Oahu Education and Outreach Coordinator

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii (Pacific Islands Ocean Exploration Center)

Supervisor: Pacific Islands Ocean Exploration Center Manager

Status: Full-time, exempt

Founded in 2000, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) is the national nonprofit partner to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). Together, we work to protect America’s most treasured ocean and Great Lakes areas—places of extraordinary biodiversity, maritime heritage, and community value. Guided by our commitment to Waters for All, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation connects people to the ocean and Great Lakes through education, conservation, and community engagement.

As the official nonprofit partner of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, we support 18 marine environments from Massachusetts to American Samoa and the Great Lakes to the Florida Keys. We help protect these iconic places, care for marine wildlife and habitats, honor our nation’s maritime heritage, and promote the enjoyment of public waters by all Americans. Through public fundraising and partnerships, we invest in community stewardship, conservation and restoration, education and outreach in visitor centers and gateway communities, and cutting‑edge scientific exploration.

For more than 25 years, we’ve strengthened people’s connections to our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes—along with the history, culture, and maritime heritage they represent—and built partnerships with coastal communities and businesses connected to more than 629,000 square miles of public waters that belong to all Americans.

America’s national marine sanctuaries are living classrooms, laboratories, and community assets that protect the waters shaping our shared future. Managed by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), this network of 18 marine protected areas is multi‑use by nature and spans more than 629,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes—from coral reefs and kelp forests to historic shipwrecks and whale migration routes.

In partnership with marine research institutions, universities, and public‑private partners, activities in each sanctuary help develop solutions to today’s most pressing challenges. Sanctuaries safeguard marine biodiversity, sustain fisheries, support coastal economies, and inspire stewardship through science, education and outreach, and outdoor recreation—from boating to fishing. Many sanctuary gateway communities include visitor centers and partnerships with zoos, aquariums, and museums that extend this impact, serving as hubs for conservation, innovation, commerce, and tourism where people engage directly with the ocean and Great Lakes.

Together, these sites demonstrate how healthy waters and thriving communities are inseparable—and why protecting them is essential.

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is seeking an Education and Outreach Coordinator who will work within the Pacific Islands Ocean Exploration Center (PIOEC) to implement education and outreach programming for the Pacific Islands Region on behalf of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Working collaboratively as part of a multi‑agency team, the Oʻahu Education and Outreach Coordinator is responsible for working with Papahānaumokuākea and the Pacific Islands regional education and outreach staff to plan and implement education and outreach programming about the Pacific Islands regional sanctuary sites for K‑12, secondary, and post‑secondary students, teachers, community members, and visitors on the island of Oʻahu.

The Coordinator works with government, public, and academic partners to plan, coordinate, and facilitate education and outreach activities at the PIOEC and supports sanctuary education and outreach programs and events throughout Oʻahu as directed. The Coordinator position requires the performance of a highly independent professional who provides impactful educational and outreach programs and services to support the mission…