Environmental Education Assistant (PRA 7)

TITLE/GRADE: Park & Recreational Aide 6-7 (Environmental Education Assistant)
SALARY HIRING RATE: $21.57 -$24.13 an hour
WORK LOCATION: Shirley Chisholm State Park – NYC Region; 950 Fountain Ave, Brooklyn NY 11208 |1750 Pennsylvania Ave, Brooklyn NY 11239; https://parks.ny.gov/parks/shirleychisholm/ 
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 Environmental Educator 1, the Deputy Park Director or Park Admin team. The Environmental Education Assistant will:

• Help prepare, teach, and evaluate public and private environmental education programs at Shirley Chisholm State Park. This includes:
  • Design and lead monthly public programming.
  • Help lead school field trips that focus on hands on science and nature-based learning.
• Develop lesson plans and create program material. Keep materials organized and help maintain inventory and purchasing lists.
• Run the social media page for Shirley Chisholm State Park: create posts, schedule content, answer messages.
• Assist with designing and distributing event flyers, event registration, and creating promotional material.
• Design public volunteer stewardship projects and lead community science events; coordinate with stewardship and park management teams to lead volunteer events.
• 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.
• Assist in facilitating weekly kayak tours, learn-to-kayak, and learn-to-fish programs during the summer season.
• Occasional support at large region-wide festivals, programming at other state parks in the region, and representing 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.

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, environmental education, or a similar topic.
• High school diploma required; a bachelor’s degree in the fields mentioned above is preferred but not required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Experience working with children 0-15 or in an education setting.
• Experience with social media, graphic design, public speaking and communication, leadership, and/or cartography.
• Bilingual

OPERATIONAL NEEDS:
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license that allows the candidate to legally operate a motor vehicle in New York State as a term and condition of employment. If not licensed at the time of appointment, the appointee must obtain a driver’s license without restrictions or conditions within the term of probation
• Applicants must be willing to work outdoors and in all weather conditions
• Applicants must be available to work a varied schedule, including weekends, holidays, and nights. The schedule will usually be Tuesday – Saturday, 8:00am – 4:30pm 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: Instagram, Eventbrite, Canva, G Suite, Microsoft Office (specifically Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams), ArcMap, Adobe Suite (specifically Illustrator, Acrobat).
• Applicants must be willing to travel to NYS Parks throughout the NYC Region and the 5 Boroughs (vehicle will be provided)

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: 04/03/2025 APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL: 04/17/2025
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Agency