Aviculturist II

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. We firmly believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices, working together, increases our capacity to serve our visitors and fulfill our mission.  We welcome people from all walks of life into our team and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

Job Summary: 

Under limited supervision, care for and maintain our living avian collection and live animal exhibits, with responsibility for overall animal health and well-being, water quality of assigned exhibits and galleries, routine maintenance of exhibits and associated infrastructure, documentation and record-keeping, animal training and enrichment, and population and community management. Work collaboratively with a team of husbandry professionals in the management of live exhibits and associated holding areas.  Maintain the highest animal care and exhibit maintenance standards that continually meet or exceed all AZA accreditation standards.  Perform other duties as required.

Core Activities:                                                                                                                                 

• Perform daily animal husbandry duties including but not limited to diet preparation, feeding, and live exhibit maintenance.
• Perform capture and restraint of birds to allow for medical evaluation, treatment, and relocations. Administer medications and other medical therapy where necessary.
• Participate in formal bird training sessions. Maintain established behaviors, troubleshoot behavioral regression, introduce, and train new behaviors.
• Conduct behavioral enrichment including implementation, monitoring/observation, recording/documentation, and/or development of species-appropriate enrichment. Evaluate outcomes of goal-based enrichment.
• Conduct regular observations of animal health, behavior, and welfare to include disease detection and formal animal welfare assessments. Diagnose and respond to animal health issues or welfare concerns. Recommend changes to gallery protocols that improve standards and eliminate animal welfare concerns.
• Document husbandry tasks, animal observations, animal health records, animal welfare assessments, and other pertinent animal transactions into the Tracks software database in accordance with departmental standards.
• Perform maintenance SCUBA dives for avian exhibits.
• Mentor, train, and oversee the work of husbandry volunteers, interns, and more junior husbandry staff members.
• Perform egg incubation and chick-rearing duties.
• Perform live public speaking presentations during feeding programs and animal encounters.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

• Bachelor’s Degree in Biology or related field or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• A minimum of 2 years of experience as an Aviculturist I or equivalent
• Demonstrated knowledge of avian anatomy, behavior, animal care management, common health problems, diets, and nutrition
• Thorough understanding of animal food preparation, nutrition, and feeding techniques
• A minimum of 2 years of experience with incubation and hand rearing, preference given to experience with similar species at Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Thorough knowledge of and experience with training principles and operant conditioning techniques focused on positive reinforcement with preference given to similar species at MBA. Thorough knowledge of animal enrichment programs
• Minimum 2 years of experience with public speaking, including animal presentations on microphone
• Basic understanding of avian quarantine protocols
• SCUBA certification highly desirable; ability to pass an occupational dive physical highly desirable; ability to dive in full face masks
• Experience working with and supervising volunteers
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software
• Proficiency with the Tracks animal database system or similar animal records database
• Demonstrated interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills
• Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail
• Demonstrated time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines and prioritize tasks appropriately
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
• Aptitude for using basic hand and power tools
• Ability to work within, and maintain Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Core Values

Physical Requirements to Perform Essential Job Functions:

• Typical office equipment, basic hand and power tools, MBA vehicles, small boats
• Extended periods of standing, walking, climbing, bending, and squatting
• Occasional unassisted lifting up to 50 lbs
• Typical office, main aquarium, aquarium exhibits, animal care spaces, outdoors field work (boats on open ocean, coastal habitats, tidepools, etc.)

Hourly Compensation Range Minimum:

$26.83-$30.77 USD per hour. Starting rate will vary based on previous experience and relevant skills/knowledge set.