Aquarium Technician

School/Department:
Biological Services Aquarium

Contract Type:
Permanent

Salary per annum (£): 23,061.00

Closing Date: 16/09/2026

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Are you ready to take on an essential role in maintaining world-class aquatic systems? The Biological Services Aquarium (BSA) at the University of Sheffield is looking for a dedicated Aquarium Technician to help manage a top zebrafish research facility. This important role focuses on keeping over 3,000 tanks healthy through careful manual cleaning, core husbandry, and detailed health checks. You will work in a highly regulated setting alongside Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWOs) and the Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS).

The successful candidate will help ensure daily operations and animal care standards follow the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Are you comfortable working in a physical, highly organised environment where accuracy matters? This role depends on reliability and a careful attention to detail. Your daily duties involve cleaning tanks, keeping accurate logs, and preparing chemical stock solutions to exact standards. Maintaining a clean facility will directly contribute to the success of groundbreaking scientific research. Our community values a diverse set of backgrounds and viewpoints and encourages all individuals aligned with our values to apply.

Because this position involves physical tasks regularly, we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to ensure access for all talented applicants.

• Detailed maintenance of over 3,000 tanks to ensure our facility consistently meets all legal and biological welfare standards.
• Utilising a variety of specialised methods for the manual cleaning of both standard and small-breeding tanks.
• Rigorous upkeep of fish racks, equipment, and communal spaces.
• Managing the collection of consumables from stores and maintaining aquarium stock solutions by preparing fresh mixtures to detailed specifications.
• Delivering detailed nutritional care through regular fish feeding routines.
• Meticulous daily logging of all completed work.
• Carrying out detailed health evaluations to maintain the sustained health of the zebrafish colony.
• Undertaking unplanned tasks, including heavy lifting, to meet the evolving needs of the aquarium environment.
• Upholding the University Code of Conduct.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Ability to perform repetitive tasks with independent time management

Interview/ Reference

Previous experience/knowledge of fish husbandry

Application/

Interview

Knowledge of health and safety procedures

Application/

Test

Instrumentation skills, including use of microscope

Application/

Interview

Knowledge of systematic cleaning methods

Application/

Interview

Good communication skills (written and oral) in order to work with other facility users

Interview/

Test

Excellent interpersonal skills to enable effective

working relationships within the aquarium staff team

Reference/Test

Ability to show initiative

Interview/

Reference

Ability to work with accuracy

Application/

Interview

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