Join SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast in Mooloolaba as a Casual Assistant Aquarist/Diver. In this casual role, you will support the curatorial team with exhibit maintenance, diet preparation, and animal welfare while delivering memorable experiences to guests.
Requirements
Tertiary qualifications in marine biology, aquaculture, ecology, or fisheries required.
Experience in an animal care role, preferably in a zoo or aquarium, required.
PADI/SSI Dive Master/Instructor qualification required for divers.
Current QLD driving license required.
First Aid, O2, CPR, and Dive medical AS2299 preferred.
Skills & Responsibilities
Animal Care: Maintain exhibits, conduct life support checks, and prepare diets to ensure best-practice animal welfare.
Diving & Maintenance: Utilize Dive Master/Instructor skills to perform underwater tasks and maintain world-class aquarium displays.
Guest Engagement: Deliver memorable experiences and connect visitors with marine life conservation.
Record Keeping: Maintain accurate observations and records to support daily curatorial operations.
Potential transition routes: People from zookeeper or marine biology research roles may bring relevant animal husbandry and ecological skills, alongside meeting the mandatory diving and qualification requirements.
Job description
What you'll bring to the team
Are you looking for a career as a professional aquarist? Are you passionate about marine life, conservation and creating incredible guest experiences? If the thought of delivering magic to thousands of guests every year makes you smile, then we have an amazing opportunity for you to join our team here at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast as a Casual Assistant Aquarist/Diver.
About the Role We connect guests with marine life through creating and maintaining engaging world class displays, delivering memorable guest experiences and ensuring best-practice animal welfare. The successful candidate will support the curatorial team with a diverse range of tasks including maintaining exhibits, daily life support checks, preparing diets and record keeping.
About You: To be successful in this varied role, the ideal candidate will demonstrate both essential and desirable requirements:
Essential:
Tertiary qualifications in marine biology, aquaculture, ecology or fisheries.
Experience in an animal care role, preferably in a zoo or aquarium setting.
Demonstrate a passion for guest experience, education and connecting people with marine life, sustainability, and conservation.
Excellent observation and record keeping skills.
Demonstrated ability to be flexible, cope with frequent and unpredictable changes to daily routine and workloads, and to work, at times under high pressure.
Demonstrated ability to take initiative, work unsupervised, assess tasks, and set priorities for self.
Current QLD driving license.
PADI/SSI Dive Master/Instructor qualification required for divers applying.
Ability to bend, stoop, squat, crawn, crouch, kneel, balance, climb heights 4m and carry and lift up to 20kg.
Desirable:
Current First Aid / O2/ CPR / Dive medical AS2299
Relevant experience in an aquarium setting
Please note – The role will require regular weekend work, with our peak periods being school and public holiday periods. If you’d like to join the team please submit a maximum ONE-page cover letter addressing the selection criteria and a maximum TWO-page resume.
Benefits:
Corporate benefits including free access to all our attractions worldwide.
Domestic and global opportunities to develop and progress your skills and career in tourism and attractions.
Being part of a business built on fun!
About us:
Merlin Entertainments is the company behind iconic brands like SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, and Peppa Pig World of Play. We operate in over 140 attractions across 25 countries, delivering memorable experiences to 54 million+ visitors a year.
We’re the leading operator of visitor attractions in Australia and New Zealand, with 10 attractions, including SEA LIFE, WILDLIFE, Madame Tussauds, amongst others.
Merlin Entertainments is driven by a strong social responsibility with the vision to create a world where the global community respects, conserves, and sustainably manages our precious aquatic habitats, wildlife, and natural resources. We strive to achieve this goal through our 3 charities: Merlins Magic Wand, the SEA LIFE Trust, and the WILDLIFE Conservation Fund. So, if you are vibrant and passionate about delivering an amazing service within a great company and in a team who loves what we do – then we want to hear from you!
Merlin Entertainments strongly encourages application from all background, including people of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander decent.
