Animal Care Trainer

What you'll bring to the team

Love animals? Experienced in animal training? Want to make a real difference every day?

At SEA LIFE Blankenberge, we're home to Belgium's only seal sanctuary and hundreds of incredible marine and freshwater species. Every day, our team works to deliver exceptional animal care, support conservation and inspire our guests to care about the natural world.

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Animal Care Trainer to join our team.

This is a hands-on animal care role, so you'll be involved in all aspects of daily husbandry – but we're particularly looking for someone who can bring proven animal training experience to the team.

No two days are ever the same—and that's exactly how we like it.

Why join SEA LIFE Blankenberge?

This isn't just another aquarium.

You’ll have the opportunity to work with an incredibly diverse collection of animals, including:

• Seals and other marine mammals
• Penguins and other birds
• Otters
• Sharks and rays
• Sea turtles
• Native North Sea species
• Tropical marine and freshwater species
• Reptiles and invertebrates

You’ll also play an important part in developing our animal training programmes, supporting the highest standards of welfare and helping our wider Animal Care team continue to learn and develop.

What you'll be doing

As our Animal Care Trainer, you’ll combine excellent animal husbandry with your experience of positive, welfare-led animal training.

Your day could include:

• Developing and delivering structured animal training programmes
• Carrying out training sessions with a variety of species using positive reinforcement techniques
• Supporting behavioural management and enrichment programmes that promote excellent animal welfare
• Sharing your knowledge and coaching other members of the Animal Care team in animal training techniques
• Monitoring, recording and evaluating animal behaviour and training progress
• Delivering exceptional daily animal husbandry
• Preparing specialised diets and feeding a wide variety of species
• Creating and delivering enrichment programmes
• Monitoring animal health, welfare and behaviour
• Maintaining excellent water quality and supporting the operation of our Life Support Systems (LSS)
• Carrying out habitat maintenance and, where appropriately qualified, aquatic diving duties
• Supporting veterinary procedures where required
• Assisting with breeding programmes and conservation initiatives
• Delivering engaging guest talks, feeds and presentations
• Working closely with the wider Animal Care team on projects and continuous improvements
• Maintaining accurate animal care, welfare and training records

One day you could be delivering a training session with our animals, the next supporting a veterinary procedure, maintaining an aquatic habitat or helping a colleague develop their animal training skills.

Qualifications & Experience

What we’re looking for

This role requires someone who already has practical animal training experience and can confidently bring that knowledge into our team.

You’ll need:

• Practical experience working as an animal trainer
• Practical experience maintaining aquatic life support systems
• Knowledge of aquarium water chemistry and water quality management
• Strong animal husbandry experience across multiple species
• A qualification in Animal Care, Marine Biology, Zoology or a related subject (desirable)
• A professional diving qualification (desirable)
• A full driving licence
• A positive attitude, excellent teamwork and a commitment to high welfare standards
• A genuine commitment to exceptional animal welfare and conservation

As part of the recruitment process, we’ll also ask you to provide details of your previous animal training experience and professional references who can verify your experience and approach to animal care and training.

Working pattern

This is a full-time position.

Because we care for animals 365 days a year, you’ll work a fair share of weekends and public holidays and participate in an emergency on-call rota.

Benefits

Alongside an exciting career helping care for amazing animals, you’ll enjoy:

• Private healthcare including hospitalisation
• Monthly bonus scheme linked to guest experience and customer spend
• Meal vouchers
• Eco vouchers
• 25% discount in Merlin retail shops and restaurants
• Merlin Magic Pass – free entry to Merlin attractions worldwide for you, your family and friends
• STAR of the Month recogni