Manager, Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center

Position Summary

The Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center (STRC) Manager provides leadership and oversight for the daily operations of The Florida Aquarium’s (TFA) Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, located at the Center for Conservation (CFC) in Apollo Beach, Florida. This position leads the STRC team and is responsible for the husbandry, rehabilitation, welfare, and operational management of rescued and rehabilitating sea turtles in the Aquarium’s care.

This position ensures that STRC operations meet or exceed all applicable regulatory, accreditation, animal welfare, and professional standards, including requirements established by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Working in collaboration with the Animal Health team, the position coordinates rehabilitation and husbandry activities to support optimal animal health, welfare, and successful return to the wild.

Essential Position Functions

Program Leadership & Regulatory Compliance

• Provides leadership and operational oversight for all activities of the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center.
• Leads, supervises, develops, and evaluates STRC staff and promotes a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture.
• Oversees the recruitment, training, scheduling, supervision, and development of STRC staff, volunteers, and interns.
• Establishes appropriate staffing and on-call coverage to support animal care, emergency response, and program operations.
• Works with the Director of CFC Facility Operations to coordinate facility maintenance, repairs, life-support needs, and improvement projects affecting STRC operations.
• Helps develop and manages the approved STRC annual operating budget and maintains appropriate financial and accounting records.
• Oversees procurement of STRC supplies and equipment and ensures accurate purchasing, invoicing, inventory, and processing practices.
• Ensures compliance with all federal, state, and other applicable regulatory requirements governing the rescue, rehabilitation, management, transport, and release of sea turtles.
• Serves as a primary STRC liaison with the FWC and maintains a collaborative and professional working relationship with FWC’s Imperiled Species Management program and other relevant agency representatives.
• Ensures compliance with applicable accreditation and certification standards, including those of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and American Humane, and maintains STRC facilities, records, procedures, and operations in a state of continual inspection readiness.
• Works with TFA’s Animal Registrar to maintain accurate animal records and ensure timely completion of required regulatory and institutional reporting.
• Develops, maintains, evaluates, and continuously improves STRC standard operating procedures, records, data management, and reporting processes.

Animal Care & Rehabilitation

• Leads husbandry and rehabilitation operations for sea turtles in the STRC’s care, ensuring high standards of animal welfare and appropriate environmental conditions.
• Works collaboratively with the Animal Health team to implement veterinary treatment plans and coordinate examinations, treatments, diagnostics, and other activities supporting the health and well-being of rehabilitating sea turtles.
• Ensures appropriate husbandry, nutrition, water quality, environmental conditions, behavioral monitoring, and daily care throughout the rehabilitation process.
• Coordinates pre-release assessments, including deep-dive testing for sea turtles from The Florida Aquarium and other rehabilitation organizations.
• Coordinates and participates in the release of rehabilitated sea turtles in collaboration with Animal Health, FWC, and other appropriate partners.

Rescue, Response & Release

• Coordinates with state agencies and other partners to support sea turtle stranding response, rescue, recovery, transport, rehabilitation, and release activities within The Florida Aquarium’s authorized responsibilities.
• Ensures appropriate staffing and on-call coverage for timely response to sea turtle emergencies.
• Coordinates and participates in field response, rescue, recovery, and transport of stranded or deceased sea turtles.
• Ensures appropriate collection and documentation of field data and specimens and coordinates carcass disposition when necessary.
• Assists Animal Health with necropsy examinations at the Aquarium and in the field, including specimen management, clean-up, and appropriate waste-management procedures.

Research & Community Engagement

• Identifies opportunities to improve rehabilitation practices and contribute data, expertise, and lessons learned to the broader sea turtle conservation and rehabilitation community.
• Provides accurate and engaging educational information to the public during appropriate stranding-response, rehabilitation, and release activities.
• Coordinates and participates in public programs, presentations, webinars, conferences, professional meetings, and other outreach activities.
• Represents TFA and the STRC professionally with regulatory agencies, conservation partners, professional organizations, and other external stakeholders.
• Supports TFA’s Marketing and Communications teams with media opportunities and public storytelling related to STRC activities.
• Supports Development and other appropriate teams with donor engagement, grant development, grant reporting, and philanthropic activities related to sea turtle rehabilitation and conservation.

