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TMThe Maritime Aquarium
The Maritime AquariumAquarium

Assistant Curator of Fish, Invertebrates and Jellies

Location

Norwalk, Connecticut, United States

Work type

Onsite

Employment

Full Time

Experience

5+ years

Compensation

Compensation not disclosed

Posted

23h ago

Summary and responsibilities

Role overview

Summary

The Assistant Curator oversees the care of animals within their assigned section, including fish, invertebrates, and jellies, and supervises assigned staff. This role involves coordinating closely with veterinarians and life support staff, maintaining exhibits, and ensuring compliance with animal welfare standards.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Assistant Curator oversees the care of animals that fall within their assigned section, as well as supervise assigned staff. This position coordinates closely with veterinarians, life support staff, and other departments to ensure optimal care and welfare of these species.

Reports to: Associate Director of Animal Husbandry


ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

  • Maintains Jellies and Tropical Fish and Invertebrate exhibits, including life support systems and proper water quality, ensuring that they are safe, sanitary and enriching and insure all aquarists do as well

  • Responsible for ensuring tanks are stocked with appropriate animals, including propagation where appropriate

  • Responsible for the output of jelly culture labs and maintaining jellies exhibits

  • Supervises a team of Aquarists, executing duties such as scheduling, performance assessments, and ordering department supplies

  • Interact with courtesy, professionalism and respect to staff, docents, volunteers and guests consistent with the organization’s mission and core values

  • Assists the Associate Director and Director in ensuring compliance with the Animal Welfare Act, as well as pertinent AZA accreditation standards

  • Responsible for assessing animal condition, identifying diseases and administering treatments as prescribed by the veterinarian. Coordinates directly with contract veterinarians to schedule routine exams and medical care as required (annual physical exams, bloodwork, et cetera)

  • Oversees collection of animals, including their husbandry, exhibit maintenance, and maintaining life support systems

  • Assesses the welfare of the collection, serves on the institutional welfare committee

  • Serve as institutional representative (IR) to appropriate AZA Species Survival Plans (SSPs) and Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs)

  • Coordinate with colleagues at other institutions to maintain best practices in husbandry and animal management and keep current with the state of the industry

  • Foster a “one team” mentality among the husbandry staff with no barriers between staff working with different taxa

  • Mentors their staff members and ensures a strong departmental commitment to professional development

  • Participates in daily routine and maintenance as needed

  • Performs water quality analysis and makes adjustments

  • Participates in and oversees administration of animal diets

  • Experience with tropical fish and invertebrates, corals and jellies

  • Responsible for ensuring tanks are stocked with appropriate animals, including propagation where appropriate

  • Work with our veterinary team to administer and oversee quarantine prophylaxis and medical treatments

  • Maintains inventory of dietary items and supplies, including live and frozen animals, produce, and dietary supplements

  • Maintains accurate records, reviews records and ensures compliance with animal recordkeeping

  • Participates in development and implementation of training and enrichment programs as appropriate for various taxa

  • Participates in the collection of animals from Long Island Sound and other locations for display in Aquarium tanks

  • Assists in exhibit development

  • Documents and communicates observations

  • Maintains a variety of collecting equipment

  • Able to work weekends and holidays and travel for extended periods of time to perform collecting and animal transport duties

  • Performs other tasks as assigned

Updated 23h ago

Candidate fit

Skills and qualifications

Additional skills

Jelly and Coral Cultivation • 1+ yrs
Aquarium Life Support Systems • 1+ yrs
Water Quality Analysis • 1+ yrs
Animal Welfare Assessment • 1+ yrs
Animal Recordkeeping • 1+ yrs
Staff Supervision • 1+ yrs
Exhibit Development • 1+ yrs
Interdepartmental Coordination • 1+ yrs

Experience

5+ years

Certifications

Valid Driver's License • Required

How this role is positioned

Role classification

Job domains

Operations

Industries

Wildlife & Conservation

Employment

Full Time

Contract duration

Permanent

Hiring type

Direct

Global hiring

Location specific

Offer details

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

Compensation not disclosed

VisibilityShared on listing
CurrencyUSD
PeriodYearly

Location, schedule, and role shape

Work setup

Work conditions

Primary locationNorwalk, Connecticut, United States
Work typeOnsite
Global hiringNo

Bandwidth profile

peopleHigh8/10
physicalHigh8/10
cognitiveHigh8/10
executionHigh9/10
creativityMedium6/10
uncertaintyMedium6/10
communicationHigh8/10

Context on the employer

Company snapshot

Company

The Maritime Aquarium

Team size

Growing team

Location

Norwalk, Connecticut, United States

The Maritime Aquarium’s mission is to ignite a connection to Long Island Sound and the ocean to enrich the lives of all people and inspire action to protect our blue planet. For 38 years, the Aquarium has played a significant role in shaping the landscape of Norwalk and the region. The second largest family attraction in Connecticut, and 50 miles from New York City, the Aquarium hosts nearly 450,000 guests annually.

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Assistant Curator of Fish, Invertebrates and Jellies

Norwalk, Connecticut, United StatesFull Time