Boulder, CO

Position Title: CIRES Education & Outreach Informal Educator, Program Manager

Organization: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at University of Colorado

Location: Boulder, CO

Organization Overview: At CIRES, more than 950 environmental science professionals work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people’s relationship with the planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and their areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. Their vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal understanding of the Earth system.

CIRES Education & Outreach Program: CIRES Education & Outreach is a team of 24 outreach, education and evaluation professionals. CIRES E&O is a well-known and trusted partner for connecting CIRES science with educators, learners and communities. They strive to make research data accessible, inspire environmental action and empower curiosity and scientific engagement. They provide accessible, inclusive, high-quality environmental science curriculum and informal learning experiences, as well as meaningful professional and career development opportunities.

Position Overview:  The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) Education & Outreach Program seeks to hire a part-time (75%) or full-time (100%) Informal or Formal Educator and Program Manager. They seek to hire a candidate with experience in designing formal or informal science curricula, classroom or out-of-school-time activities, and working with youth, the public or communities. The ideal candidate also brings experience in creating and delivering educator professional development resources and engagement events. The successful candidate will be developing and leading educational programs and developing educational resources that engage youth, communities, classrooms and educators in environmental science topics. Current foci include water, climate, polar topics, natural hazards and climate justice. The successful candidate will spend about 30-50% time serving as the program manager for an informal education project and the rest of their time developing educational experiences for informal settings, developing middle/high school student curricula, and implementing educator professional development opportunities. This position offers a hybrid work modality with on-site and remote work. Hybrid work arrangements will follow current CIRES and university guidance and policies.

The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. They are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Duties: Development of educational experiences for informal settings (e.g., after school, library, planetarium, museum, community events, virtual) and development of curricula for middle and high school students around Earth and Environmental Science topics (current foci include polar regions, climate, water and natural hazards) and focused on data sensemaking and storytelling. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop engaging, hands-on activities, units or lessons using established pedagogical approaches.
• Collaborate with CIRES scientists to translate cutting-edge research for youth and adult audiences and incorporate authentic scientific data into educational materials.
• Incorporate current instructional strategies into curriculum design, such as project-based and placed-based learning, model-based inquiry, Ambitious Science Teaching practices, argument-driven inquiry, and design thinking.
• Develop engaging, creative and innovative curriculum and programming for informal education programs using virtual-reality technology, interpretive practices and storytelling, and game-based activity design.

Development and implementation of educator (formal and informal) professional development workshops and webinars around Earth and Environmental Science topics (current foci include polar regions, climate, natural hazards, and water). Specific responsibilities are to:

• Design and lead engaging educator professional development workshops that use engaging facilitation approaches, including learner embodiment, active learning, and hands-on approaches.

Program management for educational projects. The program manager will work closely with educational and community partners to implement educational programs. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Lead and manage diverse networks of educators (formal or informal), students, scientists, librarians and community members, with audience bases ranging from rural Colorado to nationwide audiences.
• Build new partnerships with educators and community representatives and libraries in rural and tribal communities.
• Coordinate program logistics, including goal setting, implementation planning, and problem-solving to achieve successful program implementation.
• Lead marketing and outreach efforts to advertise program activities and resources.

Additional tasks include:

• Present program results at local or national conferences.
• Publish program results in teacher practitioner and peer-reviewed journals.
• Contribute to project reports for funding agencies.
• Work with administrative staff on logistics, related budget and finance questions.
• Build education and outreach partnerships with community leaders and other outreach groups.
• Work with the evaluation team to evaluate programming.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (science, science education).
• At least three years of teaching experience in informal or formal education setting.
• Experience developing educational materials using current pedagogic practices.
• Experience in managing project or programs.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Experience working in environmental or climate education.
• Ability to work within a team environment with a broad and geographically dispersed group of scientists and educators.

Preferred Qualifications: They invite applicants to apply even if they do not have the preferred skills and experience outlined in this section. If you meet the minimum qualifications and have passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply. They encourage on-the-job training for any additional skills or knowledge that become relevant to the position.

• Experience developing curriculum using authentic scientific data.
• Experience developing educational materials using virtual reality, ESRI StoryMaps or similar innovative educational tools.
• Experience integrating storytelling into educational experiences.
• Training in resource interpretation (e.g., Certified Interpretive Guide, park interpretation).
• Experience developing curricula that emphasize social-emotional learning competencies.
• Experience developing curricula using principles of universal design with an emphasis on accessibility for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

Salary/Pay: $46,500-$55,500

Application Deadline: March 6, 2024

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.