Aquarium - Downtown Houston has an excellent career opportunity for individuals that have a true passion for animal care and an unrelenting drive to provide exceptional guest service and hospitality.
Assistant Curator of Fish & Inverts
- The Assistant Curator is responsible for the daily supervision of staff caring for the animal collection, ensuring high standards of husbandry, welfare, and operational efficiency.
- This role includes maintaining accurate records, preparing required reports, and supporting all aspects of animal care as directed.
Benefits:
- Extensive and well-rounded training program
- Continued career development and growth opportunities
- Generous employee discounts on dining, retail, amusements, and hotels
- Multiple health benefit plans to suit your needs
- Dental, vision, voluntary life, short term disability, flexible spending accounts and 401 (k)
- Paid time off
- Monthly discretionary bonus potential
Responsibilities:
- Professional Animal Care
- Oversee daily operations related to animal care and husbandry.
- Ensure exceptional care for all animals within the collection.
- Monitor, interpret, and respond to water quality parameters.
- Assess dietary needs and recommend adjustments, as necessary.
- Apply principles of disease prevention, treatment, and control.
- Assist the veterinary team with examinations, treatments, and necropsies.
- Evaluate potential acquisitions or dispositions.
- Utilize effective breeding and rearing techniques.
Communication
- Keep the Curator informed of departmental progress, challenges, and needs.
- Respond to departmental correspondence and guest inquiries.
- Promote positive relationships with guests, employees, colleagues, and other departments by modeling professionalism, cooperation, and excellent service.
Department Management
- Assist the Curator with administrative responsibilities.
- Represent the Habitat Department and/or Downtown Aquarium as needed in the absence of or at the direction of the Curator and General Curator.
- Prepare annual animal inventories and required reports.
- Maintain accurate records (Species 360 ZIMS) and ensure proper backup storage.
- Delegate tasks appropriately to staff members.
Supervision of Personnel
- Set an example for the staff by reporting to work in a timely manner and maintaining a clean, professional appearance.
- Maintain an effective staffing schedule to meet departmental needs.
- Foster a supportive, growth-oriented environment that encourages staff development.
- Demonstrate and enforce proper safety procedures; review incidents to identify improvements.
- Train staff and provide ongoing training for existing team members.
Facility Maintenance
- Collaborate with other departments to maintain exhibits, facilities, and the animal collection in accordance with Downtown Aquarium standards.
- Maintain all equipment in optimal working condition.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in biology, zoology, or a related field with equivalent experience
- Minimum of five years of experience in an AZA-accredited facility, preferably with a broad range of taxa.
- Minimum of one year of supervisory or team lead experience, including staff training and performance oversight preferred.
- Open Water SCUBA certification required. Must be able to pass the institution’s dive physical.
- Demonstrated proficiency with aquatic life support systems, including pumps, filtration, ozone, UV, and automated controls.
- Strong working knowledge of animal husbandry, disease prevention and treatment, and breeding/rearing techniques.
- Organized, self-motivated, and able to manage multiple projects through completion.
- Excellent communication skills and comfort interacting with guests, volunteers, and media.
- Membership in professional organizations, including AZA and ZAA, preferred.
- Ability to work irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- EOE
- #LI-KJ1
Perks
- Extensive and well-rounded training program
- Continued career development and growth opportunities
- Generous employee discounts on dining, retail, amusements, and hotels
- Multiple health benefit plans to suit your needs
- Dental, vision, voluntary life, short term disability, flexible spending accounts and 401 (k)
- Paid time off
- Monthly discretionary bonus potential
