Seasonal Park Educator

Organization

New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation

Job Posted

April 5, 2025

Job status

Job Category

Job Type

Job Duration

Job Compensation Type

Remote

No

Deadline to Apply

Location

New York City Region (Multiple Locations)
New York, NY
United States
Become a seasonal environmental educator this summer! Travel between parks in New York City teaching a variety of programs, from toddler story times, to fishing clinics, to summer camp field trips, to birds walks, to playing in the mud! You will gain hands-on experience working with all age groups and teaching about the natural world.

Summary

TITLE/GRADE: Park Recreation Aide 5 -7 (Seasonal Park Educator)
SALARY HIRING RATE: PRA5 - PRA7 ($20.45 to $24.13 an Hr.)
WORK LOCATION: New York City Region (Multiple Locations) https://parks.ny.gov/regions/new-york-city/default.aspx 
NYC Regional Office (Manhattan)
Gantry Plaza State Park (Queens)
Marsha P. Johnson State Park (Brooklyn)
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park (Manhattan)
Roberto Clemente State Park (Bronx)
REGION: New York City
NEGOTIATING UNIT: NU-03 CSEA
JURISDICTIONAL CLASS: Labor Class
TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Seasonal – May/June through mid to late October
40 hours per week, 20 weeks total.


DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Employee will help plan, prepare, teach, and evaluate public and private in-person environmental education and stewardship programs, under the direction of permanent education staff. There will be a focus on early childhood education.
  • Employee will provide excellent customer service to patrons by answering questions and disseminating information.
  • Employee will prepare program material; materials will be kept organized; employee will help transport program materials to and from regional sites.
  • Employee will perform field work to support environmental education programs and park stewardship which may include both participating and leading volunteers in community science programs, weeding, clean-ups, and invasive species removals.
  • Employee will help educators develop social media content, design temporary exhibits, and create other content as needed.
  • Employee will assist with operations and horticulture work 1-2 days a week, such as: removes trash, cleans facilities, patrols park, remove weeds, provide patrons with information about park
     

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


PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Experience working with children ages 0-10.
• The ability to communicate in Spanish is helpful but not required.


OPERATIONAL NEEDS:
• Applicants must be willing to work outdoors and, in all weather, conditions.
• Applicant must be available to work a varied schedule, including weekends, holidays, and nights. The schedule will usually be Tuesday – Saturday but may be shifted for special events.
• Applicant must be willing to handle and care for live animals including fish and invertebrates.


VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
• 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.


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

Compensation Information

SALARY HIRING RATE: PRA5 - PRA7 ($20.45 to $24.13 an Hr.); Hiring rate based on experience. 

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Seasonal – May/June through mid to late October
40 hours per week, 20 weeks total.

To learn more about our benefits, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/employment/benefits.aspx