Overview
Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy is seeking a seasonal, part-time educator that can help grow our capacity and lend support facilitating JBRPC’s field trips and public programs. The Educator should be motivated and enthusiastic, interested in informal education, and comfortable working in field-based and office-based settings. The Educator will be responsible for learning JBRPC’s 3rd -8th grade field trip portfolio, including a diverse field trip catalog as part of the National Park Foundation’s Open Outdoors for Kids initiative in partnership with Gateway National Recreation Area. Your primary responsibilities will be: delivering high-quality in-person and virtual programming to diverse learners within the public school system (K-12), supporting our public programs by facilitating activities and tabling at events, and performing light office work.
The Educator should be comfortable engaging a wide range of audiences, with diverse interests, abilities and backgrounds and be committed to creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all who participate in our programs. The right candidate will have experience leading STEAM activities for children in a formal or informal setting, an enthusiasm for learning and interest in the work of JBRPC.
The part-time educator may have the flexibility to work remotely on occasion but will primarily work at our office located in Rockaway Park. They will be expected to travel to park sites throughout Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway peninsula as well as off-site at area schools. Remote work opportunities may change over time and based on season.
Core Responsibilities:
- Learn our diverse suite of programming and facilitate virtual and in-person field trips for all ages (K-12) , with a focus on 3rd – 8th grade audiences.
- Support public programs by facilitating activities and tabling at events.
- As needed, participate in and lead activities in volunteer stewardship projects that may include but are not limited to trash and debris removal, planting native plants in challenging sites such as dunes and marshes, and trail restoration.
- Program preparation, break-down, and light administrative assistance and office work.
Required Qualifications and Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree and some experience in the education, environmental, and/or parks fields.
- Comfortable teaching STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Activism, Math) based curriculum to varied audiences, knowledge of best practices and how to incorporate them into parks-based education programming preferred.
- Confidence with Windows Office suite, Google suite, and basic digital communication tools such as Zoom, Google Meet and MS Teams.
- Equivalent of one year related experience working with varied populations in an educational setting a plus.
- Excellent planning and organizational skills
- Strong communication and facilitation skills
- Ability to engage audiences of diverse backgrounds.
- Ability to maintain a flexible schedule.
- Ability to work independently and as a part of a collaborative team.
This position is part-time and seasonal, working on average, 16 hours per week to support program delivery and facilitation, with occasional weekend shifts required. A regular schedule can be established in conversation with the Manager of Education Programs taking into account the shifting needs of the department, but candidates must be able to commit to at least three 4-hour shifts from 9:30 am-1:30 pm throughout the workweek (M-F). Position available January 2023, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until Friday, December 2nd.