Educator (3546

Job Location:

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - Tucson, AZ 85743

Join our creative and dynamic education team as a full-time Educator and inspire the next generation of desert stewards. In this role, you'll lead engaging conservation programs that ignite curiosity and foster a lifelong passion for wildlife, habitat preservation, and the natural world. Through hands‑on, interdisciplinary learning that connects ecology, mathematics, art, and more, you'll help students discover the wonders of the Sonoran Desert while making a lasting impact on their understanding of conservation.

This position will most likely begin in late Fall 2026, with interviews in late September to early October. Application review will begin in September. Please understand that if offered a position, you will be required to successfully complete a criminal background check, a pre‑employment drug screen, and provide a current satisfactory 39‑month driver’s history report as a final condition of employment.

Job Title:

Educator

Department:
Conservation, Education and Science

Reports To:

Associate Director for Education

FLSA Status:
Non‑exempt;
Full‑time

Starting Salary: $16.49 per hour (initial step) plus a comprehensive benefit package, which includes medical, dental, vision, life and LTD insurance, FSA, HRA, 403(b) retirement plan, paid holidays, personal business days, sick leave, and vacation. Position is covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Educator role at the Desert Museum assists with educational and conservation experiences for school groups, families, children, camps, and the general public for people of all ages. Programs are a mix of in‑person (indoors & outdoors), overnights, virtual, and hybrid.

• The primary responsibility of this position is to support a variety of programming (classes, family groups, festivals, field trips, informal activities, overnight camping trips, special events, etc.)
• Assist with programs and orientations for school groups, teen programs, community groups, and camps.
• Engage and educate guests through exhibit or nature exploration in addition to onsite, offsite, virtual, and tabling events.
• Follow correct procedures for handling, transporting, and teaching with live animals (arthropods and reptiles) and maintain internal animal handling certifications.
• Compiles Museum artifacts, materials, and other educational tools for educational programs.
• Develops educational materials for programs such as slide decks, manipulatives, worksheets, booklets, and other hands‑on teaching tools.
• Assists with program logistics by communicating with teachers, group leads, and staff.
• Knowledge of and comfort with communicating science topics including the natural history of Sonoran Desert species, climate change, invasive species, the age of the Earth, and dinosaurs, among other topics.
• Maintain records of attendance, training goals, and animal handling.

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Associate’s degree in science, education or closely related field. One year of experience in early childhood or elementary education, formal or informal, paid or volunteer.

• Bachelor’s degree in science, education or a closely related field.
• Two+ years working with children in formal groups (classrooms, clubs, teams etc.).
• Experience working with animals.
• Experience working outdoors in a variety of weather.
• Experience hiking and camping, especially with youth.
• Theater/presentation experience.
• Experience creating educational resources such as slides, handouts, or activities.

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.…