Animal Welfare Supervisor

Job summary

The Animal Welfare Supervisor leads the planning and coordination of fish welfare during handling, including sea lice treatments and site transports. They are also responsible for managing staff, ensuring operational compliance, and analyzing treatment data to drive continuous improvement.

Job details

Animal Welfare Supervisor Vancouver Island, BC Cermaq British Columbia is seeking a permanent full-time Animal Welfare Supervisor to join our Fish Health team. Located along the beautiful coastal waters of Vancouver Island, Cermaq is an international salmon farming company, which prides itself on playing a leadership role in the global sector. We have a team of more than 3500 employees across Chile, Canada and Norway. A committed team that is proud to grow nutritious seafood for a competitive global market. At Cermaq, you become part of a meaningful and consistently developing workplace. We offer a wide range of job opportunities where you will be able to grow and learn in a rapidly advancing and dynamic sector. We support our employees’ personal development and make it possible for you to realize new ideas and initiatives. Our culture is informal and dedicated. We are smart people in rubber boots. We care for each other, for the environment and for our communities. Reporting to the Fish Health Environmental Monitoring Manager, the Animal Welfare Supervisor leads the planning and coordination of fish welfare any time our fish are handled with a vessel. This includes sea lice treatments, smolt deliveries, and site to site transports. Key Responsibilities: Lead and support the scheduling, training, and development of Animal Welfare and Treatment Technicians, ensuring appropriate staffing, technical competency, and operational readiness. Coordinate treatment vessel operations, including scheduling, personnel, equipment, site readiness, and logistics to support safe and efficient treatment events. Oversee fish welfare and water quality monitoring before and during fish handling and treatment activities. Lead sea lice sampling, data collection, treatment monitoring, and efficacy analysis to support continuous improvement and treatment optimization. Monitor treatment parameters, including water quality, treatment thresholds, and exposure times, and ensure activities are conducted in accordance with established protocols. Provide coaching and technical guidance to operations and farm-site teams on fish welfare, sea lice management, treatment practices, and environmental monitoring. Ensure compliance with government regulations, WorkSafeBC requirements, Standard Operating Procedures, biosecurity protocols, and company policies. Support farm-site environmental monitoring activities, including plankton sampling, sea lice identification and counting, and real-time environmental sensor maintenance and troubleshooting. Train and support farm staff in environmental monitoring procedures, sensor maintenance, sampling techniques, and related technical activities. Analyze operational and treatment data to identify trends, evaluate effectiveness, and drive continuous improvement across Seawater Production operations. Collaborate across teams to support fish health, environmental monitoring, operational priorities, and broader Seawater Production initiatives, including freshwater activities as required. Qualifications & Skills: Ability to effectively manage, mentor, coach, and develop staff, fostering accountability, professional growth, and a high-performing team environment; Familiar with Project Management principles; Excellent computer skills (Fishtalk, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook); Excellent organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills. BSc or related degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Environmental science or Aquaculture; Have a minimum of 3 to 5 years’ related work experience, preferably in an industrial setting with fisheries, aquaculture and/or a marine setting or equivalent. SVOP / PCOC, ROC-M, SDV-BS, First Aid, Transportation Endorsement all considered assets. Physical Job Requirements: Capable of car, boat and plane travel Is capable of safely lifting 50lbs (23 kg) What we Offer: Company paid medical and dental benefits upon hire Company matching RRSP Program 6% Vacation, 3 weeks per year Starting wage of $70,000 – 75,000/ year This position is camp based, on vessel and/or Saltwater Facility, working 8 consecutive 10-hour days, followed by 6 days off before returning to work. How to Apply: If your qualifications meet the application requirements and you would like to apply for this opportunity, please apply through our careers page at www.cermaq.ca, apply via Indeed, or email your resume and cover letter stating “Animal Welfare Supervisor” in the subject line, to: careers.canada@cermaq.com Cermaq is an equal opportunities employer who provides a workplace that is free of discrimination. Cermaq has a progressive view of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Although wholly committed to hire the best candidate available, we strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples for this role. We would like to thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

What you’ll do

The Animal Welfare Supervisor leads the planning and coordination of fish welfare during handling, including sea lice treatments and site transports. They are also responsible for managing staff, ensuring operational compliance, and analyzing treatment data to drive continuous improvement.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a BSc or related degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Environmental Science, or Aquaculture. A minimum of 3 to 5 years of related work experience in an industrial, fisheries, or marine setting is required.

Benefits

• Medical benefits • Dental benefits • RRSP program • Paid vacation

Listed skills

• Time management · Preferred
• Problem solving · Preferred
• Data analysis · Preferred
• Compliance · Preferred
• Microsoft Office · Preferred
• Project management · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Staff management
• Mentoring
• Project management
• Fish welfare monitoring
• Water quality monitoring
• Sea lice management
• Data analysis
• Operational scheduling
• Technical training
• Logistics coordination
• Compliance
• Environmental monitoring
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Fishtalk
• Microsoft Office
• Animal Welfare
• Accountability
• Treatment Monitoring
• Planning
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• First Aid
• Reconciliation
• Biology
• Marine Biology
• Management
• Computer Literacy
• Continuous Improvement Process
• Training And Development
• Data Collection
• Environmental Monitoring
• Environmental Science
• Standard Operating Procedure
• International Finance
• Leadership
• Problem Solving
• Project Management
• Microsoft Outlook
• Operations
• Coaching
• Sampling (Statistics)
• Seafood Preparation
• Time Management
• Troubleshooting (Problem Solving)
• Water Quality
• Scheduling
• Coordinating
• Aquaculture
• Biosecurity

Job areas

• Agriculture
• Environmental & Sustainability
• Management & Leadership
• Science & Research
• Logistics
• Child Welfare Supervisor
• Fish Hatchery Manager
• Aquaculture and Fisheries Production Managers
• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers