Animal Ambassador - Federal Work Study (Part-Time)

$16.00/hour

This is a part-time, temporary position not eligible for benefits.

Flexible; up to 20 hours/week

Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) has been making high-quality, affordable education accessible in The West Valley since 1992. As a member of the Maricopa Community Colleges (MCCCD), one of the largest and oldest community college districts in the United States, EMCC has driven personal and professional growth to help students achieve their goals. With smaller class sizes; lower costs; in-person, online, and hybrid learning options; and support focused on the unique educational and personal needs of our students, EMCC has been able to provide the associate degrees and professional certificates needed to help students and the community thrive. Located in one of the fastest-growing regions of the county, EMCC enrolls approximately 15,000 students annually and is planned to be a large comprehensive learning college of more than 40,000 students.

Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) is hiring Animal Ambassadors for our Community Outreach Program. The Animal Ambassadors Community Outreach Program is a student-led initiative focused on raising ecological awareness and promoting sustainability here in the Valley. Extensive training is provided for this position as it requires: handling non-venomous snakes, lizards, turtles/tortoises, a tarantula, giant millipedes, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches.

Job end date: 5/14/2027

50% - Animal Care and Maintenance including: cleaning enclosures, feeding animals (live feed), handling of all animals, documenting animal feeding patterns, health issues, frequent shopping for produce and live feed, and regular supply inventories.

20% - Facilitate Open Lab: Educate guests during open labe (3pm-5pm) about life histories of the various species in our collection.

10% - Conduct Outreach: Events each semester at local schools (pre-schools to high schools), Tres Rios Nature Festival, and annual MCCCD Earth Day event.

10% - Maintain EMCC Community Teaching Garden: planting fall and/or spring gardens, weeding beds, watering, hauling compost, and regularly harvesting produce.

10% - Provide support for the BUZZ Native Bee Biodiversity Research Project by assisting the research team in identifying, photographing, and cataloging native bees.

High School Diploma or GED

Minimum of six (6) college credit hours completed AND enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credit hours in fall and spring

• Enrolled in, or have completed, a minimum of one semester of Biology at the MCCCD.

• Experience working as part of a team.



• Experience being independently responsible for the care of animals including your pets, livestock and/or other animal collections at nonprofits.
• Experience with public speaking.

• Working some early morning, evening or weekend hours



• Occasionally lifting up to 30 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation

The applicant is required to submit a resume AND cover letter showing how they meet the minimum and desired qualifications.

Please ensure your materials clearly provide the following information.

• Clearly illustrate how prior experience, knowledge and education meet the minimum and desired qualifications for this position.

Applying if your are eligible for Federal Work Study:

Please place your student ID number next to your name in the documents you are submitting so that your financial aid status can be verified.

Students must be attending Estrella Mountain Community College during the semester(s) they are applying to work.

In order to qualify for a Federal Work-Study (FWS) job, a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) must be on file for the current award year and have eligible financial needs based on the college requirements. Please contact the EMCC Financial Aid Office for more information.

FWS is a need-based, federally funded program.

FWS does not directly pay for tuition, and funds are only available to eligible students attending a minimum of six (6) degree applicable hours in a federal student aid eligible program.

The FWS award amount is based on your FAFSA results and college funding availability, which will determine the number of hours available to work while supporting the students academic goals.

For more detailed information, please go to the Department of Education's Federal Work-Study Program website.

Must apply on or before 11:59 P.M. on Monday, September 14, 2026 to be considered

Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) will not discriminate, nor tolerate discrimination in employment or education, against any applicant, employee, or student because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status (including document abuse), age, disability, veteran status or genetic information.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

The policy of the MCCCD is to provide an educational, employment, and business environment free of gender discrimination. Incidents of misconduct should be reported to the college Title IX Coordinator, as outined in policy, contact information is available at this link Title IX Coordinators.

The Clery Act is a Federal law requiring United States Colleges and Universities to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. Crime reporting data for each of the Maricopa Community Colleges, as required under the Clery Act, is available at this link Clery Act.