This is a grant-funded position through September 2027.

Position Information 

Under the direction of the Community Collaboration Manager this position will assist in the implementation of the Empathy Educators: Nurturing Wildlife Advocates grant.  This is a grant funded position  through September 2027. This project aims to integrate empathy-for-wildlife practices into the Tacoma School District's elementary science and social-emotional learning curricula, fostering a culture of conservation and empathetic behaviors in students. Through this grant this position will support the evolution of the existing Wildlife Champions program into a sustainable and scalable program for the future. Utilizing a collaborative approach to gather feedback from students, teachers, school and district staff to produce a comprehensive menu that can be used by all Tacoma Public School Elementary schools. To support this comprehensive menu, this position will assist with developing a professional development (PD) course that will equip Tacoma teachers with tools and strategies to use the Wildlife Champions Curriculum in their classrooms and outdoor learning environments with minimal support from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium staff.

Essential Duties

This position is responsible for working with the Community Collaboration Team to:

• Participate in evaluative processes that will include workshops, surveys, focus groups, etc. Help inspire community participation and input in engagement activities.
• Support development of a comprehensive menu for wildlife champions program.
• Help strengthen relationships with community partners by assisting supervisor in growing partnerships, fostering meaningful connections, and addressing barriers.
• Assist with regular planning meetings and working sessions with educators to gather input, pilot lessons, and revise existing Wildlife Champions Curriculum. 
• Assist with adapting and integrating existing Wildlife Champions content and Explore the Shore empathy best practices to meet diverse classroom and field trip needs across Tacoma Public Elementary Schools.
• Assist with creating user-friendly instructional materials, alignment guides, and documentation to support teacher implementation of the existing Wildlife Champions, empathy-centered curricula.
• Maintain organized records of input gathered from TPS staff, students and families.
• Combine workshop outcomes into an accessible summary for distribution.  
• Assist in preparing reports.
• Support the development of a toolkit on Wildlife Champions to be utilized by others looking to start their own version of the program.
• Build empathy and action for Wild Life externally in the community. 
• Assist in creating professional development (PD) courses that empower teachers to teach the Wildlife Champions Lessons, giving them tools and strategies to succeed.
• Share outcomes with Tacoma Public Schools and broader education elementary schools to sustain and grow program impact.
• Operate a motor vehicle to travel between multiple worksites during a work shift and/or transport volunteers or other staff members for community outreach initiatives.
• Perform additional duties as needed to further the mission of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and the success of community outreach initiatives.