Hybrid Science Instructor bei City of Palo Alto, CA

About the Department

The City’s Community Services Department is seeking a part-time Science Instructor (Instructor I - H) to facilitate hands-on school science lessons in the Life, Physical and Earth Sciences with preschool school and elementary school children in South Bay and Peninsula area schools, and for families at the museum and zoo.  The Junior Museum and Zoo is a local family destination that serves children, birth to age 8, through its science exhibits and zoo, and children to age 11 through its school programs and summer camps. Approximately 117,000 visitors enjoy the Museum and Zoo each year and 23,000 take part in its science lessons and field trips at the Museum, in local schools, and in local open spaces. The Junior Museum’s mission is to engage a child’s curiosity in science and nature.

This SEIU hourly partially benefited position averages approximately 18 hours per week during the school year and transitions to full-time (40 hours per week) for 4 to 8 weeks during the summer to support seasonal camp programming.

The position is limited to no more than 999 hours per fiscal year (July–June), with weekly hours and scheduling based on departmental needs and specific assignments.

Position Duties

• Participate in weekly in-person departmental planning and coordination meetings Monday mornings.
• Schedule science lessons with school teachers using email, phone and in-person communication.
• Learn lesson curricula for assigned programs by observing more experienced teachers teach, studying program write-ups, reading up on background content related to assigned programs, and collaborating with other Junior Museum teachers to learn how to facilitate activities.
• Facilitate assigned lessons in school classrooms, open-space preserves and at the Junior Museum.
• Prep for, clean-up, and put away supplies for assigned programs.
• Help care for and maintain program collections, supplies and equipment.

Minimum Qualifications

Ideal Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in education, one of the sciences, or a related field, and at least 2 years of experience working with children in an educational setting. 
• Bilingual in Spanish is a plus.

Other requirements:

• Pass pre-employment Background check.
• Provide a negative TB Test result.

Other Qualifications

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Complete an online application with cover letter and resume attached.

The Selection Process:

• Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email (governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates).
• Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.  
• The screening process for this position will include a virtual interview followed by an in-person interview.      

Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.  

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities, and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with their employer.