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Life Support Systems Supervisor
Seattle Aquarium
People & HR, Customer Service, Operations
USD 34-34 / hour
Posted on May 24, 2025
JOB POSTING
Life Support Systems Supervisor
Posted: Open to internal and external applicants
Reports to: Engineering Manager
Status: Full-time, hourly, benefitted position
Hours of work: Standard Sunday–Thursday workweek, 6:30am–3pm. Occasional need for weekend or after-hours work as related to events and other projects.
Date needed: July 2025.
Posting expires: Open until filled, priority given to applications received by June 5.
Position description:
The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Life Support Systems Supervisor to join the facilities and operations team. The Life Support Systems (LSS) Supervisor at the Seattle Aquarium oversees the monitoring, operation, repair, maintenance, and optimization of all aquatic life support systems to ensure safe habitats and compliance with animal welfare, sustainability, and safety standards. Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the Supervisor leads a team of LSS technicians, ensuring systems function efficiently and sustainably. This role works closely with Animal Care, Water Quality, Facilities, and Operations teams to support the health and well-being of the Aquarium’s aquatic life. The Supervisor also participates in on-call overnight monitoring and emergency response for critical life support systems. Through these efforts, the LSS Supervisor helps ensure exceptional care for the Aquarium’s animals and a positive experience for visitors and staff.
All positions at the Aquarium support and advance our SALISH Values (Sustainable, Awe-Inspiring, Learning and Improving, Inclusive Community, Scientific Integrity, Honoring Place). As a part of our values, the Aquarium is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. We adopted a DEI strategic plan and Regenerative Plan. We envision a future in which ocean and coastal communities survive and thrive, where we can meet the needs of the present while building more resilient and equitable systems for the future.
Key functions:
- LSS Operations Management
- Leads the LSS function with support from the Engineering Manager, ensuring consistent staff coverage of LSS functions across the Aquarium campus.
- Oversees the daily operation, maintenance, and repair of pumps, filters, ozone and UV disinfection, heat exchangers, automated controls, and other equipment associated with LSS water treatment systems, ensuring optimal operations of LSS systems.
- Implements, maintains and performs preventive maintenance programs to ensure equipment and system reliability and longevity.
- Leads LSS projects and assists team members and other departments with related work as needed.
- Serves as primary on-call response for after-hours LSS emergencies.
- Training & Staff Management
- Manages and mentors LSS staff through training, onboarding, evaluation of performance, coaching support and staff development. Ensure direct reports are well trained, high performing and aligned with the Aquarium’s S.A.L.I.S.H. values.
- Mentors, supports and advocates for staff; fosters an environment where team members’ overall wellbeing is supported.
- Conducts regular staff meetings to review ongoing work, set priorities, schedule and assign work, and ensure alignment with departmental and Aquarium-wide initiatives.
- Provide LSS-specific training to technicians to enhance their technical skills and knowledge of LSS systems (Controls and Electronics, Liquid and Gas Circulation, Filtration, Temperature Control, Disinfection, Habitat Construction, Plumbing, Water Quality).
- Foster a culture of teamwork, continuous learning, and professional growth, providing mentorship and training to ensure staff growth.
- Crosstrain and collaborate across the Facilities and Animal Care teams as needed to ensure cohesive operations.
- Participates in both managerial and technical professional development opportunities.
- Learns and stays up to date on relevant environmental health and safety, animal welfare and other regulatory compliance standards as they relate to the LSS function in order to promote safe and compliant operations within the team.
- Administrative and Project Management
- Oversees procurement for life support system equipment and supplies, including maintaining an inventory of critical spare parts, chemicals, and system components.
- Ensures proper LSS recordkeeping and documentation of system performance, water quality metrics, maintenance activities, etc. utilizing Aquarium systems (CMMS, Tracks, etc.) to promote organized and timely reporting for decision-making and compliance needs.
- Manage LSS-related projects, ensuring completion within scope, budget, and timeline.
- Advocate for system improvements and work with the Engineering Manager to implement upgrades.
- Works with and manages vendors and contractors as needed ensuring quality work and compliance with Aquarium policies.
- Collaborate with the Animal Care and Water Quality teams to enhance operational sustainability and efficiency.
- Safety, Compliance & Regulatory Oversight
- Ensure adherence to safety requirement protocols, environmental regulations, and animal welfare standards related to life support operations.
- Serves on the Aquarium’s Emergency Response Team. Participates in both preparedness drills and emergency response. Responsible for coordinating and executing LSS-related emergency response preparedness.
- Develop and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for system maintenance, emergency responses, and operational best practices.
- Coordinate with the Aquarium’s Safety team to conduct risk assessments and ensure compliance with local, state, and national regulatory requirements.
- Other duties as assigned as appropriate to level and scope of the role.
