Instructor I

The Instructor I is an educator for the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (ACNC) and the Phoenix Zoo. This position assists in the presentation and facilitation of education programs about the natural world to groups of people of all ages. Most of these programs will be Night Camps (October-May) and Day Camps (both summer and seasonal), but this position may also be asked to assist with Zoo events on or off Zoo grounds.

Instructor I must have availability for:

Nighttime and overnight shifts during the Night Camp season (October-May).

Some daytime shifts during the Summer Camp Zoo season (June-July) and/or Seasonal Camp Zoo weeks (school holidays).

All mandatory meetings and trainings.

Essential Duties:

• Provide quality guest service to all Zoo guests by maintaining a WILD (friendly, helpful, positive, and professional) working attitude and appearance.
• Present and facilitate scheduled programs about the natural world utilizing a variety of animals, plants and media or other props.
• Follow an established curriculum and schedule in order to provide high quality guest experiences to audiences of all ages and sizes.
• Serve food to program guests in camps.
• Attend scheduled meetings and training for all department team members to become familiar with experiences, logistics and responsibilities.
• Check e-mail at least once a week and respond in a timely manner when appropriate.
• As a secondary responsibility, assist Program Supervisors and the Formal Learning & Engagement Manager as needed in the development of education programs.
• This is by no means an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. Management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change (e.g. emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs, or technological developments.)

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Friendly, responsible, and enthusiastic.
• Maintains a positive and respectful attitude with guests and teammates.
• Good listening skills and open to giving/receiving feedback to help the team grow.
• Can effectively and respectfully communicate with a diverse audience and teammates (including all age levels, cultures, neurodiversity, and level of abilities).
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including overnights, evenings, weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
• Excellent time management and guest service skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Interest in learning, understanding, and communicating science and conservation concepts and messages to Zoo guests.
• Experience working with children in an educational setting (formal or informal) preferred.
• Experience working in a camp setting or zoo/aquarium setting preferred.
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills preferred.
• Ability to evaluate an audience and tailor the program to provide information and entertainment at an appropriate level preferred.
• Existing knowledge about education, geology, ecology, conservation and/or biology preferred.
• Ability to perform all duties in an outdoor environment even during extremes of weather.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds; regularly bend, crouch, and kneel; stand and walk for extended periods of time; work in both indoor and outdoor environments in extreme weather conditions.
• Possession of valid driver’s license.
• Ability to pass pre-employment background check, drug test, DMV check, clear annual TB test, and obtain a Food Handler’s License within 1 month of hire date.

Skills and/or Experience

Applicant describes skills and/or experience working with children, adults, and/or in a camp setting. Applicant can explain how those skills will make them successful in this role.