Science Associate I

Chabot Space & Science Center is a non-profit science center and observatory dedicated to inspiring and educating learners of all ages about the Universe and planet Earth. Chabot’s mission is to spark and engage curiosity, deepen access and inclusion within science education, and provide opportunity for pathways into careers in the sciences.

Situated on a beautiful 13-acre campus nestled in the redwoods of Oakland’s regional parks, the Chabot Space & Science Center includes immersive exhibits, hands-on learning activities, science festivals, a state of the art planetarium, and is home to the official NASA Ames Visitor Center. Chabot’s research-level astronomical observatory, featuring three large scale telescopes, is the largest observatory complex free for regular public viewing in the Western United States.

At Chabot, we:  

• Conduct ourselves with honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior, maintaining the trust and confidence of our community.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, valuing the diverse perspectives, ideas, and skills of our staff, volunteers, and partners, recognizing that collective efforts drive positive change.
• Encourage creativity and innovation, embracing new ideas, and approaches that advance our mission and optimize our impact and promote ongoing professional development, fostering a culture of learning, growth, and continuous improvement, where individuals are empowered to reach their full potential and contribute their unique strengths.  
• Treat all individuals with dignity and respect, appreciating their unique backgrounds and experiences, fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
• Actively seek partnership and collaboration, recognizing that working together with others strengthens our ability to make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.
• Measure our success by the positive impact we make in our community, always seeking ways to address emerging needs, adapt to changing circumstances, and make meaningful and lasting change.
• We believe that everyone deserves a career they love. We strive to build a diverse team that is reflects the people we serve; this is made possible through our commitment to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, equity, and connectedness. 

Science Associate I Job Summary:

A Science Associate I provide support for the full range of Chabot educational activities. This includes assisting in workshops, live science shows, educational activities for Field Trips, First Fridays, Nature Hikes, Overnights, special programs, and Learning Everywhere / outreach activities in on and off-site locations. It may include Independently running the mobile planetarium and providing wayfinding and docent interaction with visitors. It includes set up and clean up but does not include content design or curriculum development. This is an entry-level, seasonal position that is part time 18-23 hours per week. Work will primarily be Wednesday – Friday from 9am-3:30pm and may include occasional weekends and evening events. This position reports to the Director of Public Engagement.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Provide or assist in the delivery of Chabot educational content in on-site and off-site settings.
• Participate in First Fridays, overnights and other events as needed, providing supervision of GEs during events if needed.
• Set up and clean up educational activities led or supported.
• Ensure cleanliness of storage areas, resupply materials as needed and note when supplies are running low.
• Collaborate with volunteers assisting with activities.
• Support Field Trip / Group Sales check in when not delivering 10:00am content sessions.
• Support post-field trip floor clean up and preparation for evening events.
• Participate in Chabot departmental and All-Staff meetings and training as needed.

Critical functions at Chabot are cross trained at all levels and positions to ensure appropriate levels of operational staffing, visitor assistance, overall safety, and are the responsibility of all Chabot personnel. Cross training will provide further education around the work and the impact of that work being delivered at Chabot. Examples include:

• Front Desk/Reception
• Floor Reset
• Visitor Greeter
• Field Trip Assistance
• Crowd/attendance management.
• Cafe functions
• Traffic Assistance/Direction
• Planetarium functions

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Passion for science and for working with young people.
• Comfortable sharing information with groups from 4 – 18 years of age as well as with adults
• Comfortable sharing information with people from diverse language and cultural backgrounds and diverse abilities.
• Ability to take initiative to support education program and visitor experience in fluid museum context.
• High level of professionalism.

Education and Experience:

• High school graduation
• At least one year of part-time work experience in formal or informal education setting

Work Environment:

Must be committed to working in a diverse workforce with dignity and respect, appreciating unique backgrounds and experiences, and fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements listed below are characteristic of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift 25 pounds.
• Ability to work indoors in environmentally controlled conditions, or outdoors in seasonal temperatures.
• Ability to work in a sometimes loud and active environments for an extended period.
• Ability to work in crowded environments.

CHABOT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Chabot is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees are people with differing strengths, experiences, and backgrounds who share a passion for bringing science to the full range of our community – sparking excitement about a universe of possibilities beyond our planet. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity but also age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and many other parts of one’s identity. All our employees’ points of view are key to our success, and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $17.30 - $21.00 per hour

Expected hours: 18 – 23 per week

Work Location: In person

Salary : $17 - $21