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Position description: 

The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Life Support Systems Supervisor to join the facilities and operations team. The Life Support Systems (LSS) Supervisor at the Seattle Aquarium oversees the monitoring, operation, repair, maintenance, and optimization of all aquatic life support systems to ensure safe habitats and compliance with animal welfare, sustainability, and safety standards. Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the Supervisor leads a team of LSS technicians, ensuring systems function efficiently and sustainably. This role works closely with Animal Care, Water Quality, Facilities, and Operations teams to support the health and well-being of the Aquarium’s aquatic life. The Supervisor also participates in on-call overnight monitoring and emergency response for critical life support systems. Through these efforts, the LSS Supervisor helps ensure exceptional care for the Aquarium’s animals and a positive experience for visitors and staff. 

All positions at the Aquarium support and advance our SALISH Values (Sustainable, Awe-Inspiring, Learning and Improving, Inclusive Community, Scientific Integrity, Honoring Place). As a part of our values, the Aquarium is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. We adopted a DEI strategic plan and Regenerative Plan. We envision a future in which ocean and coastal communities survive and thrive, where we can meet the needs of the present while building more resilient and equitable systems for the future.

Key functions: 

1. LSS Operations Management
2. Leads the LSS function with support from the Engineering Manager, ensuring consistent staff coverage of LSS functions across the Aquarium campus.
3. Oversees the daily operation, maintenance, and repair of pumps, filters, ozone and UV disinfection, heat exchangers, automated controls, and other equipment associated with LSS water treatment systems, ensuring optimal operations of LSS systems.
4. Implements, maintains and performs preventive maintenance programs to ensure equipment and system reliability and longevity.
5. Leads LSS projects and assists team members and other departments with related work as needed.
6. Serves as primary on-call response for after-hours LSS emergencies.
7. Training & Staff Management
8. Manages and mentors LSS staff through training, onboarding, evaluation of performance, coaching support and staff development. Ensure direct reports are well trained, high performing and aligned with the Aquarium’s S.A.L.I.S.H. values.
9. Mentors, supports and advocates for staff; fosters an environment where team members’ overall wellbeing is supported.
10. Conducts regular staff meetings to review ongoing work, set priorities, schedule and assign work, and ensure alignment with departmental and Aquarium-wide initiatives.
11. Provide LSS-specific training to technicians to enhance their technical skills and knowledge of LSS systems (Controls and Electronics, Liquid and Gas Circulation, Filtration, Temperature Control, Disinfection, Habitat Construction, Plumbing, Water Quality).
12. Foster a culture of teamwork, continuous learning, and professional growth, providing mentorship and training to ensure staff growth.
13. Cross-train and collaborate across the Facilities and Animal Care teams as needed to ensure cohesive operations.
14. Participates in both managerial and technical professional development opportunities.
15. Learns and stays up to date on relevant environmental health and safety, animal welfare and other regulatory compliance standards as they relate to the LSS function in order to promote safe and compliant operations within the team.
16. Administrative and Project Management
17. Oversees procurement for life support system equipment and supplies, including maintaining an inventory of critical spare parts, chemicals, and system components.
18. Ensures proper LSS recordkeeping and documentation of system performance, water quality metrics, maintenance activities, etc. utilizing Aquarium systems (CMMS, Tracks, etc.) to promote organized and timely reporting for decision-making and compliance needs.
19. Manage LSS-related projects, ensuring completion within scope, budget, and timeline.
20. Advocate for system improvements and work with the Engineering Manager to implement upgrades.
21. Works with and manages vendors and contractors as needed ensuring quality work and compliance with Aquarium policies.
22. Collaborate with the Animal Care and Water Quality teams to enhance operational sustainability and efficiency.
23. Safety, Compliance & Regulatory Oversight
24. Ensure adherence to safety requirement protocols, environmental regulations, and animal welfare standards related to life support operations.
25. Serves on the Aquarium’s Emergency Response Team. Participates in both preparedness drills and emergency response. Responsible for coordinating and executing LSS-related emergency response preparedness.
26. Develop and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for system maintenance, emergency responses, and operational best practices.
27. Coordinate with the Aquarium’s Safety team to conduct risk assessments and ensure compliance with local, state, and national regulatory requirements.
28. Other duties as assigned as appropriate to level and scope of the role. 

Required skills and experience:

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. 

1. Combination of 6 years of education and/or work experience in fields related to engineering, aquaculture operations, marine biology or similar with a minimum of 4 of those years of in LSS operations, preferably in an aquarium, zoo, or aquatic research facility.
2. Demonstrated comprehensive technical knowledge of operation, repair and maintenance of life support systems including water filtration, ozone disinfection, and UV disinfection, to support aquatic animal care facility requirements.
3. Supervisory experience of technical staff preferred. Ability to mentor staff to develop technical skills and collaborate effectively.
4. General knowledge of facility operations with the ability to collaborate within the broader facilities team and across Aquarium departments.
5. Working knowledge of CMMS platforms and preventive maintenance scheduling.
6. Strong problem-solving, analytical, and project management skills. Ability to solve problems in a dynamic environment.
7. Willingness to communicate and collaborate within and across functional teams. Multilingual and multicultural communication skills and experience are preferred.
8. Ability to safely use power and hand tools in a shop environment in order to fabricate, modify, and/or repair components of LSS systems.
9. General k...