The Wild Center (TWC) is seeking highly motivated museum fellows for a 10 to 11 month position at a natural history museum in the heart of New York State’s Adirondack region. Fellows will receive a broad range of interpretive responsibilities and are a key part of The Wild Center’s visitor experience. This job promotes leadership skills, development of local natural history knowledge, and best practices in customer service. Fellows will directly engage with visitors of all ages and backgrounds throughout our campus. TWC values the safety and comfort of staff while providing a robust and enriching experience for visitors. We are looking for passionate, curious, and motivated people to join our team next year. 

Learning Experiences and Responsibilities

• Build your knowledge in Adirondack natural history, climate change, public speaking, visitor engagement, leadership, and job skills
• Facilitate short, informal conversations featuring live animals including river otters and birds of prey and learn to handle live animals including turtles, birds, and mammals for interpretive experiences 
• Help maintain and traverse our outdoor campus, including opening and closing duties, trail sweeps, and general tidying of outdoor spaces
• Learn best practices of online digital engagement and assist with TWC’s digital content creation and presentation, including virtual field trips, live digital programs, and special virtual events
• Build your knowledge of and teach climate science while engaging with visitors in a brand new exhibit opening in 2022 focused on solutions to reverse climate change 
• Work outside to facilitate seasonal interpretive activities, such as ice fishing and snowshoeing in the winter, maple sugaring in the spring, or guided canoe trips in the summer season 
• Specialize in an educational pathway, such as animal husbandry, school program logistics, compost logistics, etc, dependent on individual interest and museum need
• Work cross-departmentally with admissions, store, and facilities, to provide excellent customer service to all visitors in a variety of roles
• Work schedule is 40 hours per week, including weekends, special events, and occasional mornings and evenings 

Qualifications

• Flexibility and the ability to adapt to change - we work in a dynamic setting with shifting daily duties
• Self-motivated - you seek opportunities to learn and grow and can thrive independently
• Positive attitude and a willingness to work with people - you will work directly with visitors of all ages and must enjoy working and communicating with people
• Teamwork and collaboration - we work in a team based environment and offer support across departments
• Organization and time management skills - you will work on multiple tasks concurrently
• Maturity and professionalism - we will consider you if you demonstrate the above skills regardless of level of education completed
• An interest in teaching natural history and climate science and working outdoors in all seasons
• An interest in learning more about a career in environmental education, museum studies, or related fields 
• Availability - available from late January through late November of 2022, with flexibility upon discussion
• Policies - be prepared to adhere to all Wild Center policies including NYS Covid safety procedures and regulations. Covid 19 vaccination is required as a condition of employment.

Compensation & Benefits

• $13.20/hour (40 hours per work week) 
• Shared, fully equipped housing less than 1 mile from The Wild Center, with all utilities included
• Accrual of paid sick time
• The opportunity to work in an environmentally conscious facility featuring over 40 species of live exhibit animals on an 115 acre site along the Raquette River
• Health and Safety, Accessibility, and Customer Service training provided
• Certified Interpretive Guide training through the National Association of Interpretation
• Formal training opportunities and ongoing mentorship in the foundation of interpretation, visitor engagement techniques, questioning strategies, and interactive applications, including digital programming
• Water safety and canoe training along with the use of canoes, kayaks, and SUP’s outside of work hours
• The Wild Center strives to create an environment where our team thrives both personally and professionally. While life on the job can move at a fast pace, we appreciate the times we can slow down. Whether it's sharing stories over a staff potluck, being wowed by cool science facts, or taking a break during a meeting to view a cute animal - we make time to grow together as a community.