Shedd Aquarium is a nonprofit organization dedicated to animal care and welfare, conservation research and public education. Situated on the shore of Lake Michigan, Shedd is home to nearly 32,000 aquatic animals representing more than 1,500 species of fishes, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, birds and mammals from waters around the world.

The Senior Veterinarian establishes and implements a comprehensive medical program, manages clinical medical cases, supports a medical records system, and provides reports on the health of the animal collection.  The Senior Veterinarian is a significant member of the clinical team with primary responsibility in direct patient care and service to the remainder of the Animal Care staff.  The Senior Veterinarian should bring considerable clinical experience and demonstrated ability to work effectively with a diverse workforce.  Specific experience with Marine Mammals (to include pinnipeds, cetaceans and otters) is highly desired.  This position represents the department on aquarium teams and professional associations to assure the high quality of animal care at Shedd Aquarium.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission and values. 
• Establish and implement a comprehensive preventative medical program for the care of the aquarium’s animal collection.
• Coordinate the management of clinical medical cases including diagnoses, prognoses, treatments and post-mortem examinations.
• Support the development of an accessible and organized medical records system.
• Provide timely reports reflecting the health status of collection animals to curators and other appropriate staff.
• Manage activities to assure good communication and responsible management of resources while providing a high level of service which includes strategic planning and financial management.
• Manage the Aquarium Veterinary Student Externship program.
• Represent the department on aquarium teams, and in professional associations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Minimum of a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine with licensure in the state of Illinois.
• Post-doctoral training in an internship or residency program focused on zoological medicine preferred.  

Experience:

• Minimum of five years’ experience in aquatic animal medicine.
• Minimum of two years’ experience in the supervision of staff and development of veterinary medical programs required.

Designations/Certifications: ​​​​​​​

• Licensed by the DEA and accredited by the USDA required.
• ACZM Board certification preferred.
• SCUBA certification preferred.

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.

If you need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to select which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs).