Program Assistant; SAGE Center

Founded in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned, AZA-accredited non-profit scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, research institute, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our living collection reflects Earth’s vast biodiversity, consisting of nearly 60,000 animals representing over 800 species. Our research collections are the largest west of the Mississippi, spanning nearly 46 million plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. Our diverse team includes leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who are passionate about advancing knowledge and catalyzing action through science and storytelling.

Whether you're conducting research behind the scenes or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

The California Academy of Sciences seeks a Program Coordinator to join the SAGE Center for Science, Ancestral knowledge, and Global Ecologies, a three-year pilot program operationalizing a braided science framework to regenerate the natural world. By uniting Indigenous Science (including Traditional Ecological Knowledge, or TEK) with Institutional Science methods, the CBS establishes an innovative research hub for ecocultural restoration and resilience.

It centers on equal partnership and Indigenous sovereignty to empower scholars and co-create culturally grounded, adaptive conservation strategies—such as cultural burns and aquaculture—that inform policy and cultivate lasting stewardship. The SAGE Center is housed within the Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability (IBSS). Reporting to Dr. Shannon Tushingham, Associate Curator of Anthropology and Director of CBS, the Coordinator will be a critical member of a team dedicated to this program.

The team's work involves integrating Indigenous and Western methods, drawing on diverse data to investigate climate-driven ecological changes and other scientific problems. This includes collaborating with culture-bearers and Indigenous communities to co-develop research objectives and outreach that honor local protocols. We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to the SAGE Center’s aims and values.

The Academy values candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences and encourages applicants to apply even if they do not meet every single qualification listed. The SAGE Center Coordinator will work closely with the Director and liaise with internal and external partners. This is a full-time, temporary 3-year position, with the possibility of extension, based as a hybrid role (on-site/remote) in San Francisco, California.

The Coordinator will be required to be onsite at the Academy in Golden Gate Park at least 2–3 days per week. Candidates must be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination, including receiving a booster shot, as a condition of employment (absent qualifying exemptions). The full text of the vaccination policy will be provided upon conditional offer of employment.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, and celebrates its accomplishments together. Staff share a commitment to executing a new strategic plan that will strengthen the organization’s financial foundations, cultivate a vibrant internal…