Environmental Education Assistant (PRA7)

TITLE/GRADE: Park & Recreational Aide 7 (Environmental Education Assistant)
SALARY HIRING RATE: $23.43 an hour.
WORK LOCATION: Clay Pit Ponds Interpretive Center, 2351 Veterans Road West, Staten Island, NY 10309
REGION: New York City
NEGOTIATING UNIT: NU-03 CSEA
JURISDICTIONAL CLASS: Labor Class
TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Long-Term Seasonal (Year-Round) 40 hours a week
 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the supervision of the Park Manager, the Environmental Educator 1 and the Regional Environmental Educator 2, the Environmental Education Assistant will:

• Help prepare, teach, and evaluate public and private environmental education programs.
  • Design and lead monthly public programming.
  • Help lead school field trips.
• Staff the Clay Pit Ponds Interpretive Center, providing friendly and courteous customer service to all visitors, proactively greeting them to educate them about the Interpretive Center and Park Grounds.
• Develop lesson plans and create program material. Keep materials organized and help maintain inventory and purchasing lists.
• Assist in running the social media pages for Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve: create posts, schedule content, answer messages.
• Assist with designing and distributing event flyers, writing Eventbrite listings, and creating other promotional material.
• Design public volunteer stewardship projects and lead community science events; coordinate with stewardship and park management teams to lead private volunteer events for corporate entities and non-profit groups.
• Collect community science and wildlife monitoring data; submit all pertinent permits and data to collection source.
• Assist in supervising summer seasonal park educators and Student Conservation Association members.
• Provide occasional support at large festivals region-wide and represent NYS Parks at tabling events outside of the agency.
• Perform in field work to support stewardship and park operations as needed; provide excellent customer service to patrons by answering questions and disseminating information.
• Collaborate with the Regional Environmental Education Team to administer a cooperative and consistent Regional Environmental Education Program.
• Assist Regional Environmental Education Team with programs and events at other NYC Region facilities as needed.

• May be assigned other duties as needed.

   

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
• At least one year of professional experience, preferably in the field of environmental education; or one year of college study with a specialization in natural science, natural resources, or environmental education
• High school diploma required; a bachelor’s degree in the fields mentioned above is preferred but not required.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license that allows the candidate to legally operate a motor vehicle in New York State.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Experience working with children ages 0-10
• Bilingual
OPERATIONAL NEEDS:
• Applicants must be willing to work outdoors and, in all weather, conditions.
• Applicants must be available to work a varied schedule, including weekends and holidays. The schedule will usually be Tuesday – Saturday, 8:45am – 5:15pm but may be shifted for special events.
• Applicants must be willing to handle and care for live animals including fish and invertebrates.
• Applicants must have excellent communication skills and be willing and able to speak publicly to diverse audiences.
• Applicants must possess strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently.
• Applicants must enjoy working with people of all ages and backgrounds.
• Applicants must have experience in or demonstrate willingness to learn the following programs: Facebook, Instagram, Eventbrite, Canva, G Suite, Microsoft Office (specifically Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams).
• Applicants must be willing to travel to NYS Parks throughout the NYC Region and the 5 Boroughs.

TO APPLY:
If you feel you meet the minimum qualifications and the agency’s operating needs, and are interested in being considered for this vacancy, you can obtain an Employment Application from your local park office, your region’s administrative headquarters or you can download an application from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation by visiting the website below: https://parks.ny.gov/documents/employment/FillableUpdatedParksEmployeeApplicationS1000Part1NYC.pdf 
You can email your application, cover letter and resume to nycvacancies@parks.ny.gov 
All qualified persons are invited and encouraged to apply.
It is the responsibility of each applicant to accurately describe their experience and demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualifications and agency operating needs.
POSTING DATE: 07/22/2024 APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL: 08/05/2024.