Posted: Open to internal and external applicants
Reports to: Director of Animal Health
Status: Full-time, hourly, benefitted position
Hours of Work: Tuesday to Saturday workweek, 8 am–4 pm. Occasional need for weekend or after-hours
work as related to coverage or animal care needs.
Date Needed: December 2023
Posting Expires: When the position is filled
Position Description:
The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Veterinarian Technician to join the Animal Health team. To further the mission of the Seattle Aquarium: ‘Inspiring Conservation of our Marine Environment’ by providing veterinary technician skills that can be applied across all taxa in an aquarium setting. Excellent attention to detail and communication skills are essential.
Key functions:
Clinical veterinary care (70%)
Apply veterinary technician skills to the care of all taxa with supervision. The current collection spans two sites and includes northern fur seals, harbor seals, sea otters, river otters, alcids, shorebirds, temperate fish and invertebrates, and tropical fish and invertebrates. Responsible for 13,000 animals and 360 species; increasing to 16,000 animals and 470 species in 2024 with the addition of a third site.
Calculate, prepare, dispense, and/or administer medications.
Prepare for and assist veterinarians during medical procedures and occasional surgical procedures.
Perform or assist with phlebotomy and other diagnostic sampling.
Perform radiology and assist with ultrasonography and endoscopic procedures.
Prepare for and assist with induction, maintenance, and monitoring of anesthesia for all taxa under supervision.
Understand the basics of water quality and how it impacts fish health during handling.
Calibrate, use and maintain probe-based meters.
Monitor patients during recovery or rare critical care.
Perform dental prophylaxis.
Perform and assist with necropsy examinations under direct or indirect veterinary supervision.
Process samples for shipping to outside laboratories.
Maintain accurate and timely records.
Assist animal care specialists with training behaviors, such as ultrasound, hand-injection, and phlebotomy in pinnipeds, otters, and elasmobranchs.
Understand the basics of applicable USDA/APHIS animal regulations and the AZA accreditation standards.
Management of veterinary spaces (30%)
Maintain clean and functional veterinary areas, including the Pier 60 Veterinary Clinic, Necropsies, and two Veterinary Labs, with the duty split across the Technician team.
Accurately record needs for drugs and supplies.
Maintain, clean, and sterilize surgical and endoscopic equipment and follow all equipment SOPs; help coordinate maintenance needs.
Maintain compliance with state and federal regulations for controlled substances, prescription drugs, hazardous waste, and work safety.
Provide interpretation of spaces or procedures for visitors, students, and donors as needed.
Required skills and experience:
We will consider various combinations of relevant experience and education to meet minimum requirements.
A Licensed Veterinary Technician certification for Washington is required.
Associate’s degree from an accredited Veterinary Technician school is preferred.
A minimum of one year’s experience as a full-time Veterinary Technician is required.
A minimum of one year of aquarium, exotics, zoo, or equivalent experience is required.
Must remain current on continuing education requirements.
Working conditions:
Requires handling, working with, or exposure to large, potentially dangerous animals, animal diseases, and potentially hazardous chemicals.
Occasionally required to lift more than 30 pounds.
Must be able to be on their feet 6 or more hours a day and be active through all physical motions.
Required to work outdoors year-round, near water, on wet and slippery surfaces, and at heights.
Applicants must be available to work full-time which may include one weekend day, holidays, and occasional evenings or nights.
Must have or be able to obtain a Washington State Driver’s License and drive aquarium vehicles.
Must be able to travel between Seattle Aquarium sites.
Expected to actively attend one conference on a relevant clinical topic per year (funded). Additional continuing education with local zoo and aquarium partners is supported.
Maintain membership with the Association of Zoological Veterinary Technicians (funded).
Vaccination for rabies and booster vaccination for COVID-19 are recommended but not required.
Salary and benefits: $25.00 to $27.00 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.
How to apply: The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don’t feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. 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.
Interested candidates should upload a résumé to our online application to be considered. Application review will begin immediately. SeattleAquarium.org/careers
Please let us know if you require reasonable accommodation to apply for this job by emailing us at jobs@seattleaquarium.org.
Note: If offered the position, candidates must pass a background check and motor vehicle records check. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second-chance employer. Regarding driving records: Within the last three years, you must not have had more than two moving traffic violations or any major violation (DUI, reckless driving, negligent driving, etc.).
About the Seattle Aquarium:
The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world’s one ocean. Our passionate staff increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing an inspiring visitor experience, engaging daytime and evening events, conservation education programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, community outreach to marginalized populations, research that advances understanding of animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild, advocacy and policy work, an award-winning volunteer program, high-impact marketing and communications, and more.
Our values, developed in conjunction with our staff, include commitments to adopting and promoting sustainable practices, creating awe-inspiring experiences, constantly learning and improving, fostering an inclusive community, maintaining scientific credibility through evidence-based practices and honoring our unique place by using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.
Proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, we’re among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. by attendance, and we welcome over 850,000 people each year. Guided by our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment, we’re working to substantially increase our conservation impact by expanding our campus with a new building, the Ocean Pavilion. Learn more at SeattleAquarium.org.
Timeline:
We anticipate the following recruiting schedule for those candidates who are selected for consideration. The following dates are preliminary and subject to change. We will work with candidates to set interview dates. If hired, relocation assistance is not available.
Priority given to applications received within the first two weeks of posting.
Interviews completed by November.
Start date: December 2023