(Temporary) Adult Education Specialist

University of North Carolina System • Asheville, NC

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

The North Carolina Arboretum (TNCA) is seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic (Temporary) Adult Education Specialist to join its Education Department. This role plays a key part in delivering dynamic, year-round adult education programs that span a wide range of topics and learning environments. The Adult Education Specialist will work closely with the Adult Education Coordinator to support and implement high-quality educational experiences, including classes and events offered online, onsite and field-based. We’re looking for a dependable, detail-oriented professional who is warm, engaging, and passionate about adult education. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in a busy, multifaceted educational environment and is eager to support adult learners across a broad spectrum of subjects. These include—but are not limited to—natural history, ecology, cultural studies, ecological gardening, landscape design, geology, permaculture, river systems, wellness, visual arts, and literature. Additionally, the Adult Education Specialist will assist in supporting TNCA’s two Certificate of Merit programs: Blue Ridge Naturalist and Blue Ridge EcoGardener.

Requirements

• A college degree in education, environmental studies, outdoor education, biology, ecology, or a related field
• Demonstrate success in providing outstanding customer service.
• Experience working directly with adult learners in an instructional and/or facilitation capacity
• Experience utilizing registration systems and responding to student inquiries.
• Display a high degree of judgment, discretion and confidentiality.
• Work requires attending to the needs of programming outdoors in various weather conditions, oftentimes carrying a pack with program equipment.
• The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands, talk or hear, sit, stoop, kneel and crouch.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Nice To Haves

• Considerable facility with Microsoft Office and Google Suite software
• Zoom scheduling and hosting
• Video production and editing
• Webpage and social media experience, including monitoring, maintaining and updating sites
• Data entry or database management experience
• A high degree of self-motivation and follow through
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Superior customer relations abilities
• Time management skills
• Ability to negotiate multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including knowledge and use of correct English grammar and punctuation.
• Knowledge of regional flora and fauna of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the natural history of the region.

Responsibilities

• Providing support to students in all aspects of the program. This includes responding to email and voicemail requests, working with a registration system and processing cancellations providing open office hours to field student questions, and relaying information to instructors on the student’s behalf.
• Facilitation classes and attending to the needs of instructors in providing classes on-site and in the field. This includes classroom set-up and technology needs, and student check-ins.
• Assisting with marketing, webpage management, event listing, scheduling, and other administrative needs for the department.
• Developing and teaching classes that align with TNCA’s Mission and are beneficial to our students. This includes time researching, creating materials, and proposing the class to the Adult Education Coordinator.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level