Aquarium Educator at The Living Planet Aquarium – Draper, Utah
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About This Position
Position: Aquarium Educator (Full-Time/Part-Time)
Reports To: Education Assistant Manager
Compensation: $17.00 per hour
Why Utah?
Utah is home to five national parks, world-class skiing and snowboarding, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, and stunning deserts, mountains, and lakes, all within easy driving distance. Outdoor adventure is part of everyday life. The Salt Lake Valley consistently ranks high for safety, clean communities, short commute times, and family-friendly amenities. Draper offers a balance of suburban comfort and urban access, with downtown Salt Lake City just 15 minutes away. Enjoy all four seasons without extremes—sunny summers, colorful falls, snowy winters, and mild springs, perfect for both outdoor recreation and city living. Utah’s communities are known for being engaged, supportive, and service-oriented, making it easy for newcomers to feel at home.
About Loveland Living Planet Aquarium:
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (LLPA) is a mission-driven institution dedicated to inspiring people to explore, discover, and learn about Earth’s diverse ecosystems. Founded in 1997, the Aquarium provides impactful educational experiences for guests of all ages and backgrounds.
Since opening its Draper, Utah facility in 2014, LLPA has welcomed more than 10 million visitors and delivered over 650,000 educational experiences to students. Home to over 4,000 animals representing 650 species, the Aquarium features immersive habitats from around the world, including coral reefs, kelp forests, the deep ocean, Antarctic waters, tropical rainforests, Asian cloud forests, and Utah’s freshwater ecosystems.
Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 2019, LLPA is in an exciting phase of growth. With the opening of the Sam and Aline Skaggs Science Learning Center, the Aquarium became the largest in the Mountain West and the fifth largest aquarium in the continental United States, offering expanded opportunities for education, research, and professional impact.
Position Summary:
The Aquarium Educator’s role at LLPA is critical to delivering our mission at the Aquarium and throughout Utah. While at the Aquarium, an Educator’s primary responsibility is to enhance the guest experience with high quality interpretive experiences throughout our galleries and education spaces. Educators will interact with Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (LLPA) visitors of all ages and backgrounds to provide inspiring personal engagements and activities or more formal presentations, demonstrations and learning stations. Educators also deliver science education programs to Pre-K – high school students throughout the state and perform a variety of programs both on-grounds at the Aquarium and offsite as assigned.
Educators report directly to Education Assistant Managers. Educators collaborate with assistant managers, managers, and their peer educators to improve interpretation skills and techniques. Educators are required to provide a variety of learning and engagement opportunities for Aquarium guests to enhance their visit.
Qualifications:
- High School Diploma
- At least 18 years of age
- Associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in biology, zoology, marine science, environmental science, education, or a related field is preferred
- Experience interacting with children, small groups and/or large audiences, and the ability to adapt programs to audience age level and size is required
- Experience working in a similar guest-related industry such as hospitality, performing arts, teaching, or zoo/aquarium and museum interpretation preferred
- Experience in STEM programming; development and implementation are preferred
- Must be willing to go through an additional background check required by the UT Public Local Education Agency (LEA)
- Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus
Critical Skills/Competencies:
- Willingness to go beyond expectations to create a fun and safe environment for guests (and staff alike); Skills include spoken, written, and visual communication skills; active listening; and understanding guest needs and using appropriate judgement to fulfill those needs
- Ability to confidently and safely handle and present animals, especially reptiles and insects, after training
- Be punctual, communicate clearly with supervisors, and adhere to all attendance protocols
- Take direction and evaluation feedback well, ask questions, and collaborate with others while maintaining a professional work attitude. Interpretation evaluation and coaching is a key part of our team’s growth and success
- Ability to quickly learn complex and/or factual information, then communicate it to a wide variety of age groups in an engaging and creative manner
- Knowledge of science processes, marine biology, zoology and/or ecology with willingness to increase knowledge
- Ability to engage with guests for over 2 hours in one continuous session.
- Ability to operate company vehicles and follow vehicle protocol. Must keep a favorable driving record and be willing to permit a periodic review of your driving record, if necessary
- Ability to follow detailed daily interpretation and monthly shift schedules
- Ability to work in a fast-paced and continually evolving environment
- Basic computer knowledge and skills
- A valid Utah driver’s license, or the willingness to acquire one within 30 days of hire date, is required. Ability and willingness to drive long distances
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Educators scheduled for Aquarium interpretation shifts fulfill the following responsibilities:
- Collect engagement materials (example biofacts), and open and close galleries
- Deliver high quality interpretive experiences throughout our galleries including engaging presentations and demonstrations
- Conduct animal encounters
- Engage with guests during public hours and after-hours events
- Educators scheduled for school outreach shifts fulfill the following responsibilities:
- Deliver engaging and accurate educational presentations in elementary and secondary schools in Utah
- Collect outreach program materials and animals
- Travel to Utah schools, teach between 1 and 6 presentations at each school, return program materials and animals after arriving back at the aquarium
- Use the remaining time to engage with guests in aquarium galleries
- Educators scheduled for camp shifts fulfill the following responsibilities:
- Prepare activities and classrooms for camp day
- Lead or assist with camper check in and check out, all education camp activities, and camper lunch
- Clean up classrooms and start preparing for the next day’s activities
- Additional responsibilities include:
- Understand, support and share with others LLPA’s mission and vision
- Assist in maintaining a clean working environment; ensure all areas of the Aquarium are organized and hazard free
- Deliver engaging and accurate field trip presentations that follow the Utah State Core standards in the Aquarium’s classrooms
- Respond to student behaviors effectively/appropriately using effective classroom management techniques
- Prepare, manage and utilize presentation supplies and materials appropriately
- Assist in educational events and additional programs as needed
- Additional duties as assigned
Physical Demands and Scope of the Job:
- Schedule may include weekends, evenings, and holidays (excluding Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day)
- Shift times vary and may start as early as 6:30 AM and end as late as 10:30 PM. Scheduled days may shift weekly or seasonally based on the education department’s programming needs
- Must be able to stand during long periods of guest engagement. Must be comfortable working under a wide range of temperature (30-90+°F), noise, and light conditions, including indoor and outdoor settings
- Ability to lift 50 lbs.
Benefits & Perks
- Full-time only:
- Comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees including:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus optional FSA/HSA accounts
- Paid time off & 12 paid holidays per year
- Paid bereavement leave and paid new child leave (birth, adoption, or placement)
- Employer-paid short-term disability; optional long-term disability coverage
- Convenient onsite childcare (employees pay approximately 20% of the cost)
- 401(k) with match up to 4% - fully vested from day 1 of contribution
- Comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees including:
- All employees:
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Pet insurance and discounts
- Free Aquarium membership
- Discounts on tickets, gift shop, and café purchases
- Free and discounted animal encounters
- Footwear discounts
- Entertainment, travel, and retail savings through Tickets at Work
While this job description attempts to describe the essential functions of the position, it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. It does not restrict management’s right to assign or reassign duties or responsibilities to this job at any time. The overall work environment while performing this job includes exposure to weather conditions and the noise level is usually moderate. The employee is expected to adhere to all policies and to act as a role model in the adherence to the policies.
The Living Planet Aquarium is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or military status. The Living Planet Aquarium is committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application and interview process. Should you require accommodations, please contact accommodation@livingplanetaquarium.org.
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Job Location
Job Location
This job is located in the Draper, Utah, 84020-9414, United States region.