Specialist I, Biotechnology Curriculum Development (Hourly)

Austin Community College District•Round Rock, TX

About The Position

Austin Community College is seeking a Specialist I to provide temporary assistance supporting biotechnology curriculum development and high school partnerships. The position connects high school biotechnology education with ACC programs, dual credit and articulated credit pathways, and workforce expectations. The specialist works with ACC faculty and leadership, high school partners, industry organizations, and educational institutions to support curriculum development, teacher training, student outreach, and program assessment. The role coordinates relationships with participating and prospective regional high schools, supports implementation of biotechnology courses, and organizes partner meetings. It also helps develop and align instructional materials and practical laboratory activities, coordinates professional development for high school teachers, and supports early STEM engagement and recruitment. The specialist maintains program records, gathers stakeholder feedback, and prepares summaries and recommendations to support continuous improvement. The position is hourly, pays $26.90 per hour, and is limited to up to 19 hours per week. The posting states that the position provides temporary assistance as needed and has one opening. ACC employees must maintain a domicile in Texas while employed.

Requirements

Must be a faculty member (adjunct or full-time) in the ACC Biotechnology Department.
Knowledge of biotechnology education, laboratory practices, and STEM curriculum development.
Ability to coordinate partnerships across high schools, colleges, and external organizations.
Ability to develop instructional materials and support curriculum alignment across educational levels.
Strong communication, organizational, interpersonal, and project coordination skills.
Ability to organize workshops, meetings, outreach activities, and professional development events.
Ability to collaborate with faculty, teachers, administrators, students, and industry representatives.
Familiarity with hands-on, inquiry-based, project-based, and research-informed teaching approaches.
Ability to identify affordable and practical laboratory activities for high school educational settings.
Ability to maintain accurate program records, assess activities, and prepare clear reports.

Nice To Haves

Academic background or professional experience in biotechnology, biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, or a related field.
Experience in biotechnology laboratory instruction, curriculum development, or laboratory-based education.
Experience working with high schools, dual credit programs, articulated credit programs, or college-to-career pathways.
Experience coordinating professional development or hands-on laboratory workshops for educators.
Experience collaborating with biotechnology industry partners or workforce development organizations.
Familiarity with laboratory safety, standard operating procedures, and competency-based instruction.

Responsibilities

Maintain communication and relationships with participating and prospective high schools and their administrators, counselors, teachers, and STEM coordinators.
Maintain an updated directory of high schools, program contacts, biotechnology courses, participating teachers, and implementation status.
Conduct outreach to high schools and present opportunities to participate in ACC biotechnology dual credit and articulated credit programs.
Coordinate with high school administrators and teachers on implementation, scheduling, and sustainability of biotechnology courses.
Work with the ACC Dual Credit Program Director on course planning, program requirements, and implementation timelines.
Organize and facilitate the Articulated Credit Fall Meeting and other meetings with high school partners.
Identify barriers to participation and recommend strategies to improve recruitment, access, student persistence, and program effectiveness.
Collaborate with ACC faculty, high school teachers, and industry partners to develop and improve biotechnology curricula and align courses with ACC programs, credit requirements, and workforce expectations.
Help develop and adapt instructional materials, laboratory exercises, course outlines, laboratory manuals, standard operating procedures, and competency-based learning activities.
Incorporate hands-on biotechnology techniques and current industry practices into high school learning experiences.
Promote inquiry-based, project-based, and research-informed instruction connected to real-world biotechnology applications.
Identify affordable, accessible laboratory activities suitable for high school resources.
Work with ACC faculty and external partners to identify curriculum innovation, microcredential, and career-connected learning opportunities.
Plan and coordinate summer biotechnology training workshops for high school teachers with Bio-Rad, InnoVATEBio, ACC faculty, and other partners.
Provide or coordinate hands-on teacher training in biotechnology laboratory techniques, equipment use, laboratory safety, aseptic technique, molecular biology, and other relevant methods.
Help teachers translate professional development into classroom-ready laboratory activities and instructional materials.
Identify professional development opportunities and support collaboration between high school teachers and ACC faculty.
Evaluate teacher training activities and identify improvements and continued support needs.
Collaborate with ninth-grade teachers and school administrators to design introductory STEM and biotechnology activities.
Develop outreach activities introducing students to biotechnology applications, laboratory skills, scientific discovery, and career pathways.
Promote ACC biotechnology programs, credit pathways, summer workshops, and relevant STEM events.
Coordinate with counselors and teachers to help students understand course sequences, program expectations, and pathways to college and employment.
Attend ACC events and represent or support the Biotechnology Department at relevant conferences, workforce events, and professional development activities.
Work with the InnoVATEBio Director and ACC Biotechnology Department Chair to develop and implement programs for high school teachers and students.
Maintain and strengthen partnerships with biotechnology companies, educational organizations, universities, community colleges, and other stakeholders.
Identify external resources, grants, equipment, training, and collaborations that support high school biotechnology education.
Communicate program needs, opportunities, progress, and challenges to ACC leadership and partners.
Track participating high schools, trained teachers, courses, student participation, credit pathways, and outreach activities.
Maintain records of partnership meetings, professional development, curriculum development, and program implementation.
Collect feedback from teachers, students, administrators, and partners; assess program effectiveness and identify improvements.
Prepare periodic activity summaries and recommendations for the Biotechnology Department Chair and other administrators.
Support continuous improvement of curricula and partnerships using participation data, stakeholder feedback, and emerging workforce needs.