Registrar in Draper, Utah at The Living Planet Aquarium

Position: Registrar 

Reports To: Vice President of Zoological Operations 
Salary starting at: $55,000 per year 

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.

Institutional Summary:    

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 Registrar serves as the institutional steward of zoological records, data governance, regulatory documentation, and animal transaction administration for Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, ensuring the accuracy, integrity, accessibility, and regulatory compliance of collection records while facilitating animal acquisitions, dispositions, loans, and transfers in collaboration with animal management leadership. The position manages required animal and plant permits, serves as a primary institutional resource for wildlife regulations, collection documentation, and AZA records-management standards, and provides data-governance oversight for veterinary, water quality, life support, and other zoological records. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Animal Records & Data Governance: Serve as the institutional lead for zoological records management and data governance, ensuring appropriate standards for the accuracy, integrity, accessibility, consistency, and retention of animal collection records and related veterinary, environmental quality, habitat, and other zoological records in compliance with institutional and AZA standards. 
• Recordkeeping Software Administration: Administer institutional animal records and collection-management systems, maintain accurate animal inventory, support reporting needs, and train staff in appropriate recordkeeping practices, data-entry standards, and system use. 
• Regulatory Compliance & Permitting: Manage applicable animal, plant, and biofact permits, licenses, variances, renewals, and regulatory reporting; monitor relevant laws and regulations; and advise staff and leadership regarding compliance requirements affecting the institution's collections and activities. 
• Animal Transactions: Facilitate and advise on animal acquisitions, dispositions, loans, donations, and transfers in collaboration with animal management leadership, ensuring appropriate institutional approvals, agreements, regulatory requirements, and documentation. Support domestic and international movement of animals, biological materials, and regulated products through permitting, regulatory review, documentation, logistics coordination, and communication with partner institutions and agencies. 
•  Collections Management & Institutional Support: Support institutional collection planning and collections-management policy development and provide reports, and regulatory, and expertise in support of animal program decisions, accreditations, inspections, audits, and institutional reporting. 

• Records & Document Management: Maintain appropriate organization, retention, and accessibility of collection-related records and documentation, including permits, agreements, transactions, ownership and loan records, regulatory correspondence, and biofact records maintained in collaboration with relevant departments.  
• Professional & Regulatory Relationships: Serve as an institutional liaison with government agencies, AZA, Species360, zoological institutions, conservation partners, and professional registrar organizations, maintaining current knowledge of regulatory requirements and contemporary zoological records-management practices. 

Experience and Qualifications 

• Four (4)-year degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience. Degree in biology, zoology, information management, museum studies, or a related field preferred. 
• Experience with zoological records management, regulatory compliance, permitting, collections management, or a related field preferred. 
• Experience and familiarity with zoological collection-management systems, including ZIMS/Species360 and Tracks collection management software, preferred. 
• Completion of one or more relevant professional training or certification programs strongly preferred, including the AZA Institutional Records Keeping (IRK) course, Zoological Registrars Association (ZRA) Training Certificate Program, Certified Records Analyst (CRA), Certified Records Manager (CRM), and/or certification in records or museum management. 

Critical Competencies 

• Strong understanding of records management, data governance, data integrity, and documentation standards. 
• Knowledge of wildlife laws, permitting requirements, animal transactions, and regulatory requirements applicable to zoological institutions. 
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines, permits, transactions, and reporting requirements. 
• Proficiency with electronic records systems, specifically Tracks. Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel and Planner. 
• Working knowledge of zoological terminology and taxonomic nomenclature. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external agencies and institutions. 
• Proactive approach to identifying compliance needs, improving records-management practices, and supporting institutional accountability. 

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations 

• Valid Utah driver's license or ability to obtain one within six (6) months of hire. 

• Relevant professional records-management, registrar, or museum-management certifications preferred. 

Working Conditions and Physical Demands 

• Primarily office-based work with regular use of computers, databases, and electronic records-management systems. 
• Occasional evening, weekend, or holiday availability may be required to support critical animal transactions, regulatory needs, or institutional operations. 

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.