Temporary Science Associate II
Chabot Space & Science Center is a non-profit science center and observatory dedicated to inspiring and educating learners of all ages about the Universe and planet Earth. Chabot’s mission is to spark and engage curiosity, deepen access and inclusion within science education, and provide opportunity for pathways into careers in the sciences.
Situated on a beautiful 13-acre campus nestled in the redwoods of Oakland’s regional parks, the Chabot Space & Science Center includes immersive exhibits, hands-on learning activities, science festivals, a state of the art planetarium, and is home to the official NASA Ames Visitor Center. Chabot’s research-level astronomical observatory, featuring three large scale telescopes, is the largest observatory complex free for regular public viewing in the Western United States.
At Chabot, we:
- Conduct ourselves with honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior, maintaining the trust and confidence of our community.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, valuing the diverse perspectives, ideas, and skills of our staff, volunteers, and partners, recognizing that collective efforts drive positive change.
- Encourage creativity and innovation, embracing new ideas, and approaches that advance our mission and optimize our impact and promote ongoing professional development, fostering a culture of learning, growth, and continuous improvement, where individuals are empowered to reach their full potential and contribute their unique strengths.
- Treat all individuals with dignity and respect, appreciating their unique backgrounds and experiences, fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
- Actively seek partnership and collaboration, recognizing that working together with others strengthens our ability to make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.
- Measure our success by the positive impact we make in our community, always seeking ways to address emerging needs, adapt to changing circumstances, and make meaningful and lasting change.
- We believe that everyone deserves a career they love. We strive to build a diverse team that is reflects the people we serve; this is made possible through our commitment to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, equity, and connectedness.
Science Associate II Job Summary:
The primary responsibility of a Science Associate II is the delivery of prepared science education content including workshops, some live science shows, educational activities for Field Trips, Corporate Workshops, Nature Hikes, Overnights, special programs, and Learning Everywhere / outreach activities in on and off-site locations. It includes set up and clean up but does not include major content design or curriculum development. This is a temporary, full-time position (40 hours per week) with an end date of May 31st,2026. The part-time schedule is Wed-Sat 9am – 5:30pm and includes evening events as needed. This position reports to Director of Public Engagement.
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Deliver Chabot educational content to large and small groups; content including workshops, some live science shows, educational activities for Field Trips, Nature Hikes, Overnights, and special programs
- Deliver Chabot educational content for Learning Everywhere / outreach activities in on-site and off-site settings. Entails access to a car and the ability to both drive and transport educational materials and equipment to off-site locations in the East Bay.
- Assist with the scheduling of off-site outreach activities
- Set up and clean up educational activities led or supported.
- Ensure cleanliness of storage areas, resupply materials as needed and note when supplies are running low.
- Collaborate with volunteers assisting with activities.
- Support Field Trip / Group Sales check in when not delivering 9:45am content sessions.
- Support post-field trip floor clean up followed by preparation for evening events.
- Provide a high level of visitor engagement and experience by supporting needs across departments including opening and closing the museum.
- Participate in Chabot departmental and All-Staff meetings and trainings as needed.
Critical functions at Chabot are cross trained at all levels and positions to ensure appropriate levels of operational staffing, visitor assistance, overall safety, and are the responsibility of all Chabot personnel. Cross training will provide further education around the work and the impact of that work being delivered at Chabot. Examples include:
- Front Desk/Reception
- Floor Reset
- Visitor Greeter
- Field Trip Assistance
- Crowd/attendance management.
- Cafe functions
- Traffic Assistance/Direction
- Planetarium functions
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Passion for science and for working with young people.
- Strong presentation skills and presence, comfortable leading both small and large groups.
- Comfortable sharing information with groups from 4 – 18 years of age as well as with adults
- Comfortable sharing information with people from diverse language and cultural backgrounds and diverse abilities.
- Comfortable answering questions, engaging students, and redirecting behavior
- Ability to take initiative in supporting education program and visitor experience in fluid museum context.
- High level of professionalism.
Education and Experience:
- At least two years post high school graduation and some college
- Science major or strong experience in informal science education
- 1-2 years’ work experience in formal or informal education setting
Work Environment:
Must be committed to working in a diverse workforce with dignity and respect, appreciating unique backgrounds and experiences, and fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
Physical Requirements:
The physical requirements listed below are characteristic of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time.
- Ability to lift 25 pounds.
- Ability to work indoors in environmentally controlled conditions, or outdoors in seasonal temperatures.
- Ability to work in a sometimes loud and active environments for an extended period.
- Ability to work in crowded environments.
CHABOT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Chabot is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees are people with differing strengths, experiences, and backgrounds who share a passion for bringing science to the full range of our community – sparking excitement about a universe of possibilities beyond our planet. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity but also age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and many other parts of one’s identity. All our employees’ points of view are key to our success, and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.
Job Type: part-time
Pay: $21.15 – $24.50 per hour
Work Location: In person
