Careers

The Seattle Aquarium is much, much more than the exhibits, animals, activities and experiences that bring hundreds of thousands of people to our facility each year—our passionate staff members are a key element of what sets us apart. We're firmly committed to hiring highly skilled, talented and motivated people who genuinely want to contribute to our shared success. We seek out employees who lead by example, acting with truth, sincerity and fairness in all decisions. We have a positive, visionary view of our organization and its future, and hope you will join in our commitment to our mission, service and quality.

The Seattle Aquarium is a progressive, equal-opportunity employer that values a diverse workforce. As we move forward, we are committed to making the Aquarium a diverse, inclusive and welcoming space for our staff, partners, audiences and community as a whole.

 

Current openings

Our S.A.L.I.S.H. Values

Sustainable

Adopting and promoting, internally and externally, practices that improve ocean health.

Awe inspiring

Creating captivating experience for all audiences.

Learning & improving

Fostering, evaluating and applying knowledge and discovery.

Inclusive community

Recognizing that diversity is critical to achieve our mission.

Scientific Integrity

Ensuring our credibility with evidence-based practices.

Honoring place

Using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.

What Sets Us Apart

Seattle Aquarium volunteers
Culture

The Seattle Aquarium works to ensure that we are inclusive and welcoming to all segments of the community. We strive to have our audience reflect the diversity of our region, including underserved populations and groups, and have developed inclusive outreach and community engagement/action programs to help us toward that goal.

 

Historic photo of Pier 59
History

The Seattle Aquarium is the ninth largest aquarium in the U.S. by attendance and among the top five paid visitor attractions in the Puget Sound region. Since our opening, we’ve hosted over 22 million visitors and provided marine conservation education to over 1.6 million school children. We’re proud to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Seattle Aquarium employees preparing to dive
Conservation

The Seattle Aquarium aims to be a leader in conservation and education, defining the role of a great Aquarium in the 21st century as a catalyst for public engagement. Our focus is on making an impact: through our programs, partnerships, outreach efforts and more—helping people learn to love Puget Sound and Earth’s one big ocean, while galvanizing them to take action to protect these precious resources.

Seattle Aquarium volunteers

Great Benefits

We are invested in providing high-quality, comprehensive benefits and understand their importance for you and your family. Full-time staff enjoy the following benefits:

  • Medical*, vision* and dental coverage
  • An employer-funded health reimbursement account*
  • Access to medical- and dependent-care flexible spending accounts*
  • Basic life insurance
  • Short- and long-term disability
  • Access to voluntary life insurance
  • 403b retirement plan with employer matching funds*
  • Subsidized ORCA pass*
  • Family Plus membership*
  • Participation in annual variable pay program*
  • Generous paid time off

*Part-time staff are eligible for these benefits.

Current Openings

Community science instructor–temporary

Seattle Aquarium community science instructors work with a professional team of marine educators to provide an in-depth science program serving approximately 400 local high school students and their teachers. Duties include instructing diverse groups of high school students in varied topics, including field-based data collection methods, identification of Northwest intertidal species, and the scientific practices as defined by A Framework for K-12 Science Education.

For more information and to apply, click here.
Posting expires: Open until filled; priority consideration for applications received before December 20, 2019.

Field program lead - seasonal

Field program leads work with and support volunteer naturalists in place-based field programs such as the Beach Naturalist and Cedar River Salmon Journey programs. Leads help train naturalists during volunteer training and supervise teams of volunteer naturalists during public program shifts on local beaches and rivers during the summer and fall. Leads also support the efforts of the Aquarium’s community engagement section to reach the “community” goal as expressed in the Seattle Aquarium Strategic Plan 2011–2030: “Ensure that we are inclusive and welcoming to all segments of the community.”

For more information and to apply, click here.
Posting expires: Open until filled.

Lead guest services representative

The primary function of the lead guest services representative (“GSR”) is to work directly with the public to fulfill a variety of customer service responsibilities such as greeting guests and selling admission tickets and be a point-person when challenges arise. This includes offering a high level of customer service to our guests, many of whom are tourists from all around the world. GSRs use ACME Point of Sale (POS), a computerized ticketing and reservation system, for all transactions. GSRs provide information in person, as well as via computer and telephone, about exhibits, admission prices, memberships, education programs and events. The lead GSR will provide support to GSRs in the form of answering questions, being available to handle escalated situations and managing the line in addition to basic supervision behind the gate. This position will also work closely with the guest services supervisor, assisting with general office upkeep.

For more information and to apply, click here.
Posting expires: Monday, February 3, 2020, end of day

Youth engagement mentor - PT

The Seattle Aquarium is looking for a part-time youth engagement mentor to join the Volunteer Engagement team. This position works with the Youth Engagement team to implement the Youth Ocean Advocates volunteer program for high school–age youth in a manner that is both beneficial to the youth participating in the program and to the Aquarium’s mission. The youth engagement mentor is primarily responsible for the implementation of program activities, which includes supervising and supporting youth volunteers in their interpretation shifts, leading field conservation activities, delivering trainings and continuing education opportunities and leading field trips. The position will work to improve the program, particularly our focus on developing a program which is welcoming of all youth and is respectful and appreciative of our community’s diversity. Further, this position will support planning, equitable recruitment and administrative functions of the program.

For more information and to apply, click here.
Posting expires: Tuesday, January 28, end of day

Marine science instructor–temporary

Seattle Aquarium marine science instructors work with a professional team of marine educators. Duties will include teaching a wide range of audiences from pre-K through college level about various marine topics relating to Puget Sound. Programs will be taught primarily at the Aquarium, but may occasionally include outreach to local schools and Puget Sound beaches, as well as support of other programming as needed.

For more information and to apply, click here.
Posting expires: Open until filled; priority consideration for applications received before December 30, 2019.

Data entry specialist - part time

The Aquarium is looking for a part-time data entry specialist to join the Philanthropy team. This position contributes to the success of Seattle Aquarium organizational goals and the Philanthropy department’s fundraising goal by providing timely and accurate data entry, list requests, pledge reminders and event attendance records. The successful candidate will provide excellent stakeholder service by improving the use and maintenance of the philanthropy department’s data systems. The successful candidate will be highly attuned to accuracy and detail, operate with a service-oriented mentality, feel a strong sense of project ownership, focus on managing and proactively resolving issues and escalating issues that cannot be resolved within established timelines.  

For more information and to apply, click here.
Posting expires: Friday, January 31, 2020

Empathy fellow

Seattle Aquarium is hiring three full-time empathy fellows to join the community engagement (CE) team. Empathy fellows will have opportunities to learn about local marine life and conservation efforts, develop personal and professional goals, and become effective educators, facilitators and advocates for marine conservation, empathy and their communities. Fellows will culturally and linguistically reflect the community in which they will be working.

For more information and to apply, click here.
Posting expires: Tuesday, February 4, 2020, end of day

Seattle Aquarium employee performing enrichment activities with harbor seal
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