• Provide shadowing opportunities for aquarists, interns, and volunteers in routine animal care, safety procedures, and aquarium operation as needed
• Participates in collecting trips, animal transports, and procedural tasks, following legal regulations and ethical best practices
• Enter and update animal records in TRACKs; assist in research projects as necessary
• Uphold AZA and USDA standards in daily work
• Deliver public presentations
• Work to desensitize animals for program and training and administer enrichment
• Participate in public training demonstrations and/or keeper talks
• Conduct welfare assessments and report findings
• Interact positively and professionally with guests, animal care and veterinary staff, and volunteers, and report issues to supervisor and act in a professional manner
• Follow all safety protocols and understand their role in emergency procedures, responding to emergencies as required
• Maintains a variety of collecting equipment.
• This position will require the individual to work weekends and holidays, assist with after-hours emergencies, and to travel for extended periods of time to perform collecting and transport duties.
• Other duties as assigned

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Position Overview:

The Aquarist at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is responsible for living specimens and maintaining their life support systems. The hourly rate for this position is $21.13. This is a full-time position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS – ALL POSITIONS:

• Prefer four-year degree (B.S. or B.A.) in marine biology, biology, zoology, psychology or related field.
• A two-year degree (A.S./A.A.S.) in a relevant field plus a minimum of two years’ experience in a public zoo or aquarium husbandry/operations position may be substituted for formal education.
• A minimum six months’ experience in animal care (may be any combination of paid work, internships, or volunteer service) preferred
• Basic knowledge of animal husbandry, behavior, and life support systems (LSS)
• General knowledge of water quality testing, medical dosing, and lab equipment
• Strong command of the English language, both written and verbal
• Ability to lift 60 pounds
• Ability to negotiate stairs, climb high obstacles and maneuver easily in exhibit and support areas
• Able to negotiate various field conditions
• Ability to work standing up for extended periods of time
• Valid driver’s license with satisfactory driving record
• SCUBA certification preferred
• Able to work weekends and holidays

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provide care for various species of herpetofauna, birds, insects, small mammals, and fish.
• Participates in daily animal presentations, involving handling a variety of animals and speaking to the public on a microphone
• Provide daily animal care, including diet prep and feeding and exhibit cleaning
• Maintain exhibits and back-of-house areas and life support systems, including cleaning, backwashing, and water changes, etc.
• Evaluate animal health, diets, appetite and behavior, and report findings to manager
• Administer medication to animals as directed by veterinarians
• Performs water quality analysis, makes adjustments, follows up with subsequent testing
• Participate in or assist with the capture and restraint of a variety of taxa
• Provide shadowing opportunities for aquarists, interns, and volunteers in routine animal care, safety procedures, and aquarium operation as needed
• Participates in collecting trips, animal transports, and procedural tasks, following legal regulations and ethical best practices
• Enter and update animal records in TRACKs; assist in research projects as necessary
• Uphold AZA and USDA standards in daily work
• Deliver public presentations
• Work to desensitize animals for program and training and administer enrichment
• Participate in public training demonstrations and/or keeper talks
• Conduct welfare assessments and report findings
• Interact positively and professionally with guests, animal care and veterinary staff, and volunteers, and report issues to supervisor and act in a professional manner
• Follow all safety protocols and understand their role in emergency procedures, responding to emergencies as required
• Maintains a variety of collecting equipment.
• This position will require the individual to work weekends and holidays, assist with after-hours emergencies, and to travel for extended periods of time to perform collecting and transport duties.
• Other duties as assigned

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Position Overview

The Assistant Dive Safety Officer (ADSO), working within the animal husbandry team and reporting to the Dive Safety Officer and the Associate Director of Animal Husbandry, is responsible for assisting the DSO with the coordination and management of volunteer and staff SCUBA dive operations and training. The ADSO will manage and coordinate the volunteer dive team, planning volunteer dives, and ensuring credentials and medical requirements are kept up to date.

This is a part‑time position with an hourly pay rate of $28.53.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Four (4) year degree in the biological sciences or similar discipline preferred.
• Minimum one (1) years’ experience in a public aquarium husbandry or dive operations position, or relevant experience from a comparable setting (university or similar).
• Hold a valid certification as a Divemaster or above from a nationally recognized training agency (GUE, PADI, NAUI, IDEA, SSI, etc.).
• Experience with volunteer management.
• General knowledge of computer databases and Microsoft office suite.
• Strong command of the English language, both written and verbal.
• Able to lift a minimum of sixty (60) pounds and climb ladders while wearing dive gear.
• Able to negotiate various field conditions.
• Able to work standing up for extended periods of time.
• Valid driver’s license required.
• Ability to work weekends, holidays, days closed due to inclement weather, and to travel for extended periods of time to perform collecting and other duties.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Instructor certification from a nationally recognized training agency (GUE, PADI, NAUI, IDEA, SSI, etc.) preferred.
• Five (5) years’ experience as a certified diver, of which at least 2 should be as a professional level diver (Divemaster and above) preferred.
• One (1) years’ experience at an AZA-accredited aquarium or zoo preferred.
• DAN DFA Pro instructor license, or an equivalent CPR/FA/O2/AED Instructor qualification from a nationally recognized certification training agency preferred.
• SCUBA Visual Cylinder Inspection (VIP) certification preferred.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Schedule and coordinate volunteer divers for maintenance of exhibits and dive presentations
• Act as a liaison between volunteer divers and staff
• Participate in staff and volunteer dives and dive presentations
• Serve as DPIC when the DSO is not on duty
• Assist the DSO with maintaining TMA SCUBA equipment including, but not limited to, compressors, regulators, cylinders, full-face masks, buoyancy compensators, wetsuits, drysuits, etc.
• Documents and communicates observations to the DSO.
• Other duties as assigned, including but not limited to field collections, research activities, animal husbandry assistance, animal transports, educational presentations, dive volunteer recruiting, etc.
• Able to work weekends and holidays and travel for extended periods of time.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.