Director

The Living Shores Director is responsible for aquarium floor operations and life support systems and is the subject matter expert in animal care. The director will lead and supervise the Animal Care, Education and Life-Support System (LSS) professionals to develop and maintain a safe, healthy, and enrichment-filled environment for the collection. The Aquarium Director is responsible for the smooth operation of the facility and ensuring the guest experience exceeds expectations. The ideal candidate will have experience with change management, capital projects and leading a facility in transition.

Roles & Responsibilities

• The roles and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
• Ensuring animal welfare and the safety of the facility, team members, and guests is the top priority.
• Working with the designated veterinarian to schedule examinations on an ongoing basis.
• Developing, maintaining and tracking animal welfare records.
• Maintaining the Aquarium and animal exhibits in compliance with applicable government regulations, industry standards and company policy.
• Leading the Animal Care and Education professionals through training and continuing education. Providing leadership to foster high team member morale and motivation throughout the aquarium.
• Enriching the team’s knowledge and abilities in all aspects of behavioral theory and husbandry procedures, including food preparation, disinfection procedures, vitamin administration, record-keeping, animal observation, conditioning techniques, and showmanship skills through active participation.
• Reviewing and revising Standard Operating Procedures as the facility's tanks, exhibits, and animals change.
• Managing the procurement process and purchasing supplies, equipment and animal food.
• Handling the acquisition and disposition of animals, developing and curating the aquarium collection (fishes, inverts, insects and reptiles) and acclimating and training native animals.
• Managing the Education Coordinator and working closely with Marketing & Sales to develop and grow the educational programs.
• Determining and acting on the best course of treatment or remediation for fish and invertebrate health and disease issues.
• Coordinating and scheduling the Aquarium Manager on Duty program.
• Interviewing, hiring, training and scheduling animal care, education and LSS team members.
• Managing and controlling expenses and labor usage while evaluating and leveraging opportunities to drive revenue, reduce costs and increase efficiency.
• Strategic planning, goal setting and their successful implementation and outcomes
• Actively helping in day-to-day operations, events, training, and other hands-on tasks.
• Working closely with the maintenance team to enable efficient and timely equipment and facilities repairs and ensuring preventative maintenance schedules are routinely updated.
• Partnering with the property-wide management team to ensure open lines of communication between the aquarium and theme park.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in zoological or biological sciences (or a related field) or a combination of education and experience. The depth and breadth of applicable experience will be evaluated.
• At least five (5) years of experience in a leadership/management role.
• An understanding of water quality, maintenance and filtration, including familiarity with various fresh and saltwater life support systems and water testing procedures/equipment.
• An understanding of fish and invertebrate health, disease identification, treatment, and related quarantine protocols.
• Ability to identify and articulate issues with life support and water quality systems and perform or coordinate adjustments and repairs as needed.
• Possessing an excellent understanding of proper water desalination, gating and separation techniques.
• The ability to communicate clearly, concisely and persuasively with diverse personnel and guests.
• Physical demands include the ability to walk and stand for long periods and the ability to perform physical inspections of the facility and all exhibits. This may include frequent bending, stooping, accessing tight spaces and lifting up to 50 pounds.
• First Aid, AED, and Oxygen certification preferred.

Additional Information

• Full-time, year-round salaried, bonus-eligible position.
• Medical, Dental, Vision and other benefits start on the 1st of the month after the start date.
• 401(k) available with company match after one (1) year of employment.
• Employee discounts on food and merchandise and complimentary tickets and season passes.

About Living Shores

• Located directly on Route 16 in Glen N.H., adjacent to Story Land Theme Park, Living Shores Aquarium is an indoor walk-through adventure that allows the whole family to discover the wonders of the ocean year-round.
• The aquarium includes over 32,000 sq. ft. of interactive tide pools, exhibits, and immersive activities.
• Guests can learn about the widespread oceans and native New England Lakes in a fun, interactive environment.
• The aquarium experience also includes a digital sandbox where kids can dig and discover marine life living on New England’s beaches and a drawing station where they can bring their own sea creatures to life and see how they move through the ocean in their habitat.