Senior Life Support Technician - Harborview Aquarium
Syracuse, NY
Full Time
Experienced
Position Type & Salary
The Senior Life Support Technician serves as the senior working technician responsible for the day-to-day operation, preventive maintenance, and troubleshooting of all life support systems at the aquarium, as well as general maintenance and repair of the Aquarium. This role provides direct supervision and technical guidance to the LSS Technician team, acting as the first point of escalation for operational issues and serving as the LSS & Maintenance Manager's primary delegate during off-hours and scheduled absences. This role is critical during the facility commissioning phase and requires a hands-on, solutions-driven individual with deep technical expertise and strong leadership skills.
Duties & Responsibilities
Preopening/Commissioning Phase
The individual must possess the following abilities to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some or a combination of the abilities.
- Full Time Salaried
- $21/hour
The Senior Life Support Technician serves as the senior working technician responsible for the day-to-day operation, preventive maintenance, and troubleshooting of all life support systems at the aquarium, as well as general maintenance and repair of the Aquarium. This role provides direct supervision and technical guidance to the LSS Technician team, acting as the first point of escalation for operational issues and serving as the LSS & Maintenance Manager's primary delegate during off-hours and scheduled absences. This role is critical during the facility commissioning phase and requires a hands-on, solutions-driven individual with deep technical expertise and strong leadership skills.
Duties & Responsibilities
Preopening/Commissioning Phase
- Assist the LSS Manager in commissioning all life support systems, including system startup, performance testing, and documentation of baseline operating parameters.
- Help develop and validate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), preventive maintenance (PM) schedules, and safety protocols.
- Participate in the assembly, start-up, and operations of standalone aquatic life support systems, including smaller independent systems serving specialized habitats and holding areas.
- Support the setup of spare parts inventory, maintenance tools, and vendor relationships.
- Participate in onboarding and training of incoming LSS Technicians.
- Assist in establishing work order workflows and CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) protocols.
Operational Phase
Experience, Skills, & Qualification- Oversee and participate in daily inspection and operation of all LSS equipment including pumps, filtration systems, ozone generators, UV systems, chemical dosing, and control/automation platforms.
- Monitor water quality parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, ORP, pH, nitrogen cycle stability, and clarity) and coordinate corrective actions with all responsible parties as needed.
- Maintain the preventative maintenance program of all LSS equipment through the manufacturers’ scheduled maintenance for all equipment.
- Perform general building repair and maintenance in both guest-facing areas and back-of-house.
- Assist in making seawater for marine systems.
- Serve as lead responder for system alarms and critical equipment failures; implement corrective actions and escalate to the LSS Manager as appropriate.
- Directly supervise the LSS Technician team on assigned shifts
- Assign and prioritize daily work orders and PM tasks.
- Conduct informal coaching, safety briefings, and on-the-job training to LSS Technicians
- Review completed work for accuracy and compliance with SOPs.
- Perform advanced troubleshooting of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems; coordinate with contractors and vendors for specialized repairs.
- In the absence of the LSS Manager, act as a point of contact for Onondaga County Facilities personnel.
- Maintain accurate system logs, work orders, and performance data in the CMMS.
- Conduct routine testing of backup systems and support emergency preparedness drills.
- Assist in coordinating facility support for special events, extended hours, and seasonal operations.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable OSHA, EPA, NY State DEC, USFWS, FWC, local Health Department, Fire Marshal, and AZA standards.
- Promote a safety-first culture; enforce lockout/tagout, confined space, respiratory protection, and chemical handling protocols at all times.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Two years + in an assisted animal husbandry position required.
- One year + in a similar management role required.
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) or equivalent required.
- Instructor level First Aid, Emergency O2 and AED certification required.
- Strong technical skills related to dive equipment required.
- Working proficiency with basic hand and power tools is preferred.
- Dive program leadership in an aquarium preferred.
- Experience in the care of flora and fauna in a public aquarium setting preferred.
- Experience working with relevant authorities and accrediting associations preferred.
- Competency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- Experience managing large teams preferred.
- Exceptional leadership skills and proven experience.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- 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.
The individual must possess the following abilities to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some or a combination of the abilities.
- Requires walking/ standing for long periods of time, bending and crouching, climbing, working in small/tight spaces, and lifting up to 50 lbs.
- Ability to read, listen and communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
- Ability to access and accurately input information using a moderately complex computer system.
- Hearing and visual ability to observe and detect signs of emergency situations.
- Requires the ability to perform the physical, visual and hearing requirements in the working conditions above.
- Upon employment all team members are required to comply with the standards, rules and regulations, which may be established by the Company and updated from time-to-time. Team members who violate property rules or have irregular attendance will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
- The leisure business functions seven days a week. Due to the seasonal nature of the industry, team members may be required to work varying schedules, weekends, holidays and overtime to reflect the business needs of the property. Team members may also be required to attend group and/or department meetings in addition to the work shift as necessary.
- This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that a team member in this position may be asked to perform.
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