Bird & Mammal Supervisor

Overview

Position description:

The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Bird & Mammal Supervisor to join the Animal Care team. This position is responsible for all assigned husbandry duties of the Seattle Aquarium’s bird and mammal population and the staff supervision of assigned Animal Care Specialists, Animal Care Technicians, Animal Care Evening Biologist, and temporary Animal Care Technician Assistants. This position will be caring for: sea otters, harbor seals, northern fur seals, North American river otters, various alcids and shorebirds, and fish and invertebrates which inhabit the bird habitats. May assist the Curator with the acquisition and disposition of new animals including internal approval, permitting, coordinating, and executing safe transport, quarantine, acclimation, and introduction to habitats. Ability to be organized, self-motivated, independent, and show a strong desire to complete projects. Preference given to candidates with a clear understanding of bird and marine mammal biology, water quality parameters/analysis, aquatic life-support systems, and marine and aquatic animal health.

Multicultural, multilingual, and diverse experiences are an asset in this role as we have a diverse and passionate team. The natural sciences and the conservation movement have historically marginalized many communities from taking on scientific, management, and supervision roles such as this one. The Aquarium actively seeks to dismantle this practice and broaden participation in marine and environmental conservation professions, making them more inclusive of the full diversity of our communities and responsive to their needs and perspectives. Candidates passionate about anti-racism, social justice, environmental justice, and other intersections will be an asset to our work. The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant cultural, traditional practices, community programs, jobs, internships, volunteer experience, and/or formal or informal education.

Key functions:

Staff Supervision & Leadership:

• Coordinate and direct workflow, time management, and scheduling of BAM (Bird & Mammal) staff as defined by the Curator.
• Provide direct supervision of and mentorship to BAM staff, relief staff, and volunteers. Conduct annual performance reviews, work on goal setting, and support professional development of assigned animal care staff.
• Work closely with the Curator to ensure that the hiring, onboarding, and training of staff and volunteers align with BAM priorities as well as with the Aquarium’s S.A.L.I.S.H. values, DEI values, and Regenerative programs.
• Advocate for BAM staff; foster an environment where team members’ overall wellbeing is supported. Prioritize ensuring psychological safety and practicing emotional intelligence in communications. Ensure self-learning on these topics.
• Act as the point of contact for daily BAM team animal care operations.
• Ability to lead drills and response in emergencies.
• Train, coordinate, and supervise the work of animal care volunteers and interns by identifying, assigning, and monitoring tasks and evaluating their work.
• Responsibly manage Aquarium credit card and oversee BAM team supply ordering.

Animal Care:

• Lead daily animal care operations within BAM team, including diet preparation and monitoring, habitat care and maintenance, etc. Delegate work amongst team as necessary.
• Plan for and apply appropriate operant conditioning techniques with an emphasis on positive reinforcement. Capable of problem-solving and mentoring when behavioral management issues arise.
• Observe/evaluate animal behavior to determine physical and behavioral health and wellbeing.
• Assist the Curator in creating, implementing, and maintaining written procedures for all BAM habitats to ensure the highest level of animal welfare, training, operational efficiency, and cleanliness. Ensure compliance by the team with all standard operating procedures and husbandry manuals for all species and animal facilities managed by the BAM team.
• Design, implement, offer, evaluate, and document a variety of behavioral enrichment opportunities for the animal collection that encourage natural behavior.
• Maintain records and reports regarding assigned species including daily veterinary reports, habitat maintenance, food consumption records, and other reports.
• Be familiar with the Animal Welfare Act and all USDA/APHIS regulations pertaining to maintaining and public display of marine mammals and birds. Ensure work outputs also comply with all necessary AZA accreditation standards.
• Lead and/or assist with administration of medications and treatments according to established procedures and veterinary instructions. Aid in handling or restraining animals in accordance with established safety procedures as necessary to ensure animal welfare.
• Possess public speaking skills necessary to interpret natural history and conservation issues effectively with the public in both formal (on microphone) and informal settings.
• Provide occasional response to animal emergencies outside of normally scheduled hours.

Collaboration and Engagement:

• Establish, maintain, coordinate, advise, and plan using cooperative and effective working relationships with other departments to support BAM team needs or asks from others. Practice respect and reciprocity in all communications.
• Share technical knowledge, coordinate work orders and habitat need requests with Maintenance and Engineering staff.
• Coordinate, plan, and execute the Animal Care team aspects of special events, media, and BAM area tours.
• Ability to communicate effectively with various levels in the organization. Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Have computer skills including MS Teams applications, Excel, Word, and Tracks.
• Participate in team, department, and aquarium-wide meetings and engagements as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required skills and experience:

The skills and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant cultural and community programs, jobs, internships, volunteer experience, and/or formal or informal education. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.

• B.A./B.S. degree in biology, marine biology, or related field or various combinations of relevant experience to meet minimum requirements are considered.
• Possess a minimum of 3 years’ experience, preferably demonstrating progressively responsible duties, involving animal care and proven leadership experience in an aquarium or related environment (AZA facility preferred).
• Must have or be able to obtain a Washington State Driver’s License. May drive aquarium vehicles as assigned to participate in field work, transport animals or equipment between regional zoological facilities, or attend other staff development opportunities.
• Must be able to obtain CPR, first aid, and AED certifications. Training provided.

Working conditions:

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.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will need to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must be able to climb stairs, ladders, and steep rock work, and be harnessed with safety gear when appropriate; have a good sense of balance; and can team lift and move 50 pounds. Capable of being on their feet 6+ hours/day and being active through physical motions.
• Required to work outdoors year-round, near water, in confined spaces, on wet and slippery surfaces, and at heights.
• Must be able to swim.
• Ability to work with and around large, wild animals.

Salary and benefits: $31 – $37/ hourly Dependent on experience. Please include salary expectations in your materials. Full-time staff are eligible for the Seattle Aquarium’s comprehensive benefits package to include medical, vision, dental, an employer-funded health reimbursement account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b retirement fund with employer match, access to a subsidized ORCA pass, a Seattle Aquarium Family Plus membership and generous paid time off.