(Sr.) Trainer

Shedd Aquarium•Chicago, IL

14h•Onsite

About The Position

Shedd Aquarium is seeking a (Sr.) Trainer to join our Oceanarium team and support the care, training, welfare, and engagement of a diverse collection of animals, including dolphins, whales, penguins, sea otters, sea lions, birds of prey, and other animal ambassadors. This role combines exceptional animal care and husbandry with positive reinforcement training, behavioral conditioning, public engagement, and teamwork. Trainers play an important role in creating meaningful experiences for both animals and guests while supporting the highest standards of animal welfare. The position is intentionally designed to accommodate different levels of experience. Candidates with strong foundational experience may be considered at the Trainer level, while candidates with more advanced experience in animal training, behavior modification, leadership, and staff development may be considered for the Senior Trainer level.

Requirements

2+ years of experience working with marine mammals, birds, or other exotic animals or an equivalent amount of experience at another facility training animals
Ability to work on weekends, holidays, evenings, and other non-standard hours as required.
Commitment to continued learning and professional growth.
Ability to receive, apply, and provide constructive feedback.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills are important.
Experience working effectively as part of a collaborative team.
Demonstrated ability to train and maintain foundational animal behaviors.
Experience applying operant conditioning principles focusing on positive reinforcement.
5+ years of professional experience in animal husbandry, training, behavior, and guest programming, preferably within an AZA-accredited institution (Senior Level).
Advanced knowledge and demonstrated application of positive reinforcement, operant conditioning, and behavior modification techniques across a variety of taxa (Senior Level).
Demonstrated ability to independently develop and condition complex behaviors (Senior Level).
Strong animal husbandry knowledge and experience supporting complex animal care needs (Senior Level).
Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, and coaching skills (Senior Level).
Experience coordinating animal training goals, enrichment programs, presentations, or other departmental initiatives (Senior Level).
Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment in complex situations (Senior Level).
Strong public speaking, presentation, and guest engagement skills (Senior Level).
Proficiency with SCUBA diving for exhibit maintenance and/or animal care activities (Senior Level).
Strong computer and record-keeping skills (Senior Level).
Open water diving certification required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Zoology, Biology, Life Sciences, or a related area is preferred.
Equivalent experience will be considered instead of a degree.

Responsibilities

Provide exceptional daily care and husbandry for animals within the Oceanarium collection, including diet preparation, enrichment, animal handling, and support for medical care.
Support animal health and welfare through observation, training, enrichment, and appropriate husbandry practices.
Maintain clean, safe environments and accurate records related to animal care, behavior, diets, medical needs, and daily operations.
Dive and snorkel as needed for pool cleaning, exhibit inspection, maintenance, and animal care.
Collaborate effectively within the Oceanarium team and across departments to support animal care, training, and departmental goals.
Participate in team meetings, training sessions, special events, volunteer activities, and other departmental initiatives.
Provide guidance and constructive feedback to less experienced staff and contribute to a positive learning environment.
Demonstrate professionalism, flexibility, and positive relationships with colleagues, volunteers, guests, contractors, and community partners.
Engage guests by sharing accurate, compelling information about animals, their care, and Shedd’s mission.
Participate in public presentations, tours, behind-the-scenes experiences, media opportunities, student interviews, and other educational programs.
Represent Shedd with professionalism while creating positive and memorable guest experiences.
Apply operant conditioning principles, with a focus on positive reinforcement, to develop and maintain animal behaviors.
Participate in training goals and behavioral programming that support animal care, welfare, management, and guest programming.
Develop behaviors from foundational stages through completion while maintaining appropriate training standards and animal welfare practices.
Support animal presentations, guest interactions, and other programs through effective animal training and handling.
Apply advanced operant conditioning and behavior modification techniques to develop complex behaviors with minimal oversight (Senior Level).
Coordinate daily animal training goals and complex training initiatives, including enrichment, presentations, and new behavioral conditioning (Senior Level).
Assist leadership with animal care, training, handling, programming, and departmental standards and goals (Senior Level).
Lead or coordinate specialized animal handling for presentations, medical care, transport, and other activities (Senior Level).
Mentor and develop less experienced staff in animal training, husbandry, enrichment, animal handling, guest interpretation, and general operations (Senior Level).
Partner with leadership to develop and implement animal care, training, enrichment, programming, and personnel goals (Senior Level).
Represent Shedd in advanced public presentations, media appearances, tours, and facilitated programs (Senior Level).
Support compliance with applicable industry and government standards (Senior Level).