Required skills and experience:
The skills and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant cultural and community programs, jobs, internships, volunteer experience, and/or formal or informal education. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.
- Combination of 6 years of education and/or work experience in fields related to engineering, aquaculture operations, marine biology or similar with a minimum of 4 of those years of in LSS operations, preferably in an aquarium, zoo, or aquatic research facility.
- Demonstrated comprehensive technical knowledge of operation, repair and maintenance of life support systems including water filtration, ozone disinfection, and UV disinfection, to support aquatic animal care facility requirements.
- Supervisory experience of technical staff preferred. Ability to mentor staff to develop technical skills and collaborate effectively.
- General knowledge of facility operations with the ability to collaborate within the broader facilities team and across Aquarium departments.
- Working knowledge of CMMS platforms and preventive maintenance scheduling.
- Strong problem-solving, analytical, and project management skills. Ability to solve problems in a dynamic environment.
- Willingness to communicate and collaborate within and across functional teams. Multilingual and multicultural communication skills and experience are preferred.
- Ability to safely use power and hand tools in a shop environment in order to fabricate, modify, and/or repair components of LSS systems.
- General knowledge of animal husbandry requirements needed to support the care of aquatic species.
- Basic knowledge of water quality and chemistry in an aquatic environment
- Knowledge of industry animal welfare, safety, and other regulatory compliance standards (such as OSHA). Willingness to model behaviors in support of meeting these standards and coach team members to be advocates of a safe workplace.
- Demonstrates an understanding and commitment to the Aquarium’s Mission and Values, including Regenerative and Equity work.
- The following training/certifications are provided by the Aquarium and must be successfully completed in first 180 days of employment (and maintained thereafter)
- Scissor and Articulated Boom Lift Training
- Forklift Training
- Ladder Safety Training
- Confined Space Training
- Woodshop Safety Training
- CPR Training
- Respirator Fit Test Training
- Fall Protection Training
- Valid Washington State Driver’s License (training and certification are not provided by the Aquarium)
Working conditions:
- Work takes place in both office and mechanical/industrial environments, including confined spaces, rooftops, and over water. Requires commitment to safety and ability to use preventative protective equipment.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, handle, or feel, and talk or hear.
- Frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
- Required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl.
- Frequently required to lift 50 pounds and may be required to “team lift” heavier weights.
- The vision requirements include ability to adjust focus, peripheral vision, and close vision.
- Able to work at heights (i.e. ladders and use of aerial lifts).
- Exposure to outside weather conditions and noise from machinery and visitors when the Aquarium is busy.
- Must be able and willing to safely use a scissor lift and other power equipment to complete responsibilities.
- Occasional flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.
- Exposure to noise, chemicals, and biohazards in certain work areas, with appropriate safety measures in place.
Salary and benefits: $34.00/hour, Dependent on experience. Please include salary expectations in your materials. Full-time staff are eligible for the Seattle Aquarium’s comprehensive benefits package to include medical, vision, dental, an employer-funded health reimbursement account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b retirement fund with employer match, access to a subsidized ORCA pass, a Seattle Aquarium Family Plus membership and generous paid time off.
How to apply: The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don’t feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.
Interested candidates should upload a résumé to our online application to be considered. Application review will begin immediately.
Please let us know if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for this job by emailing us at jobs@seattleaquarium.org.
Note: If offered the position, candidates must pass a background check and motor vehicle records check. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second chance employer. Regarding driving records: Within the last three years, you must not have had more than two moving traffic violations or any major violation (DUI, reckless driving, negligent driving, etc.).
About the Seattle Aquarium:
The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world’s one ocean. Our passionate staff increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing an inspiring visitor experience, engaging daytime and evening events, conservation education programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, community outreach to marginalized populations, research that advances understanding of animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild, advocacy and policy work, an award-winning volunteer program, high-impact marketing and communications, and more.
Our values, developed in conjunction with our staff, include commitments to adopting and promoting sustainable practices, creating awe-inspiring experiences, constantly learning and improving, fostering an inclusive community, maintaining scientific credibility through evidence-based practices and honoring our unique place by using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.
Proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, we’re among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. by attendance, and we welcome over 850,000 people each year. Guided by our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment, we’re working to substantially increase our conservation impact by expanding our campus with a new building, the Ocean Pavilion. Learn more at SeattleAquarium.org.
Timeline:
We anticipate the following recruiting schedule for those candidates who are selected for consideration. The following dates are preliminary and subject to change. We will work with candidates to set interview dates. If hired, relocation assistance is not available.
- Application deadline: Open until filled.
- Priority given to applications received by June 5.
- Interviews completed by July 2025.
- Start date: July 2025.
Sunday through Thursday 6:30AM to 3PM