I. Position Summary
The Senior
Educator designs and leads dynamic educational experiences that captivate
students and guests, fostering engagement in STEAM learning and environmental conservation.
Programs span field trips, summer camps, homeschool days, and outreach
initiatives. Ideal candidates will have a strong academic background in
biology, environmental science, education, or a related field. A demonstrated
passion for enhancing environmental literacy and promoting understanding of
aquatic and marine ecosystems is essential. This role requires close
collaboration with the Guest Experience team and regular coordination across
departments to ensure cohesive and impactful educational programming.
II. Responsibilities include but not limited to:
1.Present and facilitate engaging
programs, activities, and instruction for students participating in field trip
experiences, utilizing the best practices in informal STEAM education and conservation
messaging.
2.Participate in the planning,
development, and delivery of onsite and offsite education programs.
3.Support data tracking.
4.Inspire learning and instill a
passion for the aquatic world that encourages guests to play an active role in
conservation efforts.
5.Under general supervision, identify
and coordinate supplies and organize resources.
6.Assist in the development and
coordination of Mississippi Aquarium’s camps; take lead on delivery, training
counselors, and managing each session.
7.Support the assessment of
instructional materials for education programs and projects.
8.Handle and present a variety of
animal species (i.e., mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods);
maintain current animal certification and proficiency.
9.Utilize excellent customer service
and innovation to address challenges and find solutions.
10.Work collaboratively to evaluate the
programs and progress of participants.
11.Support other teams within the
Mississippi Aquarium to complete special projects and tasks.
12.Actively attend staff meetings and
provide thoughtful, creative, and constructive participation.
13.Able to work a flexible schedule to
satisfy operational needs, which will often include working on weekends,
evenings, and holidays.
14.Willing to be a part of a collaborative
team environment to include cross-training across departments, supporting other
internal teams, and completing other duties as assigned.
III. Qualifications:
1.Bachelor’s degree in biology, environmental
science, education, or science related field.
2.At least two years of formal or
informal teaching experience.
3.An ability to lead and motivate
other educators; manage special projects.
4.Demonstrated experience working with
diverse audiences.
5.Willingness to work with various
animal species and maintain animal handling certifications.
6.Must be available to work weekends,
holidays, and some evenings.
7.Previous experience and a passion
for working with children.
8.Must have strong verbal and writing
skills; superior interpersonal and public speaking skills are also necessary to
engage with various audiences.
9.Ability to organize, manage time,
set priorities, and meet deadlines.
10.Must be an innovative thinker who is
willing to embrace challenges.
11.Proficiency with Microsoft Office
Products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
Preferred
Qualifications:
1.CIG Certification with the National Association for Interpretation.
2.Prior
experience handling various animal species.
3.Current
knowledge of wildlife conservation, scientific research, education trends, and
environmental issues.
4.Experience
developing and presenting programs in informal settings such as camps, zoos,
aquariums, museums, nature centers or similar institutions.
Other Personal
Attributes Include:
- Consistently
looking forward, focused, ready to listen.
- A
heart for service, always willing to provide support to fellow team members.
- Make
important and tough decisions with resilience and grace.
- Communicate
a strategy well, oversee execution, and celebrate results.
- Highly
organized self-starter maintaining high standards.
- Have
an awareness and interest in the conservation of aquatic environments and their
inhabitants.
- Innovative,
creative thinker; not afraid to propose something new and inspire others to do
the same.
- Proactive
in finding solutions, productive, and efficient.
Team
Requirements:
- Safety & Security - All Team Members are required to adhere
to all Mississippi Aquarium safety and security standards.
- Attendance & Appearance - To maximize the guest’s experience, all
Team Members are required to adhere to Mississippi Aquarium standard
operating procedures regarding attendance and dress code policies as it
relates to individual job functionality.
- Sales & Guest Services - Our forward-thinking business model
requires listening to and understanding the needs of our guests both
internal and external. To that end,
we must always be focused on the guest experience which is the key driver
for return guest visitation and increased sales.
- Team Partnership - All Team Members are focused on
supporting each other to complete the guest experience. Therefore,
supporting, facilitating, and participating in activities that promote
team effectiveness is vital to our organization.
Physical Demands & Work Environment
The physical demands
and work environment described here are representative of those that must be
met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this
job. Reasonable accommodations may be
made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is
occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel
objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance;
stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must
occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities
required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color and peripheral
vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. While performing the
duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at
the time. The noise level in the work
environment is usually moderate.
