Associate Manager, Community Science Program

About the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science Team:

The Center for Biodiversity and Community Science works to bring people together to document biodiversity, connect people to their local nature, collect data critical to science and management, and build partnerships to support community science and the use of community-collected data. We accomplish these goals through a variety of programs, including community bioblitzes, City Nature Challenge, and Snapshot Cal Coast, which scaffold collecting biodiversity observations using the iNaturalist platform with in-person community science field experiences. The Center for Biodiversity and Community Science also works on innovative approaches to integrate, analyze, model, synthesize, and visualize these community-contributed biodiversity observations with the ultimate goal to reveal patterns of biodiversity change and produce actionable insights in California and globally. Mobilizing species occurrence data (like iNaturalist data and the data held in the Academy’s collections) for science, policy, management, and conservation is core to our work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Director of the Center for Biodiversity & Community Science to develop and execute a strategic growth plan for community science programs
• Supervise and mentor the Community Science Coordinator, setting their tasks and day-to-day work program to achieve Center objectives; conduct annual performance evaluation and goal-setting
• Lead the development of new community science events and campaigns and the scaling of existing events and campaigns to reach new audiences and to help fill biodiversity data gaps
• Grow community science partnerships and programs in California by supporting existing collaborators and making new connections to reach at least 8 new counties within 4 years 
• Liaise and meet with existing partners to support their continued engagement in  community science efforts
• Partner to execute the annual City Nature Challenge: help train, provide resources and support to, and hold planning meetings for the global network of City Nature Challenge organizers (over 1000 people across 650+ cities); work closely with the CNC organizing team, which includes Community Science staff at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Develop, manage logistics for, and host off-site community science events throughout the Bay Area with the Coordinator
• Coordinate and convene listening sessions with project partners, cross-functional teams, and other appropriate audiences as needed to inform program plans
• Develop and manage the program budget
• Provide up-to-date program statistics and stories of impact for fundraising, marketing, and grant reporting efforts; inform, and/or review grant proposals as needed
• Represent the Academy internally and externally, locally and nationally. May need to travel for business
• Contribute broadly to the Academy’s mission and assist with projects and initiatives that leverage strengths across the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science’s portfolio
• Follow all Academy safety regulations and complete all HR-assigned trainings
• Support the Academy’s mission, vision, and Academy-wide initiatives
• Other duties as assigned 

Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:

Experience and/or Education:

• • Four (4) years of experience managing program design and expansion, preferably in formal or informal science or nature education, such as environmental education, museum/science centers, classroom teaching, college-level teaching, field courses/experiences
  • Four (4) years experience supervising staff
  • Project management experience
  • Experience developing and overseeing a budget
  • Experience setting strategy and developing and delivering on a strategic plan
  • Experience independently creating and maintaining productive partnerships with external collaborators
  • Experience using iNaturalist including how to navigate and use its many features (e.g., projects, identifying, filtering data, discord server, forum) 
  • Natural history and/or taxonomic expertise in one or more California ecosystems or groups of plants or animals found in California
  • Bachelor’s degree in natural science (e.g., biology, ecology, geology) or closely related field

Skills and Abilities:             

• • Commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion; ability to welcome and honor diverse perspectives, values, and identities
  • Knowledge of and willingness to learn more about California’s species, habitats, and ecosystems
  • Strong interest in the natural world, and ability to communicate that passion
  • Excellent attention to detail 
  • Ability to work independently, including setting priorities and timelines to manage projects and meet deadlines and to help mentor and coach staff to do the same
  • Ability to spot potential issues before they become problems and take initiative to come up with solutions
  • Excellent leadership skills and commitment to positive team dynamics
  • Excellent public speaking, written, and interpersonal communication skills across diverse audiences
  • Strong project management skills; ability to advance multiple projects simultaneously and implement efficient work strategies
  • Adapt and maintain flexibility in changing and fast-paced environments
  • Work well independently and as part of a team
  • Proficiency with Google apps 
  • Proficiency in Spanish is a plus
  • Ability to travel throughout the Bay Area

Physical Environment:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. 

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to work at a computer communicating with others in person, on the telephone, and online. 
• Ability to perform repetitive motions 25% of the time. 
• Ability to transport 50 lbs with assistance
• Ability to safely work in both outdoor and indoor environments that may include stairs, uneven paths, loose substrates, and secure access areas.
• Ability to spend time out-of-doors at events and programs, occasionally in hot or inclement weather. 
• May require time on the public floor of the museum which includes: frequent travel across concrete floors and bark while transporting materials, extensive public speaking often in noisy environments, and exposure to high levels of noise.

Compensation and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $80,000 - $90,000. Actual compensation will be commensurate with experience, skills/knowledge set, and internal equity. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Please scroll down to "Other details" for this position's hiring range.

Schedule: Temporary Full time for the duration of 4 years, based on 40 hours per week

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 

This position will close on November 11th, 2024 at 9 pm. Review of applications will begin on November 12th, 2024.

APPLICATION PROCESS:
Please upload your resume, cover letter, and complete the brief online application 

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance(SF Police Code, Article 49).

We are committed to ensuring that all employees and applicants shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, placements, transfers, promotions, compensation, benefits, terminations, training, and social and recreational programs, will be on the basis of qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled. The Academy does not discriminate against qualified applicants or employees with respect to any terms or conditions of employment on account of any characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. Read our full Equal Opportunity Statement here.