Chabot Space & Science Center is a non-profit science center and observatory dedicated to inspiring and educating learners of all ages about the Universe and planet Earth. Chabot’s mission is to spark and engage curiosity, deepen access and inclusion within science education, and provide opportunity for pathways into careers in the sciences.

Situated on a beautiful 14-acre campus nestled in the redwoods of Oakland’s regional parks, the Chabot Space & Science Center includes immersive exhibits, hands-on learning activities, science festivals, a state of the art planetarium, and is home to the official NASA Ames Visitor Center. Chabot’s research-level astronomical observatory, featuring three large scale telescopes, is the largest observatory complex free for regular public viewing in the Western United States.

At Chabot, we:

• Conduct ourselves with honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior, maintaining the trust and confidence of our community.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, valuing the diverse perspectives, ideas, and skills of our staff, volunteers, and partners, recognizing that collective efforts drive positive change.
• Encourage creativity and innovation, embracing new ideas, and approaches that advance our mission and optimize our impact and promote ongoing professional development, fostering a culture of learning, growth, and continuous improvement, where individuals are empowered to reach their full potential and contribute their unique strengths.
• Treat all individuals with dignity and respect, appreciating their unique backgrounds and experiences, fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
• Actively seek partnership and collaboration, recognizing that working together with others strengthens our ability to make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.
• Measure our success by the positive impact we make in our community, always seeking ways to address emerging needs, adapt to changing circumstances, and make meaningful and lasting change.
• We believe that everyone deserves a career they love. We strive to build a diverse team that is reflects the people we serve; this is made possible through our commitment to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, equity, and connectedness. 

Exhibit Technician Job Summary:

As the Exhibit Tech, you will be part of the Exhibits & Design Studio, a multidisciplinary team leading the creative direction of Chabot’s experiences. The Exhibit Tech helps to maintain, develop, design and fabricates the interactive exhibits at Chabot and is responsible for ensuring exhibits are in good, working order. This position creates procedures for general exhibit maintenance and activation, providing documentation and training to multiple departments across the museum. The Exhibit Tech will also maintain the Center’s prototyping lab, which includes a laser cutter and 3d printers, creating procedures and trainings for staff use. The position requires a highly creative, motivated individual who is experienced in their skillset and flexible in their approach, welcoming new ideas and experimentation. This position has a Wednesday-Sunday schedule.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Exhibit Maintenance and Design:

• Conduct preventative and routine maintenance and repairs on all exhibits
• Evaluate, redesign, refurbish, modify and improve existing exhibits
• Help organize and manage the setup and breakdown of exhibits
• Perform a variety of maintenance, repair and installation tasks.
• Develop and provide training around daily procedures around exhibit set up/clean up to staff, interns, and volunteers.
• Conduct daily walk throughs to ensure exhibits are in good, working order, and clean/maintain/repair exhibits as necessary.
• Start up and shut down exhibits each day.

Prototyping Lab Set Up:

• Contribute to general exhibits studio operations, including shop organization and cleanliness, inventory of supplies and materials.
• Develop standard practices for 3D printing and laser cutting.
• Train staff on how to use 3D printers and other prototyping equipment as needed.

Contribute to a collaborative work environment:

• Work with volunteers, museum staff and others to contribute to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Participate in mission focused workshops and meetings to contribute your ideas on how exhibits, experiences, and all departments at the Center can make an impact in Oakland.
• Provide feedback and participate in Exhibit & Design meetings focused around exhibits, graphic design, fabrication, experience design, program development, educational impact, and content development.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge of basic electrical and mechanical systems as pertaining to exhibits;
• Skilled in basic shop practices: woodworking, machining, metalworking, finishing;
• Ability to problem solve
• Ability to adhere to maintenance schedules
• Prototyping skills: 3d printing, laser cutting, rapid prototyping

Education and Experience:

• 1-2 years previous experience fabricating exhibits, tradeshows, theater sets, experiential spaces, or related creative work setting strongly preferred.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Must be committed to working in a diverse workforce with dignity and respect, appreciating unique backgrounds and experiences, and fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements listed below are characteristic of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift 25 pounds.
• Ability to work indoors in environmentally controlled conditions, or outdoors in seasonal temperatures.
• Ability to work in a sometimes loud and active environments for an extended period.
• Ability to work in crowded environments.

Application Instructions:

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please address your relevant experience and your passion for science education.

CHABOT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Chabot is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees are people with differing strengths, experiences, and backgrounds who share a passion for bringing science to the full range of our community – sparking excitement about a universe of possibilities beyond our planet. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity but also age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and many other parts of one’s identity. All our employees’ points of view are key to our success, and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $21.00 - $25.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Every weekend

Work Location: In person