Aquarist

SEA LIFE; Brighton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aquarium attraction in Brighton seeks an Aquarist to ensure high standards of animal care and display maintenance. This role requires hands-on experience in aquatic animal husbandry, excellent communication skills, and a creative mindset for exhibit development. You will be responsible for monitoring animal health, maintaining life support systems, and delivering engaging experiences for guests. The position offers a full-time contract with competitive benefits, including discounts and volunteer days.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus additional days for volunteering

25% discount in shops and restaurants

Merlin Magic Pass for free attraction tickets

Enjoy the Ride Pass for Merlin Annual Pass

Employee pricing up to 55% off cinema tickets

Qualifications

• Experience in the aquarium industry is essential.
• Hands-on knowledge of coral keeping and animal husbandry.
• Ability to communicate and share knowledge effectively.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and develop displays with high presentation standards.
• Monitor animal health and safety.
• Ensure cleanliness and maintenance of life support systems.
• Create engaging educational exhibits for guests.

Skills

Aquatic animal husbandry

Creative exhibit development

Effective communication

Customer service abilities

Physical fitness

Education

Degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience

Tools

PADI Rescue Diver qualification

Life support systems

Job description

What you'll bring to the team

Position: Aquarist
Location: Marine Parade Brighton, East Sussex BN2 1TB
Hours: 40 hours per week, across a 7-day rota (any 5 days out of 7)
Closing date: 1st January 2026
Contract Type: Permanent full-time position

Are you ready to splash into action, working with some of the most fascinating aquatic creatures, in the world’s very first public aquarium? Join us as an Aquarist at SEA LIFE Brighton, where your passion for aquatic life will thrive and drive your career to new depths! This is a full-time permanent role with 40 hours per week on a rota basis, including weekends and bank holidays. This role will also include the need to be on site after hours and working on a call out rota.

What’s involved?

As one of our Aquarists, you’ll play a key role in maintaining and developing our displays, ensuring a consistently high standard of presentation and animal husbandry.

You’ll support the smooth running of all show areas, ensuring effective maintenance requirements are carried out, including maintenance to individual displays, life support systems and designated quarantine areas.

Your day-to-day will involve:

• Monitoring the health and safety of animals with care and attention
• Ensuring a high standard of cleanliness throughout SEA LIFE
• Being a key player in animal husbandry and life support system maintenance
• Developing impressively creative and innovative displays
• Delivering fresh and exciting experiences for our guests, being someone keen to share your knowledge and experiences

You will be collaborating on animal acquisitions, supporting in transportations, and handling quarantines all whilst meeting the SEA LIFE’s ethical standards and BIAZA requirements.

Qualifications & Experience

The suited Aquarists will already have some hands-on experience within the aquarium industry and will have expertise in aquatic animal husbandry, coral keeping and life support systems.

In addition:

• Might be degree qualified or equivalent within a relevant field, or able to confidently present genuine interest, gained knowledge and hands‑on experience
• Might hold a PADI Rescue Diver qualification or above, this is desirable
• Will have a creative mindset for developing engaging educational exhibits
• Be an effective communicator happy to share your knowledge, with great customer service abilities and a positive infectious attitude
• Willing to undertake continued training and development requirements

Our Aquarists can endure quite physical activities throughout a working day / week which can be draining on the body, so to maintain a confident level of physical fitness would be advised.

Benefits

• 25 days Holiday (including bank holidays), plus additional days off for volunteering
• 25% discount in our retail shops and restaurants and 40% off LEGO online
• Merlin Magic Pass - giving you free tickets to all our attractions worldwide for you, your family, and friends every year
• Enjoy the Ride Pass – giving you and 5 others a Merlin Annual Pass (Gold Edition)
• Employee pricing up to 55% off cinema tickets

Pay Range

From GBP £27,441.00 / Yr.