Job DescriptionPosition: Program Coordinator, New York Aquarium EducationReports to: Manager of Education Programs, New York Aquarium Positions Managed: Part-time staff, including Adjunct Conservation Educators, Conservation Education Fellows, and interns Location: New York Aquarium, in-person Department: Education Position Type: Full time, Tuesday-Saturday (Monday - Friday during the summer)
About Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS):WCS stands for wildlife and wild places. As the world's premier wildlife conservation organization, WCS has a long track record of achieving innovative, impactful results at scale. We run field programs spanning 60 countries and the entire ocean. We build on a unique foundation: Our reach is global; we discover through best-in-class science; we protect through work on the ground with local and indigenous people; we inspire through our world-class zoos, aquarium, and education programs; and we leverage our resources through partnerships and powerful policy influence. Our more than 4,000 diverse, passionately committed team members in New York City and around the world work collectively to achieve our conservation mission.Job Summary: The Program Coordinator is an integral member of the New York Aquarium Education team, supporting high quality STEM and nature-based learning while advancing conservation education through the lens of Discover, Inspire & Protect. The Program Coordinator oversees and manages general audience programs and develops and delivers all types of educational programming-from field trips and scout programs to informal children and family programs and birthday parties. The ideal candidate has a deep knowledge of pedagogy and strong facilitation skills that can be incorporated into fun and educational experiences for children, adults and intergenerational audiences. The Program Coordinator creates and fosters relationships, both internally and externally, to ensure the success of our programs and expand the diversity and inclusion of participants, staff and volunteers. The position directly supervises part-time staff and interns and provides leadership and support for educators and volunteers. Major Responsibilities: The Program Coordinator's main responsibility is supporting the Education Department by coordinating, developing, teaching, and supporting education programming for the New York Aquarium. Responsibilities include:
- Work closely with the Curator of Education and Manager of Education Programs to ensure that program offerings are innovative and meaningful educational experiences that engage participants in STEM learning and conservation action.
- Manage specific projects and programs, including our slate of children, family and adult programming, leading curriculum development, coordinating logistics, collaborating with Events, Visitor Services and other WCS departments, tracking associated expenses, and scheduling and training staff, interns and volunteers.
- Coordinate with internal and external partners to plan and implement our participation in education outreach events.
- Facilitate meetings to guide general audience program offerings and design, train staff and volunteers in successful program delivery, support the team of conservation educators in program development, delivery and assessment, and develop tools that ensure program quality, consistency and efficiency.
- Interview, hire, train and supervise part time staff and interns.
- Work collaboratively as part of the camp team to ensure the success of summer camp programming. Responsibilities may include developing curricula, leading and supporting summer camp programs, hiring and training camp counselors, and scheduling camp programs and staff.
- Ensure timely completion of administrative tasks, including, but not limited to, meeting with the Education Admin team, monitoring booking systems, ordering supplies and materials, and tracking expenses.
- Work closely with our Animal Teams to safely and effectively incorporate live animal demonstrations into New York Aquarium education experiences. This includes being trained in handling our ambassador animals and supporting team members with their training and animal use scheduling.
- Teach all offered programs including school programs, scout programs, general audience programs, birthday parties, overnights, and community events, as well as table and lead activities at off-site outreach events.
- Be an active and supportive team member in the education department by participating in on-site and off-site staff development days, team meetings and trainings (both individual and team), and through contributing to a positive work environment.
Qualification RequirementsJob Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in science, conservation, education or related field; Master's degree a plus.
- At least two years of instructional experience in development and implementation of formal or informal science or nature education programs.
- Experience supervising staff, interns or volunteers.
- Demonstrated experience working with diverse children and family audiences.
- Ability to work weekends as well as some holidays and evenings.
- Demonstrated experience in cultivating relationships with internal and external audiences.
- Ability to lift up to 20lbs and perform light physical activity including occasional extended periods of time spent outdoors
- Must have a valid driver's license.
- Conversational fluency ill Spanish a plus.
WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person's membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.Note that the salary offer will reflect the selected candidate's individual experiences, skills and qualifications, internal equity, work location and country of work.