Lead Educator

Lead Educator 

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is seeking a Lead Educator to join our Learning & Museum Experience team! This dynamic role facilitates and activates play-based learning programs, experiences, and environments, both onsite at the museum and in school and community settings. Lead Educators play a leadership role in guiding and catalyzing playful learning across museum programs including school workshops, community programs, exhibits and festivals, and camps and classes.  

**We are particularly seeking bilingual candidates (fluent in English and Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin) in addition to candidates who are fluent in English and none of those additional specified languages. 

Lead Educators bring a commitment to catalyzing and guiding playful learning that supports young children and their families to grow and thrive. They provide an exceptional and memorable experience for all children and their caregivers who visit the museum or participate in our programs in community settings. The position requires a passion for, and experience in, children’s education, a highly motivated and outgoing attitude, and exceptional interpersonal communication and customer service skills. 

This position pays a rate of $26.32**/hour. This is a full-time position, working 5 days per week onsite at our gorgeous 7.5-acre campus in Sausalito, CA. This position works Monday – Friday, with the possibility for one remote day a week. This role spends 95% of work time in a public-facing capacity. All positions require proof of up-to-date COVID vaccination. 

**Bilingual candidates (fluent in English and Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese) will earn $27.32/hour. 

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Facilitating Playful Learning and Engagement  

• Leads the facilitation of onsite and offsite school and community programs including motivating and guiding playful learning; ensuring learning outcomes are met; activating teacher and parent engagement in program, as appropriate; coordinating and collaborating with teachers and other group leaders; modeling best practices in early childhood playful learning; adapting program plans to meet specific needs and contexts; directing other educators supporting facilitation; and participating in program evaluation and documentation 

• Leads the activation of the museum campus and exhibits to create memorable and meaningful learning experiences for families with young children through planned and spontaneous playful interactions and games; open-ended questions and conversations that gently guide children’s play and model interactions for parent engagement; sharing information and suggestions with parents to enrich their families’ experience and learning; and guiding Educators and Assistant Educators in their work to create a warm welcome and meaningful engagement for all visitors 

• Leads the facilitation of special drop-in onsite programs and workshops such as story times and festivals 

• Participates in the development of, and delivers, special seasonal and year-round programs, such as weekend classes and summer camp workshops; also leads school break camps 

• Facilitates programs in Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese, including translation of materials and communication (bilingual staff only) 

Customer Service 

• Ensures every visitor and program participant has an enjoyable experience, and feels welcome and taken care of, by providing exceptional customer service and communications centered in empathy, inclusion, and flexibility. 

• Adheres to, communicates, and enforces museum policies and protocols around visitor safety and behavior.  

Program Support and Administration 

• Works in partnership with other educators and the Facilities team, ensures that indoor and outdoor spaces are set up and maintained to be appealing, clean, and safe for all participants; the museum is closed and opened in a complete and timely manner; identifies and communicates material needs and exhibit/equipment repairs. 

• Supports programs with setup, cleanup/breakdown, and classroom materials management  

• Participates in program ideation, prototyping, planning and evaluation, as required 

• Participates in regular training sessions and conducts program training for other educator staff through shadowing, co-teaching, and other means. 

• Supports program administration and documentation with tasks such as tracking passes, data collection and entry, distribution of museum collateral, and organization of program supplies 

• Anticipates and problem solves day-of scheduling and other challenges, as appropriate. 

• Drives Try it Truck, the museum’s mobile engineering lab. 

Additional duties as assigned.   

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS 

• 3 years of experience working with children ages 0-8 years in formal or informal educational settings. Experience in education, arts education, early childhood education, museum studies, or relevant field preferred. 
• Understanding of early childhood development, pedagogy, and developmentally appropriate practice is preferred. 
• Ability to speak Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese is a plus.  

• Professional commitment to Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion; thoughtful and open about the role of a workplace and a cultural institution in creating a sense of welcome and belonging for staff and visitors.  
• Excellent customer service skills. 
• Ability to take initiative, work independently, and troubleshoot in a fast-paced work environment. 
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills. 
• Excellent problem-solving skills, dependability, flexibility, and an outgoing and friendly personality. 
• Ability to work with a variety of people from various backgrounds and cultures. 
• Comfort speaking in front of large and small groups. 
• Ability to perform physical activities such as bending, kneeling, walking, and picking up items for 2-3 hours at a time. Ability to stand for up to 8 hours and carry up to 50 lbs. for short distances/periods.  Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varying types of weather.  
• Must possess current driver’s license, have a clear Motor Vehicle Record, personal car insurance, and reliable access to a car as local travel is required. 

TO APPLY   

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity. We encourage those from all backgrounds to apply to allow us to build the most inclusive and creative team possible.    

Please do not remove yourself from contention before you even apply. Research shows that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. If much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply.     

ABOUT US   
At the Bay Area Discovery Museum, we believe that providing children with the high-quality early learning experiences they need to be successful is the best investment we can make as a society.    

Whether at the Museum, online, or in the community, we provide experiences that spark children’s natural curiosity for the world around them, while building their creative problem-solving skills and STEM content knowledge. Both on-site and off-site, we facilitate research-backed learning experiences that are fun and engaging for children and families. At our one-of-a-kind location at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, this includes hands-on exhibits, rich STEM and art programming, an on-site preschool, and camps and classes. Off-site, our museum educators bring hands-on STEM programming to students and families at schools and libraries in all nine Bay Area counties.    

We believe that these research-backed on-site and off-site experiences should be made available to all children and families and offer a variety of access initiatives toward this goal. We are currently working our way back up to our pre-pandemic numbers:   

• 350,000 visitors each year, including nearly 100,000 with free or reduced admission    

• 10,000 member families    

• 26,000 children through our school and community programs    

• 587 schools and 215 libraries through all nine Bay Area counties    

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is committed to being welcoming and inclusive. We are continuously working toward the goal of reflecting the diversity of the Bay Area both within our organization and with those we serve.   

WHAT WE OFFER  

The Bay Area Discovery Museum offers a high-energy, results-oriented, creative and fun environment. Employees enjoy reciprocal admission benefits at other museums, regular all-staff celebrations, professional development training, and more. All staff members are valued for their contributions toward creating a high-quality experience for visitors, and their work that allows us to achieve our mission.   

The museum offers 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance to all full-time employees, as well as generous paid time off starting at three weeks per year. Staff working an average of 20 hours per week are eligible for many of the same benefit plans on a prorated basis.  

In addition, we offer the opportunity for each employee to make a unique impact on more than 350,000 museum visitors each year on-site, and many more in the community through the museum’s research-backed school and community programs.   

NOTE TO CANDIDATE   
Due to the sensitivity and requirements of our positions, you should expect to undergo and be cleared of an employment background/criminal check if extended an offer for employment. You may also be asked to provide proof of educational degree(s), licenses, credentials, or vaccinations pertinent to the position.