Organizational Leadership

• Represents the STRC on TFA’s Aquarium Management Team and participates in appropriate meetings and activities at the Tampa campus.
• Collaborates across Conservation, Animal Health, Facilities, Learning, Development, Marketing and Communications, and other departments to advance organizational priorities.
• Supports TFA’s Shared Purpose by participating annually in a Community/Conservation Day of Action.
• Performs other duties as assigned or required.

Education, Requirements, and Technical Skills

• Bachelor's degree in biological sciences, marine science, zoology, wildlife biology, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of relevant education and significant professional experience may be considered.
• Minimum of three years of professional experience working with marine animals in a rehabilitation setting, including at least two years working primarily with sea turtles.
• Minimum of two years of supervisory or leadership experience involving staff, volunteers, interns, programs, or projects within an aquarium, zoo, wildlife rehabilitation center, museum, conservation organization, or related institution.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sea turtle husbandry, rehabilitation, welfare, transport, and release practices.
• Strong working knowledge of life-support systems, including filtration and disinfection systems, water quality management, and other environmental parameters required for sea turtle care.
• Demonstrated understanding of FWC and Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) protocols, requirements, and guidelines.
• Working knowledge of veterinary technician skills applicable to sea turtle rehabilitation.
• Ability to develop and maintain knowledge of current sea turtle conservation issues, emerging rehabilitation practices, and relevant research.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage multiple operational priorities, develop staff, and work effectively across departments and disciplines.
• Strong organizational, analytical, record-keeping, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to learn and effectively utilize The Florida Aquarium’s animal record-keeping and institutional information systems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Must possess or be able to obtain a valid State of Florida Driver’s License.
• SCUBA certification preferred.
• Ability and willingness to work weekends, evenings, and holidays as program needs require.
• Ability to participate in an on-call rotation and respond to animal emergencies as required.

Competencies

• Customer Service – Demonstrates courtesy, cooperation, and friendliness with staff, volunteers, and customers. Actively listens, anticipates and evaluates the customer’s needs. Ensures that customer satisfaction is a priority in all areas of responsibility. Actively engages our customers while fulfilling job responsibilities.

• Leadership (Individual) — Effective and appropriate use of interpersonal skills to motivate individuals toward the accomplishment of goals; co-creating and communicating a clear vision through emphasis on the organization’s mission, individual and team goals, systems and rewards
• Communication (oral and written) — Effectively expressing ideas verbally and non-verbally and actively listening to individuals and groups; preparing and focusing presentations to the characteristics and needs of the audience; expressing ideas clearly and concisely in written form, through memoranda, letters, reports, and other documents.
• Interpersonal Skills/Teamwork – Supporting, facilitating, and participating in activities that promote team effectiveness; demonstrating sensitivity for the feelings and needs of team members and supporting team goals.
• Professional and Technical Knowledge – Remains current on developments in the fields within and outside the organization; maintains proficiencies.
• Initiative – Taking actions to achieve goals; self-starting and proactive; asserting oneself to support others in the achievement of their goals; originating action rather than responding only to the action of others; anticipating the needs of both internal and external constituencies.
• Work Standards – Applies high performance standards to all work-related activities.

Typical Physical Requirements

• Sitting (4 hours a day)
• Standing (4 hours per day)
• Walking (4 hours per day)
• Bending/Stooping — Frequently
• Squatting — Frequently
• Pushing/Pulling — Frequently
• Carrying (up to 25 lbs.) — Frequently
• Lifting (up to 25 lbs.) — Frequently
• Climbing stairs —Occasionally
• Reaching above shoulders — Occasionally
• Crouching — Occasionally
• Kneeling — Occasionally
• Working near moving machinery — Occasionally
• Exposure to marked changes in temperature and humidity
• Exposure to dust, fumes and gases
• Typing on a computer keyboard
• Viewing a computer screen for extended periods
• Coping with demands (stresses that are associated with the job and/or the work environment so that acceptable levels of performance and overall contribution are maintained)
• Ability to travel (car & air) as needed — locally and/or nationally
• Ability to conduct field work in collection and research
• Daily contact with a living collection of plants and animals in a central Florida climate
• Flexibility in working weekends, evenings, and holidays
• Available for on-call emergencies
• Ability to interact with and be around wild animals
• Subject to bites, stings, and scrapes