Nature Educator na Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

A Day in the Life:

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s mission is to conserve California native plants and habitats for the health and well-being of people and the planet. The Garden is a living museum which fosters the conservation of California’s native plants through our gardens, research, and education, and serves as a role model of sustainable practices. Within the scope of this mission, the goals of the Education team are to facilitate transformative experiences with native plants, encourage wider use of native plants in our communities, and empower conservation leaders for the future.  

Nature Educators work during the school year to lead youth-focused programs that ignite interest and curiosity about California’s native plants and habitats. They’ll provide general support to the Garden’s Education Department through school field trips, youth and family events, offsite afterschool programs and general public interactions. Nature Educators should be passionate about sharing nature with the public, creative and flexible in their teaching approach, and able to work either as a team or individually to provide effective and impactful programming. This is a part-time (6-10 hours a week), seasonal position, and reports to the Youth and Family Programs Manager. 

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and supervise groups of 6-15 students (grades K-5) on exploration tours of the Garden that incorporate STEM, NGSS, and CA Environmental Literacy standards.
• Serve as tour hosts by welcoming groups upon arrival, filling in group information and distributing family passes
• Travel to partner locations and schools to provide after school programming based on the K-6 Garden Pathfinder curriculum (spring)
• Facilitate experiences with Garden guests that promote outdoor play, exploration and curiosity
• On select Saturdays, provide Pathfinder programming for guests of children ages 8-12
• Participate in offsite outreach tables at community events such as school Science Nights and Earth Day
• Facilitate and support programming during regular family events
• Answer general questions about the Garden and its Education Programs to the public.
• Support interpretive activities such as creating signage, activity prompts, activity ideas, etc.
• Assist the Education Department with general departmental needs such as prepping materials for programs, collecting plant materials, surveying visitors, entering data, etc.
• Attend check-in meetings with Education staff as necessary
• Support additional education programming as necessary

The Schedule

This position begins on September 23, 2025 and ends on June 7, 2026

You must be available to work:

• Tuesday and Thursday morning shifts from 9am until 12pm
• Two to four weekend shifts a month to facilitate youth and family programs
• Family events on select Friday evenings and Saturday mornings
• With visiting groups and offsite after school programs. Specific hours and dates depend on the group.

You Must Be Able To:

• Pass a Livescan background check and complete Mandated Reporter training as required by the California state law
• Have or obtain Pediatric First Aid and CPR certification
• Travel to offsite locations for afterschool programs and outreach events
• Respond appropriately to diverse group situations using flexibility and creativity
• Stand/walk for extended periods of time
  
• Lift and carry 50 lbs.
• Bend, squat, and walk stairs and Garden trails
• Tolerate an outdoor work environment and occasionally strenuous physical activity
• Use your personal vehicle to drive for work. During the spring, you will travel approximately once a week to clients within Santa Barbara and Goleta, spending approximately 2-3 hours at the offsite location.

You Will Definitely Need: 

• A valid California Driver’s License
• Excellent time management skills
• Excellent verbal communication skills with both children and adults
• A working understanding of outdoor etiquette and basic "Leave No Trace" principles
  

 It Would Be Nice if You Had:

• A degree in education, ecology, botany, or relevant science field (or are pursuing this degree)
• Experience in a botanic garden, environmental education, and/or a museum setting 
• Experience with informal education activities in a natural setting and/or experience working with children ages 5 to 12
• Knowledge of ecology, botany, and/or natural history of California 
• Spanish fluency

More About Us

The Garden is a beautiful place to work!  And in this role, you are often outdoors. In addition to beautiful views, birds, outdoor work environments also include exposure to extreme temperature fluctuations, rain, dust, allergens, poison oak, insects, small wild animals, and sun exposure.

Disclaimer:

The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily, and if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship. 

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position.