Aquarium Manager [Full-Time]

Aquarium Manager

Collaborate with a passionate Zoo Crew in San Antonio
Choosing where to grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the place you choose to work at will support and guide you. With a diversity of passionate people, San Antonio Zoo is a place where you can collaborate with others securing a future for wildlife.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role
As the Aquarium Manager, you are responsible for training, supervising, observing, and evaluating subordinates. You will perform a wide variety of supervisory and management tasks to ensure that team members provide proper husbandry and maintenance for all the department's fish and invertebrates. These duties include, but are not limited to, maintaining the highest standards of water quality and the daily maintenance of exhibits, buildings, and service areas. You are responsible for assuring proper medical treatment of all the department's specimens following instructions from the Zoo Veterinarian. Further responsibilities include scheduling, handling employee records, work orders, and purchasing requests with absolute discretion.

As an Aquarium Manager, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative and diverse people in San Antonio. Here, you will make an impact by:

• Oversee and manage the Aquarium team, including the Life Support Systems (LSS) team, ensuring effective operation and maintenance of all aquatic habitats, water quality, and associated life support systems.
• Observe and evaluate specimen behavior and condition and report such to the department director.
• Support the creation of a cohesive team while demonstrating organizational, planning, delegation, mentoring, and coaching skills.
• Partner with Human Resources to continuously train, develop, and promote zoo crew teams through individual performance planning.
• Maintain excellent communication with the Director of Ectotherms, and work with them to complete the department’s goals.
• Ability to handle conflict resolution professionally.
• Assure the daily cleaning, feeding, and care of zoo specimens.
• Assist in the design and construction of exhibits.
• Maintain department records, including specimen records, employee records, daily reports, work orders, and purchase requests.
• Communicate effectively in writing and orally with the public, subordinates, peers, curators, volunteers, and health care staff.
• Must be able to establish and maintain an effective rapport with all levels of management, employees, interns, volunteers, and aquarium guests.
• Demonstrate safe work habits to subordinates.
• Upholds all company policies.
• Consistently exhibit an attitude of service inside and outside the zoo, showing hospitality to all.
• Be fully committed to the mission of San Antonio Zoo to create awareness that inspires action to care for the wild world we steward and the animals we protect.

Other Responsibilities:

• Performs other work-related duties as required and assigned.

Your Skills and Expertise 
To set you up for success in this role from day one, the San Antonio Zoo recommends the following skills/qualifications:

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in wildlife or fisheries management, zoology, biology, is preferred.
• Five years or more of husbandry experience with fish/aquatic invertebrate care required or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Three years or more of husbandry experience with fish/aquatic invertebrate care at an accredited zoo and/or aquarium required.
• Supervisory experience is required.
• Knowledge of life support systems is required.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office and ability to learn other software platforms.
• Must be a self-motivated team player, efficient and solution-oriented: finding creative solutions to complex challenges.
• Must have excellent observation skills and communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Must have basic knowledge of research techniques and practices, with solid observation skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment in emergencies and to respond with the appropriate action.
• Successful candidates must complete a pre-employment National Sex Offender Search, Criminal Background Check, and Drug Screen.
• We enjoy year-round operation for all staff and must be available day, nights, weekends, holidays, and occasional special after-hour assignments.

The San Antonio Zoo is an equal opportunity employer.  San Antonio Zoo will not discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.