Education Associate
The Clifton Institute seeks an Education Associate to provide environmental education programs to children and adults, to communicate with the public about our education programs, and to assist with our ecological restoration and research programs.
The Clifton Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located two miles north of Warrenton, in the northern Piedmont of Virginia. Our 900-acre field station, which includes forests, grasslands, shrub fields, and wetlands, is permanently protected under a conservation easement. Our education programs include field trips for local school groups, summer day camps, and monthly natural history programs for children, as well as regular workshops for adults that cover topics like dragonfly biology, breeding bird songs, and nature photography. Please visit www.cliftoninstitute.org/events to learn about our past and upcoming events. The Clifton Institute is a small but dynamic organization and the successful applicant will play an important role in the growth of the organization.
Duties for this position include:
· Contributing to our curriculum of half-day programs to be provided to groups visiting from local schools and other organizations. These programs focus on ecology, natural history, and conservation biology, but draw on topics in geology, hydrology, math, history, and English.
· Providing half-day programs to groups visiting from local schools and other organizations. This includes coordinating with teachers to arrange the date and time of the visit and to decide what program from our curriculum they would like to do.
· Teaching children natural history, ecology, and conservation biology during our monthly YHikes! (Youth Hikes) Saturday morning program.
· Managing two weeks of day camp where we explore natural history with children ages 8-13. This includes planning activities and hiring camp counselors.
· Assisting our team in providing workshops for adults on natural history, taxonomy, and nature appreciation. This includes communicating with event leaders and participants and keeping the website calendar up-to-date.
· Supervising high school and college interns and volunteers.
· Collaborating with other staff to manage our citizen science projects, including the Christmas Bird Count, North American Butterfly Association count, and Deer Management Assistance Program.
· Assisting with fundraising, including the preparation of grant applications, event planning, and meeting with donors.
· Assisting in the preparation of communications materials such as our quarterly print newsletter, bimonthly email updates, and annual reports.
· Managing our social media pages, including designing engaging Facebook posts.
· The successful candidate will have the opportunity to plan and implement projects in the areas of environmental education, ecological restoration, and biological research that interest you.
· Other duties as assigned.
The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:
· A personal passion for natural history, conservation, and education.
· A working knowledge of the natural history of forests and grasslands of eastern North America.
· Substantial teaching experience and / or other relevant experience working with children.
· A Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, education, or related field. A graduate degree in environmental sciences or education a plus.
· Excellent writing skills essential.
· Ecological research or grassland restoration experience a plus.
· Social media skills required.
· Digital design skills a plus.
· Must be willing to work periodically on Saturdays. Our program team often works Tuesday through Saturday.
· Must be authorized to work in the US and able to work at our office in Warrenton, VA.
Salary and Benefits
· Salary will be commensurate with experience. Salary will be in the range of $30,000-$34,000 per year.
· Full time employees receive 15 paid days off during their first year of employment. In addition, we observe ten public holidays.
· The employee will enjoy a flexible work schedule.
· We have competitive health, dental, and retirement benefits as well as life insurance.
· In addition, employees of the Clifton Institute spend a significant amount of time outside on our beautiful 900-acre property.
How to Apply:
Please send applications to bharris@cliftoninstitute.org. Please include a resume and a cover letter describing your interest in working at the Clifton Institute.Please also provide the names and email addresses of at least three references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
In the administration of its employment policies and practices, The Clifton Institute does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship, age, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, veteran status, matriculation, political affiliation or genetic information.