Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Dolphin Trainer

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a Dolphin Trainer (Marine Mammal Trainer) to plan and deliver world-class animal care and training programs focused on positive reinforcement, animal welfare, and public education. The ideal candidate has hands-on experience in marine mammal husbandry, behavior shaping for husbandry and medical behaviors, enrichment program design, and safe animal handling for both exhibit and outreach programs. This role requires rigorous record keeping, collaboration with veterinary teams and researchers, compliance with regulatory permits, and clear public-facing communication during presentations and guest interactions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Marine Mammal Intern or Volunteer
Aquarist / Animal Care Technician
Veterinary Technician (with marine or large animal experience)

Advancement To:

Senior Dolphin Trainer / Lead Trainer
Head of Marine Mammal Training or Curator of Marine Mammals
Marine Mammal Program Manager or Director of Animal Care

Lateral Moves:

Aquatic Exhibit Manager
Animal Care Supervisor
Environmental Education Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, implement, and maintain individualized positive reinforcement training plans that teach dolphins voluntary husbandry and medical behaviors (e.g., blood draws, ultrasound positioning, voluntary injections, oral exams) to support preventive care and clinical procedures.
Conduct daily training sessions to strengthen desired behaviors, ensure behavioral health, and maintain performance standards for animal welfare, research, and public presentations.
Perform routine and advanced animal husbandry including feeding, diet formulation and preparation, weight monitoring, body condition scoring and nutritional adjustments in accordance with veterinary guidance.
Monitor, collect, and accurately record behavioral data, training logs, medical behaviors, and daily observations in digital record systems to support animal welfare assessments and regulatory reporting.
Collaborate with veterinarians to train dolphins for cooperative medical behaviors, coordinate medical training protocols, and assist during veterinary exams and procedures.
Create and implement species-appropriate environmental enrichment programs that promote mental stimulation, physical exercise, problem-solving, and natural behaviors.
Lead and supervise public encounter programs and educational presentations, delivering clear, engaging, and accurate marine biology and conservation messaging while ensuring animal and guest safety.
Maintain daily water quality checks and records (salinity, temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) in collaboration with animal care and facility operations to ensure a healthy environment for marine mammals.
Conduct routine health checks and behavioral observations to detect subtle changes in physical condition or behavior and report concerns to the veterinary and management teams promptly.
Ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations (e.g., Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA/USFWS permits) and maintain accurate documentation for inspections and audits.
Participate in rescue, rehabilitation and transport operations when required, including safe capture, restraint, and transfer protocols that prioritize animal welfare.
Maintain training props, enrichment items, medical equipment, and poolside systems; identify maintenance needs and coordinate with facilities for timely repairs.
Provide on-the-job training, supervision and mentoring for interns, volunteers and junior trainers; develop training curricula and standard operating procedures for staff development.
Plan and execute animal behavior research projects and collaborative studies with external academic or conservation partners, including data collection, sample handling and observational protocols.
Develop and update standard operating procedures (SOPs) for husbandry, training, safety, emergency response and enrichment based on best practices and current scientific literature.
Participate in emergency preparedness planning and drills (e.g., animal escapes, medical emergencies, severe weather), acting as an animal-handling lead when needed.
Manage and maintain inventory of diets, enrichment supplies, training tools, and medical consumables; forecast needs and assist with budget planning for animal care programs.
Coordinate behind-the-scenes and educational tours, ensuring accurate interpretation of training techniques, conservation messages, and facility protocols for guests and stakeholders.
Provide behavioral assessments and consult with staff on problem-solving strategies for challenging or novel behaviors, using evidence-based training approaches.
Maintain professional relationships with external stakeholders such as researchers, permitting agencies, transport teams, and partner institutions to support collaborative projects.
Administer daily animal transfers between habitats or transport crates, ensuring secure handling and minimal stress, and complete transport documentation per regulatory requirements.
Evaluate and refine training methods based on behavior science, welfare indicators, and measurable outcomes, continuously improving training efficiency and animal wellbeing.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc animal behavior research and assist with data analysis and reporting for internal and external projects.
Assist with volunteer and internship program coordination, including onboarding, scheduling and performance feedback.
Contribute to the facility's conservation messaging and outreach strategy through social media content, blog posts, and educational materials about marine mammal welfare.
Participate in interdisciplinary meetings (veterinary, operations, education) to align training goals with medical, exhibit and guest experience objectives.
Help maintain and update permit applications, record submissions and compliance documentation as directed by the compliance officer.
Assist with scheduling and logistics for off-site outreach visits, animal demonstrations and community education events.
Provide cross-training and coverage for aquarist and animal care roles during staff shortages or peak seasons.
Undertake special projects such as habitat redesign consultations, enrichment procurement pilots, and new behavior implementation trials.
Help steward partnerships with universities and research institutions by hosting student projects and facilitating data collection.
Contribute to internal training program assessments and metrics tracking to demonstrate impact on animal welfare and program objectives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced proficiency in positive reinforcement training and operant conditioning techniques specific to marine mammals (dolphins, small cetaceans).
Experience training cooperative medical behaviors (e.g., voluntary blood draw, blowhole exams, target training) to support veterinary care.
Strong husbandry skills including diet preparation, nutrition monitoring, weight tracking, and body condition assessment.
Competence with water quality testing and interpretation (salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature) and collaboration with facilities staff.
Experience with safe capture, restraint and transfer protocols for marine mammals and familiarity with transport compliance requirements.
Behavior data collection and digital record-keeping skills (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets, ZIMS, AIMS, or internal databases).
Familiarity with relevant regulations and permitting processes (Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA, USFWS) and reporting requirements.
Basic boat handling and pool/propulsion system awareness for safe in-water operations and exhibit management.
First Aid, CPR, and animal-related emergency response training relevant to aquatic environments.
Experience in habitat enrichment design and implementation using species-appropriate cognitive and physical challenges.
Ability to support or lead applied behavior research projects, including observational study design and data integrity standards.

Soft Skills

Strong observational skills and attention to detail for monitoring subtle behavioral and health changes.
Excellent verbal communication and public presentation skills for engaging guests and delivering conservation messaging.
Team player who collaborates effectively with veterinary, operations, education and research staff.
Patience, consistency and emotional intelligence when shaping behaviors and mentoring junior staff or volunteers.
Problem-solving mindset and ability to adapt training approaches based on animal responses and new scientific evidence.
Professionalism and strong ethics with a demonstrable commitment to animal welfare and conservation.
Time management and organizational skills to coordinate daily sessions, record-keeping and cross-departmental responsibilities.
Cultural sensitivity and interpersonal skills for interacting with diverse audiences and stakeholders.
Leadership potential for supervising interns, volunteers and seasonal staff with clear feedback and coaching.
Resilience and stress-management skills for working in dynamic, physically demanding, and public-facing environments.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; combination of relevant education and hands-on experience accepted.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology, Animal Behavior, Zoology, Animal Science, Psychology, or a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Marine Biology
Animal Behavior / Ethology
Zoology
Animal Science
Psychology (behavioral focus)
Conservation Biology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of progressive experience working directly with marine mammals or large aquatic species in a professional setting (aquariums, research institutions, rehabilitation centers).

Preferred:

3–7+ years as a marine mammal trainer or aquarist with documented experience in positive reinforcement, medical behavior training, enrichment program development, and public presentations. Prior experience with permitting, transport operations, or emergency response is a strong plus.