Education Specialist

Associated Universities • Socorro, NM

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), is a leading research organization in radio astronomy. NRAO operates state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for the international scientific community and has contributed significantly to the study of black holes, galaxies, and the early universe. This full-time position is for an Education Specialist on the STEAM Education team within the Education and Public Outreach (EPO) division, based in Socorro, New Mexico. The role involves designing, creating, implementing, and executing formal and informal education programs for K-12 students, teachers, and STEM groups, focusing on radio astronomy topics presented online and in person. The Education Specialist will also support broader EPO team efforts. The STEAM Education team is distributed across NRAO locations, with the Supervisory Education Specialist and this Education Specialist based in New Mexico. While an initial remote work arrangement may be possible, the successful candidate must be based in Socorro, New Mexico by the start of the 2027 calendar year. The Education Specialist will lead education and visitor center programs in New Mexico and across the Observatory, manage the establishment of education goals and strategies, and collaborate on funding new initiatives and assessing program effectiveness.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in astronomy, physical science, education, or a related field is required.
• Enthusiasm for astronomy education is required.
• One year of classroom teaching experience (middle or high school) in physics, astronomy, or related subjects.
• Strong ability to work in a collaborative team-based environment with both remote and non-remote colleagues.
• Proactive self-starter who is comfortable operating with some autonomy while maintaining the ability to drive a shared vision, mission, goals and objectives.
• Flexible and adaptable, with the proven ability to maintain successful outcomes in changing environments.
• Willingness to travel, if necessary.
• Working knowledge of social media, multimedia applications, and office software such as MS Office.
• High level of competency in Microsoft software products and web-based systems, and SharePoint.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the proven ability to establish and maintain working relationships with a wide range of people and personality types.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking; and the ability to communicate comfortably and effectively with scientists, the public, educators, students, senior managers, and the media.
• Must have a driver’s license and access to reliable transportation.
• Must be able to lift 25 pounds and be on your feet for extended periods of time.
• Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States.
• The Observatory presently cannot sponsor H-1B Visas for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Experiences facilitating research experiences in the classroom (posing a research question, collection of data, data analysis and reporting on results) with actual data sets preferred.
• Experience with organization/productivity tools such as Trello, Slack, and Google Drive preferred.
• Active learner with a desire to learn and grow through this opportunity

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement formal education, informal education, and professional development programs related to astronomy, radio astronomy and the NRAO for K-12 teachers and students.
• Identify K-12 STEM/STEAM stakeholders and organizations at the city- (Socorro) and state- (New Mexico) levels and work to establish ongoing relationships, understand their needs, and propose how NRAO EPO/STEAM Ed can be of support.
• Plan and coordinate EPO Events such as Open Houses, Science Fairs, and exhibition booths with hands-on activities at local and state STEM events (when applicable).
• Work with EPO Public Information Group and actively contribute to EPO short and long-term planning, program development, and reporting.
• Compile evaluation metrics and feedback to measure impact.
• Deliver programs and presentations for students, educators, and the public.
• Answer queries from students.

Benefits

• Excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days)
• Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment.
• AUI’s retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay with no required employee contribution.

What This Job Offers

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