JOB OPENINGS
Ucluelet Aquarium
180 Main St., Ucluelet, BC
PO Box 1262
V0R 3A0
Job Title: Aquarist/Interpreter
Status: Full Time (37.5hrs/wk)
Schedule: 37.5 hours per week, 5 days per week from 9:15AM - 5:15PM with 0.5hr unpaid lunch break. Must be able to work holidays and weekends
Salary: $22.00/hour
Location: Ucluelet, B.C
Start date: Due to grant funding, we will have multiple start dates. Please indicate your availability on your application.
**Must be between ages 15-30 due to grant funding requirements**
How to apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, and three references to
laura@uclueletaquarium.org attn: Summer staff 2025
Please indicate on your application whether you have secured housing in Ucluelet.
Closing date: May 4th, 2025
Are you passionate about marine ecology, conservation, and public education?
The Ucluelet Aquarium Society is hiring new staff members for the summer season.
Our work is wet and cold, salt-stained and joyful. We strive to introduce visitors to specimens they may never have considered before but are important cornerstones of healthy marine environments. The main philosophy of our work is to build connections. In the Ucluelet Aquarium, Canada’s first collect-and-release public aquarium, we greet more than 45,000 visitors per year and give them a unique look into what is happening on our coast in real time. We provide opportunities for visitors of all ages to learn within our facility and outside of it during special events, walks, tidepool explorations and talks. Aquarist/Interpreters represent the Ucluelet Aquarium and welcome visitors from all over the globe to learn. They monitor and maintain exhibit health and cleanliness, orient visitors through the facility as well as the community, and act as ambassadors for the surrounding marine environment. Through delivery of public talks and programs, Aquarist/Interpreters tell the stories of our complex marine ecosystems and the life histories of the inhabitants that reside within them. The Aquarist/Interpreter should be familiar with the marine life found on the west coast and should be an effective communicator of that knowledge. The Ucluelet Aquarium values teamwork creativity and knowledge sharing. Applicants should be comfortable multi-tasking, public speaking and collaborating with others on projects.
The main body of your work will be interacting with visitors, greeting them at the front desk and handling cash and card transactions. Aquarist/Interpreters will also work with all members of the Ucluelet Aquarium team to respond to the needs of both the facility and the animals we care for. As a small team, we support one another and all carry many responsibilities. Located in the beautiful remote location of Ucluelet BC, we are a resilient group that must make our own tools, repair our own gear, and solve our own problems. Those that apply to this position should be enthusiastic about working as a team as well as working independently depending on what the needs of the day are. Often, those of us who love fish and invertebrates are more introverted beings. This position is one that is out amongst the public for all 7.5 hours of the workday, so comfort in talking to and assisting members of the public is essential.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
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Clean, organize, and maintain Ucluelet Aquarium exhibits, spaces (main floor, office, downstairs, stairwells, entrances and exits, bathrooms, gardens, dock, pump area, and intertidal spaces), tools, and materials.
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Greet and orient visitors around the Ucluelet Aquarium, Ucluelet Aquarium events, collaborations, and the surrounding community.
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Answer questions, show visitors the exhibits and specimens, promote the aquarium’s message and provide both inside and offsite programs for the public.
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Create educational signage, displays, and deliver Ucluelet Aquarium programs.
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Monitor and maintain water quality, flow rates, food quality and stock, life support systems and animal care tools and materials.
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Observe, care for, feed, collect, and release Ucluelet Aquarium specimens
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Communicate clearly and promptly
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Manage financial transactions including cash and card purchases
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Ensure the facility looks clean, organized, welcoming, and engaging.
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Collaborate with the Ucluelet Aquarium team to support one another and assist in maintaining a positive, fun, and supportive workplace.
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Seek ways to improve aquarium functions, operations, procedures, and practices.
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Stay up to date with team communication platforms
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Manage any other work or other projects that the Executive Director assigns to you.
Applicants must:
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Be enthusiastic and be ready to engage with the public
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Have working knowledge of marine flora and fauna of the BC coast
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Be comfortable talking to visitors of all ages and backgrounds, answering questions about local species and ecosystems, and assisting them around the aquarium.
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Be comfortable working on and around ladders.
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Be able to provide a clear criminal records check.
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Be able to lift 50lbs
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Comfortable working in fluctuating weather conditions
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Confident moving through difficult terrain and slippery conditions
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Be legally entitled to work in Canada
Additional Assets:
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Proficiency in more than one language - English is essential
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Pre-arranged housing or housing opportunities within Ucluelet
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Experience with customer service an asset
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Experience working with animals and/or marine animal husbandry
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Studies in Biology, Environmental, or Natural Sciences.
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Level 1 first aid with CPR-C/AED
Notes:
This position works with different types of shellfish on a daily basis and may not be appropriate for someone with a severe shellfish allergy.
Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
