Life Support Systems Specialist

Description

General Statement of Duties

The Life Support Systems Specialist is responsible for ensuring the museum is meeting or exceeding AZA standards for aquatic Life Support.  Life Support Systems Specialist reports directly to the Senior Director Living Exhibits.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Biology, Zoology, Ichthyology or other scientific related field.
• 5 years of experience in working in an aquarium environment with the responsibility for Life Support Systems.
• Experience in an AZA accredited organization.
• Must be dive certified.
• Ability to respond to guests and manage staff and volunteers with a professional demeanor. 
• Possess exceptional written and oral communication skills, Microsoft Office proficient.
• Creative problem solver with the ability to manage multiple projects.
• Must be able to remain calm, make sound decisions and provide clear direction in crisis situations. 
• First Aid/CPR certified or willing to become at museums expense.
• Have the ability to be on-call 24 hours a day. 
• Must have a valid driver's license.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.  Be a positive, enthusiastic representative of the Virginia Living Museum.

2. Enhance the Guest Engagement

• Collaborates with and provides expertise advice to the Senior Director Living Exhibits (Animal Welfare) on the design and desired elements of live exhibits.

3. Leads the daily operation, monitoring, maintenance and repair of primary and ancillary aquatic Life Support Systems 

• Sets water chemistry parameters
• Monitors all water treatment
• Maintains LSS logs and records
• Monitors, preserves, and modifies existing water treatment processes
• Monitors LSS equipment and processes for normal operation, makes changes as needed.
• Performs preventative and corrective maintenance as needed to keep LSS equipment in excellent working condition and appearance
• Ensures long term maintenance of equipment/systems
• Maintains stock of spare parts, tools, test instruments
• Installs new equipment and process components
• Acquires critical equipment, supplies and consumables
• Repairs components
• Operates, maintains, and repairs aquatic Life Support equipment including but not limited to filters, pumps, protein fractionators, ultraviolet sterilizers, ozone generators and monitors, chemical dosing equipment, heat exchangers, water treatment controls, and other instrumentation
• Ensures a safe, certified dive program is in place

4. Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Ability to work evenings/weekends and holidays.
• Physical requirements include medium work, exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally,      and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
• Must be able stand for extended periods of time and move about on foot to accomplish tasks.
• Must be able to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, push, pull, lift, grasp, feel, and utilize      repetitive motions.
• Must have close visual acuity to operate a motor vehicle and perform activities such as:      preparing and analyzing data, transcribing, viewing a computer, and reading.
• Must be comfortable climbing a ladder and working from heights.
• Be comfortable working with and from watercraft.