MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in environmental or natural resources sciences.
EXPERIENCE: Five years of experience or equivalent in park or natural resource related work, interpretive programming, public outreach and/or environmental education and two years of professional experience in climate education or community practice work is required for this position.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong artistic or graphic design skills with demonstrated proficiency in utilizing programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Publisher, Canva and Adobe InDesign to create flyers, brochures, presentations, or website content to inform and attract attention to initiatives, programs or events;
• Experience working or volunteering at a local, State or National Park including public outreach, education or leading natural-resource related programs;
• Social science research experience (ie: survey development and analysis, interviews, etc.)
• Program evaluation experience (designing and interpreting evaluation data)
• Strong writing and research compilation skills;
• Excellent organizational skills including data management using spreadsheets (e.g., tracking program attendance) and information management on shared Google drives;
• Preference for any of the following or similar certifications: NA Certified Interpretive Guide, Maryland Environmental Education Certification and/or Master Naturalist or Master Gardener Certification;
• Master’s degree in natural resource-related field, recreation and parks, public relations or education.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Applicants selected for employment may undergo an employment background investigation, including, but not limited to: employment reference check, education verification, driving record check (if the position requires employees to drive a vehicle) and a criminal history check including fingerprinting. Should the position you are in consideration for require an employment, driving or criminal history check, continued employment will be contingent on the results.

The Department of Natural Resources, Western Maryland Park Service Headquarters located in Flintstone, MD, is currently accepting applications for one (1) seasonal contractual Climate Education Integration & Community Engagement Coordinator. This 10-month position provides direct support for the Western Region Manager. The selected candidate will provide educational, and community engagement support to the Maryland Park Service, in the context of developing, managing, and conducting science education and stewardship programs and materials. The incumbent will support the conservation education program and support the development of climate, resilience, adaptation, and mitigation educational materials and programming for the public and Department staff. The incumbent will also conduct and expand other environmental education programs for the Department that involve working with K-12 schools on indoor and outdoor science investigations and student stewardship activities; programs engaging teachers and students in studying impacts of climate change; activities at Maryland State Parks and other DNR education priorities. This work will require developing instructional materials based on the real science, research and restoration work of DNR and other state and Federal agencies and aligned to current academic standards and teaching practices; delivering the materials to community members and educators through professional development workshops; developing climate education installations for parks; assisting with field experiences with students; collaborating with outside partners; and managing comprehensive educational and stewardship programs.
The position requires working closely with staff from other units in DNR, as well as with outside partners. This position works cooperatively with Maryland State Department of Education, teachers, and school system administrators throughout Maryland, county environmental education centers, and environmental educators and science/technical staff from other state, federal, and non-government organizations to develop and administer natural resource education and stewardship programs. This position will primarily work in the Flintstone area - MPS Western Region Headquarters Office - with some remote work available but will be heavily involved with state-wide programs and initiatives and may require occasional travel throughout the state of Maryland.