As Managing Aquarist positions go, this job is as rewarding as it is unique.
How would you like to spend your days taking care of a major aquarium installation that brings precious moments of joy to young patients, staff and visitors in a world-class children’s hospital?
Interested? Well, read on, because you could be the next Managing Aquarist responsible for a huge, cylindrical aquarium that rises 7.5-metre high at the heart of the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.
About Us
Advanced Aquarium Technologies designs, builds, operates and services iconic public aquariums that attract tourists and delight visitors, promote conservation, rescue and rehabilitate wild animals and support marine science research.
We also create, install, and manage stunning feature aquariums to enrich shopping malls, hospitals, airports, entertainment centres, hotels, luxury properties and other premium venues.
AAT is the only vertically integrated service provider in the international aquarium development industry. Over 25 years, we have assembled an unparalleled portfolio of in-house capabilities, including AAT Acrylics, the world’s only Australian-owned manufacturer of cast PLEXIGLAS® block (the essential component in our aquarium windows, tunnels, domes and cylinders).
We also manufacture advanced life support system apparatus; electronic control systems; marine-habitat simulations (hyper-realistic artificial rockwork and coral); creative props for aquarium theming; swimming pool windows and building skylights.
Our post-construction services include aquarium commissioning; staff training and handover; technical audits and inspections; equipment maintenance and repair; aquarium refurbishments and aquarium-management outsourcing.
AAT team members work in an exciting, inspiring, and global industry at the intersection of marine science, conservation and tourism. This role is within our curatorial and aquarist team that manages aquariums – on behalf of their owners – in Queensland and Victoria and international destinations in Europe and the Middle East.
The Role
Advanced Aquarium Technologies has a unique, full-time opportunity for a Managing Aquarist based at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne (RCH).
RCH’s has provided outstanding care for Victoria’s children and their families for 150 years.[Read more about the hospital.]
One of RCH’s most innovative features is a two-storey reef aquarium visible from Emergency on Lower Ground (Underwater) and Main Street on Ground floor (Beach). It is home to approximately 530 fish of 32 different species (typically found on the Great Barrier Reef) including bamboo sharks, eels, sweetlips and a Humphead wrasse named ‘Garry’.
The AAT built aquarium is 7.5 metres deep, four metres in diameter and holds 130,000 litres of saltwater (including filtration system). The walls are eight centimetres thick, and the water temperature is 25.5 to 26 degrees Celsius.
The hospital outsources all aspects of animal husbandry, tank management and Life Support System maintenance to AAT as part of the hospital’s community partnership program.
AAT aquarists work in and around the aquarium daily to feed and care for the fish, deliver animal enrichment activities, dive in the tank to clean and maintain the exhibit and to manage the Life Support System (LSS). The LSS comprises 6 foam fractionators, 3 sand filters, biofilters, a UV filter, an ozone generator and a digital control system. (LSS familiarisation training will be provided.)
Read more about life as an AAT Managing Aquarist Managing Aquarist Article:
Duties and Responsibilities
- Daily operations and management of a public aquarium
- Operating and maintaining Life Support System equipment
- Diving and Diver Supervision
- General aquarist duties
- Feeding
- Animal health management
- Animal enrichment
- Managing team members
- Adding salt if required
- Submit weekly operational and water quality reports
- Maintain a professional working relationship with the client, contractors, and internal staff at all times
- Ensure that the aquarium achieves its front-of-house and back-of-house operational requirements.
- Contribute to virtual-team projects and initiatives with aquarists in different regions and countries.
- Take photographs and videos of the aquarium and animals, with short and straightforward written or audio commentaries, for use on AAT social media
Skills and Capabilities
Working remotely as part of a virtual team is not for everyone. However, if you are a qualified aquarist with the right experience and approach, this is a fabulous opportunity to join a unique international team.
- Passionate about your work and an enthusiastic contributor.
- Creative and effective problem solver that can think outside the box.
- Value-adding, self-motivated team member comfortable working as part of a remote team connected virtually via modern digital platforms.
- Experience managing and operating public aquariums or large-scale retail systems or aquaculture systems
- Dive qualifications – Dive master level minimum
- Qualification and/or experience maintaining dive equipment
- Willingness and ability to be on call 24/7
- Life Support System Operation experience
- First Aid Certificate
- Advanced resuscitation – Oxygen admin
- Microsoft office skills
- Comfortable participating in video conferences
- Familiar with basic underwater photography
If you possess the above attributes and are seeking permanent full-time employment, please apply online via this job posting on SEEK.com.