Aquarist

About the Role

Aquarists are professional aquatic animal keepers who provide for all aspects of husbandry for the aquatic animal collections at the Seas with Nemo & Friends and The Land under the direction of Animal Care management and guidance of Senior Animal Care Specialists. An Aquarist has mastered the scope of animal care skills related to multiple aquatic species and habitats. This role involves developing specialized husbandry skills, leadership behavior, and engaging park guests through interpretation of their role and experiences.

This is a full-time position reporting to the Zoological Manager for The Seas.

Responsibilities

• Perform technical aspects of aquarium animal husbandry at a high level and develop additional technical skill sets while effectively performing husbandry routines.
• Demonstrate proficiency in multiple species, ecosystem routines, or team subsets.
• Demonstrate critical thinking and proactive problem-solving for day-to-day challenges relating to animal care, routines, and processes.
• Promote guest interactions and experiences through increasing skills and engagement.
• Assist in prioritizing training goals and enrichment methods.
• Participate in the training of new keepers/team members.
• Develop and support the team through regular coaching and feedback sessions.
• Provide reliable and efficient communication during daily team meetings, including animal management challenges, training updates, operational demands, improvements, tasks, enrichment, and best practices.
• Exhibit independent decision-making in day-to-day operations as appropriate.
• Work with leadership to establish and pursue developmental behaviors for personal growth and team efficiency.
• Complete work with a limited degree of supervision.
• Serve as an informal resource for colleagues with less experience.
• Consistently demonstrate the Disney 5-Keys and Seas Team Norms & Commitments (2025).

Requirements

• 3+ years of paid AZA animal experience.
• Post-high school education (0-9 years) with a combined education/experience minimum of 5 years. (Preferred: Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology, Aquaculture, Zoology, or related field).
• SCUBA certified, CPR, and First Aid certified.
• Ability to move 50 pounds on a regular basis.
• Ability to carry, assemble, and don SCUBA tanks and gear daily.
• SCUBA Rescue Certified.

Qualifications

High School Diploma or equivalent.

Benefits

Disney offers a rewards package including health and savings benefits, educational opportunities, and special extras unique to Disney. Learn more about benefits and perks.

Pay

The hiring range for this position in Florida is $51,500.00–$68,900.00 per year based on a 40-hour work week. Hours may vary based on business needs. The base pay offered will consider internal equity and may vary depending on geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may also be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to medical, financial, and other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.