Environmental Educator and Science Coordinator

Environmental Educator & Science Coordinator

Puget Sound Estuarium

Position Type: Full-time, hourly

Compensation: starting at $24/hr

Reports to: Executive Director

Location: Olympia, Washington, with field-based program delivery throughout the South Sound region

About the Role

The Puget Sound Estuarium is hiring an Environmental Educator & Science Coordinator to help coordinate and deliver our education programs for schools, families, youth, adults, and community partners. This position is the primary operational anchor for the Education Department. The role helps ensure that school programs, field trips, SoundPath education programs, camps, public programs, and partner-based learning experiences are scheduled, prepared, staffed, tracked, and delivered effectively.

This is not only a teaching position. It is a coordination-heavy role that also includes direct environmental education. The position is estimated at approximately 70 percent education coordination and program operations, 30 percent environmental education and direct program delivery. The successful candidate will be organized, reliable, communicative, and comfortable managing program details while also teaching in classrooms, on shorelines, at field sites, and in community settings.

What You’ll Do

Education Coordination and Program Operations

You will coordinate the systems that allow education programs to happen smoothly from inquiry to delivery.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintain the education program calendar using 60–90 day planning windows.

• Schedule school programs, field programs, public programs, camps, teacher trainings, STEM Cafés, STEAM nights, and partner-based learning activities.

• Confirm dates, times, locations, group sizes, accessibility needs, staffing needs, and program expectations.

• Serve as the routine contact for teachers, schools, and program partners.

• Send preparation information to teachers and partners before programs.

• Follow up after programs when needed.

• Identify staffing needs and help assign Contract Educators to approved programs.

• Provide Contract Educators with lesson plans, field roles, safety expectations, and program materials.

• Track Contract Educator availability, readiness, reliability, and post-program paperwork.

• Prepare education kits, field supplies, curriculum materials, and program resources.

• Keep curriculum kits stocked and ready for teacher requests.

• Maintain organized program folders, supply lists, lesson plans, partner notes, and checklists.

• Document recurring processes so the department is not dependent on memory.

• Support a stable weekly program review and preparation process.

• Communicate scheduling conflicts, capacity concerns, safety issues, or partner concerns to the Executive Director.

Program Promotion and Revenue Support

Education programs are also an earned-revenue stream for the Estuarium. This role includes a relationship-based program sales and revenue-support function. This is not a hard-sales position. However, the coordinator must be comfortable helping schools and partners understand how Estuarium programs align with their learning goals, curriculum needs, and field experience opportunities.

Responsibilities include:

• Communicate the value and educational alignment of Estuarium programs to schools, teachers, and partners.

• Help match schools with appropriate in-school, field-based, and SoundPath learning experiences.

• Support the conversion of program inquiries into scheduled programs.

• Identify opportunities to repeat, expand, package, or improve programs.

• Track program attendance, dates, schools, districts, counties, and participation numbers.

• Help ensure paid programs are scheduled, delivered, documented, and ready for invoicing.

• Support documentation needed for grants, contracts, sponsorships, and reports.

• Help reduce missed revenue caused by poor follow-up, unclear records, or unprepared delivery.

• Alert the Executive Director to larger partnership, contract, sponsorship, or revenue opportunities.

Data, Reporting, and Program Quality

The Environmental Educator & Coordinator supports accurate program tracking and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities include:

• Track attendance and participation numbers.

• Record school, district, county, and program type information.

• Collect teacher, participant, and educator feedback.

• Maintain basic program outcome records.

• Support grant reporting and board reporting with accurate program data.

• Support a culture of consistent data collection.

• Observe what works and what needs improvement.

• Recommend practical updates to lessons, materials, supplies, or program flow.

• Help create standard operating procedures for needed program areas.

Environmental Education and Direct Program Delivery

This role also delivers environmental education programs directly. Responsibilities include:

• Teach environmental education programs for students, families, adults, and community groups.

• Lead classroom, field-based, shoreline, and public learning activities.

• Teach estuary, marine science, watershed, shoreline, habitat, and stewardship concepts.

• Adapt lessons for different ages, abilities, learning styles, and field conditions.

• Use inquiry-based, accessible, and place-based teaching methods.

• Support student behavior management during programs.

• Maintain safe and welcoming learning environments.

• Help volunteers and Contract Educators understand program safety expectations.

Programs may include:

• Meet the Beach

• Pier Peer

• School field trips

• Classroom visits

• Tiny Tides

• On the Water and Shoreline programs

• Outreach events

• Camps and youth programs

• Partner-based education programs

• SoundQuest

• Echo Sounders

• Other Estuarium education and community programs

Required Qualifications

Applicants should be able to demonstrate the following required qualifications:

• Experience teaching or facilitating environmental, science, outdoor, museum, youth, or community education programs.

• Strong organizational skills.

• Ability to coordinate multiple programs, timelines, and deadlines.

• Comfort working with schools, families, volunteers, educators, and community partners.

• Ability to teach outdoors and adapt to changing field conditions.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work independently without constant supervision.

• Basic data tracking ability.

• Commitment to accessible, inclusive, place-based education.

Preferred Qualifications

We recognize that candidates may not bring every preferred qualification. Applicants should meet the required qualifications above, but the following experience is helpful:

• Experience with marine science, estuary science, ecology, environmental education, or watershed education.

• Experience coordinating school or nonprofit education programs.

• Experience working with K–12 students.

• Experience supporting volunteers, educators, or contractors.

• Familiarity with NGSS, Washington environmental education, or place-based learning.

• Bilingual ability, especially English/Spanish.

Who Will Succeed in This Role

This position is a good fit for someone who is:

• Highly organized and dependable.

• Comfortable with both teaching and coordination.

• Clear, timely, and professional in communication.

• Able to follow through without constant prompting.

• Practical and solutions-oriented.

• Comfortable working with schools and partners.

• Able to keep records, supplies, schedules, and people moving.

• Interested in marine science, estuary education, and community learning.

• Able to help rebuild and strengthen education systems during a period of organizational transition.

Work Environment

This position includes a mix of office-based coordination, classroom teaching, field education, supply preparation, and public program support. Work may take place at the Estuarium.

Some evening or weekend work may be required for programs such as Pier Peer, STEAM nights, outreach events, camps, and community programs. Remote work is optional when appropriate.

Benefits

• Employer provided healthcare with Employee Assistance Program and dental insurance. (Healthcare is not fully employer paid.)

• 12 vacation days annually, vacation and sick accrued monthly

• Ten paid holidays each year

• Direct deposit bi-monthly payroll

• Eligible for remote work

How to Apply

Please submit a resume and a brief cover letter describing your experience with education coordination, environmental education, youth programming or field-based learning, and your approach to relationship building.

Resume and cover letter should be sent to:

Hap Clemons, Executive Director at estuarium@pugetsoundestuarium.org

• Subject Line: Resume and Cover Letter Attached.

• Documents should be MS Word or PDF and attached as files to the email.

• Printed copies can be dropped off on Saturdays or Sundays between 11am and 4pm at 309 State Ave NE, Olympia, WA

• Please do not send via USPS postal mail. No phone calls please.

Deadline for applying:

June 9, 2026 at 11:59pm

About the Puget Sound Estuarium

The Puget Sound Estuarium is a nonprofit marine science and estuary learning center serving South Sound communities through curiosity, education, and direct connection to the marine and estuary systems that shape our region. Our programs support learners from PreK through adulthood. We help people understand and care for the waters, shorelines, species, and

estuaries that define the South Sound."