Position Reports to: Director of Education and Environmental Monitoring

Mission:  Since its founding in 1973, the Damariscotta River Association (DRA) has worked to promote the health of the Damariscotta River Estuary and the human communities that rely on it by conserving and creating access to cherished properties and islands, monitoring and promoting water quality, and providing opportunities for learning about the region’s rich natural, cultural, and historical heritage.

Impact: DRA-PWA currently provides experiential ecology and natural history programs for more than 3,800 people of all ages annually. The water quality monitoring and other environmental monitoring programs provide science-based information to the community and engage citizen volunteers.

Position Summary:  The Environmental Education Assistant works directly with the DRA-PWA Education Director on a year-round, half-time basis to create, schedule, promote, teach, and evaluate a wide variety of school group and public programs for people of all ages. Program topics include natural history, ecology, Wabanaki culture, raising oysters, invasive species, outdoor living skills, and water quality. This position requires the candidate to be proficient in natural sciences and be an excellent teacher.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Coordinate summer nature day camp in collaboration with Education Director. This may include; developing curriculum, scheduling contract instructors, managing registrations, conducting programs in the field, managing a councilor-in-training program for young teens and evaluating all aspects of the program.
• Teach school group and public programs (preschoolers to adults) on a wide variety of natural history and cultural history topics in both indoor and outdoor settings and in a variety of weather conditions.
• Work with Communications Manager to promote programs in printed schedules, press releases, website and Facebook.

Additional Functions:

• Assist with the maintenance of equipment and supplies.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with other non-profits, universities, and government agencies to support educational goals.
• Participate in staff meetings, education committee and related meetings, as well as DRA-PWA events as needed.
• Assist in coordinating education program volunteers. This includes volunteer scheduling, training, and communication to ensure quality programming.
• Translate science for the general public both orally and in writing, with a focus on watersheds, water quality and estuary ecology.

Qualifications:

• BA/BS or Masters (preferred) Degree in a natural science, environmental education or related degree
• At least two years conducting related work.
• A demonstrated ability to teach, work independently, write effectively, and work as a team player within a group are required.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:
Hold a Wilderness First Aid certification or be willing to obtain one.

Language Skills:
Excellent oral communication and presentation skills. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general science periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations. Ability to take meeting notes, edit reports, and conduct related correspondence by email and other electronic and written methods. Ability to effectively respond to requests and questions from DRA-PWA staff, representatives of participating schools, and the general public.

Technical Skills:
A demonstrated the ability to use appropriate technology to process, store, and retrieve data. This includes appropriate software skill levels for word processing, spreadsheets, visual presentations, and telecommunications.

Physical Demands:
Must be able to swim, walk 3 miles at a rigorous pace, and lift up to 50 lbs.

Additional Helpful Skills 

• Captain’s license, lifeguard certificate and/or Maine Guide license
• Grant-writing experience
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel
• Ability to interpret water quality and ecological population data

Work Schedule
Approximately 18 hours weekly. Flexibility in hours will be essential as some evening and weekend hours are occasionally required.

Compensation
Salary Range: $18-$22/hour, depending on experience

Additional Job Information

Note that providing a salary range is not required, but is a practice that models transparency and is one recommended strategy for advancing equitable compensation.

Application Details