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Veterinary Technician
USD 26-28 / hour
Posted on Sep 1, 2026
Job Posting
Veterinary Technician
Department: Veterinary
Reports to: Director of Animal Health
Status: Seasonal position, limited to 1,000 hours.
Hours of Work: The preferred schedule is Sunday through Tuesday or Wednesday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with some flexibility based on candidate availability and team needs.
Position Overview
The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Veterinary Technician to support the health and well-being of animals across a diverse range of taxa in an aquarium setting.
This position plays an important role in furthering the Seattle Aquarium’s mission, “Inspiring Conservation of our Marine Environment,” by providing skilled veterinary technical support and helping maintain continuity of animal health care during staff leave. The Veterinary Technician will work closely with veterinarians, another veterinary technician, and animal care staff to assist with examinations, treatments, procedures, diagnostics, medication administration, recordkeeping, and other aspects of veterinary care.
Success in this role requires strong veterinary technician skills, excellent attention to detail, clear communication, sound judgment, and the ability to work collaboratively across teams. The ideal candidate is comfortable adapting their skills to a wide variety of species and working in a dynamic aquarium environment where animal care needs can vary from day to day.
Essential Functions:
I. Clinical veterinary care (70%)
- Apply veterinary technician skills to the care of all taxa with supervision. The current collection spans two sites and includes northern fur seals, harbor seals, sea otters, river otters, alcids, shorebirds, temperate fish and invertebrates, and tropical fish and invertebrates. Responsible for 16,000 animals from 380 species.
- Calculate, prepare, dispense, and/or administer medications.
- Prepare for and assist veterinarians during medical procedures and occasional surgical procedures.
- Perform or assist with phlebotomy and other diagnostic sampling.
- Perform radiology and assist with ultrasonography and endoscopic procedures.
- Prepare for and assist with induction, maintenance, and monitoring of anesthesia for all taxa under supervision.
- Understand the basics of water quality and how they impact fish health during handling. Calibrate, use, and maintain probe-based meters.
- Monitor patients during recovery or rare critical care.
- Perform dental prophylaxis.
- Perform (fish and invertebrates only) or assist with euthanasia.
- Perform and assist with necropsy examinations under direct or indirect veterinary supervision.
- Process samples for shipping to outside laboratories.
- Maintain accurate and timely records.
- Assist animal care specialists with training behaviors, such as ultrasound, hand-injection, and phlebotomy in pinnipeds, otters, and elasmobranchs.
- Understand the basics of applicable USDA/APHIS animal regulations and the AZA accreditation standards.
II. Management of veterinary spaces (30%)
- Maintain clean and functional veterinary areas, including the Pier 60 Veterinary Clinic, Necropsies, and two Veterinary Labs, with the duties split across the veterinary team.
- Accurately record needs for drugs and supplies.
- Maintain, clean, and sterilize surgical and endoscopic equipment and follow all equipment SOPs; help coordinate maintenance needs.
- Maintain compliance with state and federal regulations for controlled substances, prescription drugs, hazardous waste, and work safety.
- Provide interpretation of spaces or procedures for visitors, students, and donors as needed.
III. Additional Responsibilities (less than weekly):
- Perform emergency treatment and triage of animals in the absence of a veterinarian and under their remote direction.
- Provide on-call services in the rare instances of critical case management or high-risk animal transports.
- Participate in learning opportunities (e.g. talks, topic rounds, journal rounds, fieldwork).
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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.
- A Licensed Veterinary Technician certification for Washington is required.
- Associate’s degree from an accredited Veterinary Technician school is preferred.
- A minimum of one years’ experience as a full-time Veterinary Technician is required.
- A minimum of one year of aquarium, exotics, zoo, or equivalent experience is preferred.
- Must remain current on continuing education requirements.
Working Conditions:
- The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Requires handling, working with, or exposure to large, potentially dangerous animals, animal diseases, and potentially hazardous chemicals.
- Occasionally required to lift more than 30 pounds.
- Must be able to be on their feet six or more hours a day and be active through all physical motions.
- Required to work outdoors year-round, near water, on wet and slippery surfaces, and at heights.
- Applicants must be available to work one weekend day, holidays, and occasional evenings or nights.
- Ability to travel between Seattle Aquarium sites. Having a Washington State Driver’s License is beneficial but not required.
Salary and benefits: $26.00-$28.00 per hour. Dependent on experience. Please include salary expectations in your application 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. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second chance employer.
About the Seattle Aquarium: The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world’s one ocean. Our team increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing excellent care and wellbeing for over 5,000 animals to create an inspiring visitor experience, offer 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 1 million people each year guided by our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment. Learn more at SeattleAquarium.org.