<p>Onondaga County Aquarium</p> <p>General Curator</p> <p>The General Curator provides strategic and operational leadership for all animal care and welfare programs. This position oversees the husbandry, behavioral training, and animal ambassador teams, ensuring exemplary standards of animal welfare, safety, and regulatory compliance. During the pre-opening phase, the General Curator will lead the animal acquisition and introduction process, coordinate the commissioning of all animal habitats and holding systems, and build the Life Sciences team that will support daily operations and long-term institutional growth.</p> <p>Pre-Opening / Commissioning Phase</p> <ul> <li>Lead planning and implementation of all animal introductions, acclimations, and exhibit commissioning. </li><li>Collaborate with design, operations, and facilities teams to ensure all habitats meet species-specific welfare, life support, and behavioral needs. </li><li>Develop and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for animal care, recordkeeping, safety, public interaction programming, and emergency response. </li><li>Oversee animal transfers, permitting, and quarantine processes in coordination with veterinary and regulatory partners. </li><li>Recruit, train, and onboard animal care and training staff prior to opening. </li><li>Assist in final AZA-related documentation, welfare assessments, and regulatory inspections related to animal areas. </li></ul> <p>Operational Phase</p> <ul> <li> <p>Provide leadership and direction to the Life Sciences team.</p> </li><li> <p>Directly supervise Assistant Curator and Life Sciences supervisors, providing leadership in hiring, coaching, performance evaluations, corrective action, and staff development.</p> </li><li> <p>Ensure all animal care, enrichment, and behavioral training programs meet or exceed AZA, USDA, FWC, and other applicable standards.</p> </li><li> <p>Establish and support professional development pathways for Life Sciences staff, including training, cross-training, conference participation, and ongoing skill-building.</p> </li><li> <p>Develop and maintain an institutional animal collection plan in alignment with conservation, education, and guest experience goals.</p> </li><li> <p>Participate as a member of the senior leadership team in institutional strategic planning, operational goal setting, capital project development, and cross-departmental initiatives to ensure animal welfare and guest experience priorities are represented in all major decisions.</p> </li><li> <p>Coordinate with the veterinary team on health management, nutrition, quarantine, and welfare monitoring programs.</p> </li><li> <p>Ensure accurate and timely animal records (husbandry, medical, regulatory, and collection data), to maintain compliance with AZA, USDA, and other reporting standards.</p> </li><li> <p>Oversee all animal acquisitions and dispositions in accordance with the AZA Acquisition/Disposition Policy, institutional ethics, and all applicable federal, state, and international regulations, including coordination with USFWS, FWC, NYS DEC, and global exporting authorities.</p> </li><li> <p>Support guest-facing initiatives through ambassador animal programs, educational encounters, and media/PR appearances.</p> </li><li> <p>Oversee departmental budgets, staffing schedules, and purchasing in collaboration with the Executive Director and Finance.</p> </li><li> <p>Ensure that all Life Sciences team members uphold the institution's guest service standards</p> </li><li> <p>Serve as institutional liaison to AZA programs (TAGs, SSPs) and participate in professional conferences and committees.</p> </li><li> <p>Ensure compliance with all applicable animal welfare, environmental, and operational regulations, including AZA Accreditation Standards, USDA (as applicable), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), OSHA, EPA, and state/local health and building codes.</p> </li><li> <p>Serve as the primary contact for after-hours animal care emergencies.</p> </li><li> <p>Other duties as assigned.</p> </li></ul> <p>Experience Required</p> <p>Bachelor's degree in Zoology, Marine Biology, Animal Behavior, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred. Minimum 8-10 years of progressive experience in professional animal care, with at least 5 years in a supervisory or curatorial capacity. Proven success managing mixed aquatic and terrestrial collections, including ambassador programs. Experience overseeing an institutional dive program and familiarity with dive safety standards is preferred. PADI Open Water or equivalent (or able to obtain within 90 days of employment) required. Must hold and maintain First Aid, CPR, Emergency O2, and AED certification; training will be provided. Exceptional leadership skills and proven experience. Demonstrated experience commissioning new exhibits or facilities and integrating animal collections into newly constructed habitats. Strong understanding of animal health, behavioral training, enrichment, and welfare assessment. Familiarity with AZA accreditation standards, animal acquisition and disposition policies, and relevant permitting processes. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Experience managing departmental budgets. Strong listening, presentation and decision-making skills. Creative problem solver who thrives when presented with a challenge. Energetic and eager to tackle new projects and ideas.</p> <p>Salary</p> <p>70,000 - 80,000</p> <p>How to Apply</p> <p>All applicants should apply through our corporate website at https://zooceanarium.com/careers</p> <p>Onondaga County Aquarium</p> <p>451 Solar St</p> <p>Syracuse, NY 13204</p> <p>Visit our website</p> <p>Like us on Facebook</p>