Senior Animal Welfare Specialist (AWS) – Aquatics & Avian
Become a lead member of our Exhibits team at Coral World Ocean Park in sunny St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We are looking for an experienced candidate that will carry out husbandry duties for the many animals and exhibits we offer to our guests. This position requires attention to detail, time management skills, supervisory responsibilities and a positive attitude that can be shared with our visitors. The Senior Animal Welfare Specialist – Aquatics & Avian team member works directly under the supervision of the Assistant Curator of Exhibits. This position is responsible for performing all aquarium husbandry and maintenance, cleaning, food preparation, and record keeping duties performed by the Aquarist 1 & Aquarist 2 positions. In addition, the Senior AWS – Aquatics & Avian position assists the Assistant Curator in supervising the rest of the staff and monitoring the overall animal operation. The Senior AWS – Aquatics & Avian position is the senior staff member on-site when the Assistant Curator is unavailable and is responsible for making difficult animal husbandry and operational decisions in the supervisor’s place. This position is expected to use their extensive aquarium husbandry knowledge and experience to manage complex challenges and solve problems without assistance. The Senior AWS – Aquatics & Avian position must have strong customer service skills and is expected to handle customer-related problems when they arise. The Senior AWS – Aquatics & Avian is also expected to organize and lead all aspects of the aquariums’ development program. The Senior AWS – Aquatics & Avian position must display excellent leadership and communication skills and acts as both a mentor for the entire training staff and an objective voice for the Assistant Curator of Exhibits.
Functions & Responsibilities
Essential Functions
- Must be able to complete all the duties of an Aquarist.
- Supervises the aquarium department under the Assistant Curator
- Directing and supervising the daily care, maintenance and aesthetic upkeep of the park’s animal exhibits and collection including but not limited to corals, fish, rays, sharks, sea turtles and many others
- Creating daily schedules for all Aquarist Team tasks and assignments, Encounter Programs, and coordination with veterinary team needs
- Organizes collection trips and coordinates arrival of new specimens
- Plans and leads collection dives as well as supervision of quarantine procedures for new specimens and exhibits
- Husbandry tasks including performing observational rounds, diet preparation, disease recognition, and necropsies
- Maintaining and managing daily record keeping in accordance with established procedures
- Conducts and attends required staff meetings and participates and assists in special events and educational programs
- Manages and inventories equipment, supplies and food stock associated with department’s needs and tasks and procures any necessary supplies
- Assists with coordination between the veterinary staff and aquarium department and attends weekly rounds with veterinary staff as well as coordinating treatments and quarterly animal health physicals
- Works in keeping a team environment and assist other departments of the park, as needed
- Has good problem-solving skills in addition to being highly organized, self-motivated, and dependable.
- Positive attitude, cooperative and productive work relationships being able to coordinate and work with other departments when needed
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Other Duties & Responsibilities
Assts the Assistant Curator of Exhibits with supervising members of the Exhibits Division.
Skills & Experience
Knowledge & Skills
- Ability to work flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
- Must be a team player and be able to get along well with others.
- Must be able to use tact in handling sensitive situations.
- Must be personable, courteous, and able to work under pressure.
Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology, Zoology, Biology, or related field
Minimum of 4 years professional experience in an aquarium or marine-related field
Must be physically fit, able to lift 50 lbs, and able to pass a swim test
Open Water SCUBA certification required from accredited agency
Must be a team player with strong communication skills, have a positive attitude, and an outgoing personality, with the ability to work well unsupervised
- Must be aware of the challenges of living on a Caribbean island (high cost of living, working in the sun and heat all day, etc.)
- Basic computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Excel
- Flexible with non-traditional schedules and able to work weekends and holidays and overtime
- Must be able to work in the U.S.
Preferred:
- Wants to work in the Hospitality Industry
- Bilingual
Job Requirements
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position requires the employee to stand for most of his or her working hours but occasionally must stoop, kneel, or crouch. This position requires to walk around the park sometimes on uneven ground and up and down stairs. This position frequently required to reach with hands and arms, using hands to handle or feel. This position requires to be in constant communication with guests requiring the Photo Sales Associate to talk and hear. The Photo Sales Associate must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally may lift and/or move up to 35 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
Working Conditions
- This job operates in a professional environment (indoor and outdoor). The employee will be exposed to sunny, warm, humid, and wet conditions.
- This role routinely uses standard equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, file cabinets, etc.
- This is a full-time position. Days are scheduled 5 days a week between Sunday – Saturday for a 40-hour work week. During emergencies such as Hurricanes or other natural disasters, you may be expected to work 50+ hours per week.
