Assistant Curator of Aquatic Husbandry-Audubon Aquatic Center

Aza - New Orleans, LA

Full-time - Mid Level

New Orleans, LA

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

About the position

The Assistant Curator of Aquatic Husbandry is the direct supervisor to aquarists at the Audubon Aquatic Center (AAC) which acts as the support facility for holding, quarantine, research and breeding. This facility is not open to the public. The Assistant Curator reports to the Curator of Aquatic Husbandry and oversees the animal care operations, life support and water quality lab and ensures industry best practices at the AAC. They will be responsible for working with Audubon's Life Support Curator to develop a long-term plan to upgrade and maintain the life support systems. They will work with the Curator of Aquatic husbandry to plan and develop protocols and procedures to ensure legal compliance and husbandry best practices of the Aquarium's acquisition and transfer operations, live animal collecting, and new and transitional animal quarantine procedures. Provides collecting and acquisition knowledge to support the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (AAOA) institutional collection plan. They set goals and expectations for the AAC aquarists and are a husbandry and animal care resource for husbandry staff at the AAOA. Maintains and ensures effective and proactive communication between AAC staff and AAOA staff. The Assistant Curator of Aquatic Husbandry is a working Curator position. They work closely with the veterinary staff, members of other Husbandry Department divisions and all other Audubon Nature Institute departments.

Responsibilities

• Provide a guest experience of outstanding quality
• Approach all encounters with employees and guests in a friendly, service-oriented manner
• Maintain the highest standards related to the day-to-day operations of the Husbandry Department
• Work evening, weekend, holiday hours - required
• Return telephone messages and e-mails in a timely fashion
• Handle problems in the workplace, including anticipating, preventing, identifying, and solving problems as necessary
• Identify and correct minor or routine maintenance problems in a timely manner and report other maintenance needs
• Interact positively with the public and co-workers
• Make decisions consistent with Audubon Nature Institute policies and procedures
• Assist with daily duties in all sections as required
• Perform facility and exhibit maintenance, including but not limited to, trash and debris removal, floor cleaning, painting, building repair, horticultural duties, etc.
• Establish and maintain effective, efficient and cooperative relationships with employees, senior administration, vendors and customers
• Maintain high standards of personal appearance and grooming, including proper uniform standards
• Comply at all times with Audubon Nature Institute standards and regulations to encourage safe and efficient operations
• Weave quality entertainment through the guest experience
• Work within the guidelines and mission of the Audubon Nature Institute
• Convey information and ideas clearly
• Conduct behind-the-scenes tours for VIP's, donors, and Audubon Education programs as scheduled
• Interact with the public which may include on and off grounds educational and media presentations
• Develop and present educational programs as required
• Function as an interpreter and an ANI spokesperson
• Compose animal and exhibit information for publication in the following: Audubon's website, AZA's website and other publications
• Exhibit the diversity of wildlife
• Have general expertise in reptile, bird, fishes, amphibian and invertebrate animal anatomy, behavior, recognition and treatment of animal health concerns, quarantine protocols, animal safety concerns and cross contamination prevention
• Provide an advanced understanding of water chemistry, life support equipment and the ability to troubleshoot life support problems
• Identify and provide direction at AAC to correct exhibit maintenance issues and act as a coordinator for larger problems
• Work with the Curator of Life Support to upgrade and maintain the life support systems at the AAC
• Oversight of all ongoing quarantine groups and lead successful completion of the quarantine plan as prescribed by the veterinary team
• Partner with veterinary team and aquarists to recognize animal health concerns and carry out treatments as prescribed
• Maintain current knowledge of all specimens under their care, their natural history (biology and environmental needs) and husbandry requirements through hands on experience, upkeep with current literature, active professional networking development, keeper exchange programs and conference participation as approved
• Improve upon current Audubon husbandry practices, developing procedures aimed at increase efficiency and advance animal care
• Have a strong working knowledge and understanding of the AZA Code of Ethics, AZA Standards for Accreditation and AZA Population Management guidelines
• Ability to recognize deficiencies in these areas and take action to correct problems
• Have a strong working knowledge of UDSA regulations, overseeing that proper protocols are followed to pass USDA inspections
• Serve as oversight for compliance with all Audubon Aquarium of the Americas established protocols for animal care including, but not limited to, diet, exhibit maintenance, veterinary treatment, recordkeeping, enrichment and staff safety
• Ensure compliance with all AZA standards of Accreditation and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas established protocols for animal care including, but not limited to, diet administration, exhibit maintenance, behavioral conditioning, recordkeeping and safety
• Directs/ organizes staff to remedy problems
• Supervise and encourage viable breeding, husbandry and conservation programs for species within the collection, ensures compliance and cooperation with all AZA programs
• Supervise the acquisition of new specimens in accordance with AZA animal management and welfare guidelines and AAOA acquisition and transfer protocols and procedures
• Instruct keeper staff in the proactive, responsible planning of acquisitions and transfers in accordance with approved collection plans
• Work with Curator of Aquatic Husbandry to support the departmental goals and priorities for AAOA and AAC
• Work collaboratively with curatorial staff and other departments to support large gallery projects/ renovations
• Mentor aquarists through exhibit improvements and development of new exhibits based on approved timelines
• Leads regular AAC meetings to develop goals, evaluate progress and facilitate open communication among staff
• Actively promote and prioritize accurate and up to date recordkeeping within the AAC team to ensure quality animal management and welfare at or above industry standards
• Assisting the Curator with aquarist accountability, assessing trends and developing improvements in recordkeeping efficiency and accuracy
• Work individually with aquarists to develop personal goals and give regular feedback on performance
• Work with Curator and aquarists to develop collection plans for all aquarist galleries and review annually with curatorial staff
• Instruct new personnel in methods of animal care consistent with policies and procedures
• Design and implement new personnel training programs for AAC staff
• Provide support to the Coastal Wildlife Network and facilitate communication between the teams to maintain and provide the highest level of animal care
• Perform basic arithmetic functions and process financial information
• Assist with the preparation of the departmental operating budget as needed
• Strive to operate within budget limitations
• Manage time effectively to eliminate unnecessary overtime
• Encourage and support Audubon breeding programs aimed at decreasing the need for wild collection
• Promote, participate in and oversee departmental research and conservation programs

Requirements

• Minimum of seven years of experience in a zoological facility or public aquarium, OR, demonstrated and confirmed skill set and knowledge required for the position as stated in the job description (ANI Internal candidates only) is required
• AZA accredited public aquarium facility is preferred
• Paid experience in a zoological facility is required, supervisory experience preferred
• Significant experience in the care of zoological exhibits with a primary focus on fishes and aquatic invertebrates
• Strong familiarity with care of reptiles and amphibians
• Plumbing, construction and exhibit renovation experience required
• Demonstration of leadership, strong people skills, and strong communication skills
• Strong working knowledge of project management, development and execution
• High School diploma (or equivalent) and a degree from a recognized college or university are required
• College course work in zoology, biology, animal science, fisheries science, mariculture/aquaculture or related field is preferred
• Accurate oral and written communication skills
• Good knowledge of zoonotic diseases and their prevention
• Must maintain a valid driver's license
• SCUBA certification required
• First Aid/ CPR preferred
• Proven competency in the application of Microsoft Office, Word, PowerPoint and Excel computer programs is required
• General understanding of the use of basic power tools
• Basic carpentry, plumbing and horticultural skills are considered an asset

Benefits

• Starting salary at $55,000; pay commensurate with experience