Naturalist Assistant (Variable Hours)

City of Aurora; United States; On-site; USD 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rich benefits package with lowEmployee

Generous paid leave program

100% funded Employee and Family Care

Retirement pension plan and 457b

Subsidized recreation center pass

On-site fitness centers and wellness

Continued education and career growth

Job summary

The City of Aurora’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Department seeks a dedicated educator to lead and assist in interpretive programs for diverse audiences, from pre-k to adults. You will conduct guided hikes, school programs, and community events while maintaining exhibits and live animal care.

Role emphasizes science education, strong communication, and collaboration with multiple teams. A high school diploma, experience teaching science, and a valid driver’s record are required.

Qualifications

• Equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.
• Education: High School Diploma or GED.
• At least one year of experience teaching science in formal or informal environments.
• Preferred: Certified Interpretive Guide certification.
• Spanish language skills desired, but not required.
• Knowledge of basic scientific concepts including biology, ecology.
• Basic working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent ability to explain complex topics to diverse audiences.
• Strong oral and written communication abilities.
• Well organized, self-motivated, and able to build relationships with varied stakeholders.
• Licenses and Certifications Required: Excellent driving record.

Responsibilities

• Leads or assists with Scout programs, nature-themed birthday parties, guided hikes, day camps, preschool programs, and curriculum-based programs for school-aged children.
• Staff information desks, answer phones, greet visitors, and conduct tours.
• Assist full-time naturalists with interpretive programming for pre-k through adults.
• Plan, research, and present interpretive programming for various audiences.
• Research, update, design, and install interpretive exhibits on local plant and animal life.
• Assist with live animal care for a small collection of reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods.
• Maintain facilities with light cleaning duties and safety awareness.
• Educate park users regarding park rules and regulations.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Public speaking

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Outlook

PowerPoint

Job description

JOB LOCATION 16002 E Smith Rd Aurora, Colorado 80011-3200 City of Aurora, Colorado It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees.

Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, and Customer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.

Why Work for Aurora?

• Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
• Diverse community
• Competitive total compensation package
• Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
• Light rail station minutes away
• On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs
• Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
• Access to innovation workspaces

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The city of Aurora's Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Department's mission is to encourage active lifestyles and create healthy environments for people, nature and community. The award-winning operation consists of seven divisions (Golf, Open Space and Natural Resources, Parks Operations, Planning, Design and Construction, Recreation, Business Services and Communications) that collectively manage more than 8,000 acres of open space, 100+ parks, 180+ athletic fields, over 100 miles of trails, three nature centers, two reservoirs, five recreation centers, five golf courses, indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities and one of Colorado's largest municipal urban forestry programs. Aurora PROS is committed to delivering exceptional public service while being responsible stewards of its diverse system of parks, programs, natural resources and amenities that enhance the daily quality of life for Aurora residents.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leads or assists with Scout programs, nature-themed birthday parties, guided hikes, day camps, preschool programs, and curriculum-based programs for school-aged children in the Aurora and Cherry Creek school districts.
• Staff information desks (answer phones, greet visitors, impromptu center and exhibit tours, etc.).
• Assists full-time naturalists with interpretive programming for pre-k through adult age groups.
• Plans, researches, and presents interpretive programming for a variety of audiences.
• Assists in researching, updating, designing, and installing interpretive exhibits on local plant and animal life.
• Assists with live animal care for a small collection of reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods.
• Performs maintenance and light cleaning such as picking up trash, pulling weeds, vacuuming, dusting, shoveling snow, tidying restrooms, sweeping, and mopping.
• Educates park users regarding park rules and regulations.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & WORKING CONDITIONS

• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.
• Education: High School Diploma or GED
• Experience: At least one year of experience (either volunteer or paid) teaching science in formal or informal environments
• Preferred Qualifications: Certified Interpretive Guide certification through the National Association for Interpretation
• Spanish language skills desired, but not required
• Knowledge: Basic knowledge of scientific concepts and principles including adaptation, evolution, biology, and ecology
• Basic working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Skills: Skill in explaining complex topics to a wide range of audiences
• Skills: Skill in oral and written communication
• Abilities: Ability to interact positively with people of all ages and abilities
• Well organized and self-motivated
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, all levels of management including executive staff, citizens, and elected officials
• Licenses and Certifications Required: Excellent driving record

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Essential Personnel: When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the City, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Medium level work that involves moving no more than 50 pounds with or without assistance at a time
• Frequent lifting, carrying, walking, and standing
• May require frequent pushing, pulling, bending, and stooping
• Clear vision to read and interpret reports and other written documents
• Speech communication and hearing to maintain communication with employees and residents
• Hand/eye coordination for operation of computer keyboard, working with others

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Works primarily in recreation facilities, public buildings, and/or parks.
• Programming often takes place outdoors so employee may be exposed to varying weather conditions, dust, haze, or other outdoor conditions.

EQUIPMENT USED

• Uses standard office equipment including personal computer and common office software such as email, internet, Word, Excel
• This job may require the incumbent to use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) in the course of their employment

The city of Aurora will implement furlough days (unpaid days off) for most employees in 2026. The scheduled furlough dates are January 16, April 10, July 2, and December 24.

For Veterans preference: Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.

The City of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer. We are required by state and federal agencies to keep certain statistical records on applicants. It will not be used in any way to discriminate against you because of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability or military status, gender identity, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification as defined by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission. Despite the changes in Colorado law, the City of Aurora maintains a drug‑free workplace. A positive test of marijuana is grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for employment with the city for one year or termination once hired.

Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References: As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check. Applicants selected for safety-sensitive positions are required to complete and pass a drug screening as a condition of employment. Safety sensitive positions include Civil Service positions within Police and Fire Departments and positions where their job responsibilities have direct and substantial responsibility that would impact the health and safety of others. Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.

Notice Regarding Colorado Identification Document Protections (HB26‑1283) As part of the employment eligibility verification process, the city of Aurora may request government‑issued identification documents as permitted by law. Original identification documents will be reviewed only as necessary for employment eligibility verification and will not be retained longer than permitted by law. Applicants will retain possession and control of their original identification documents except for any temporary retention permitted or required by law.

Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity Respect Professionalism Customer Service And we welcome all who share these values to apply.

Why Work for Aurora?

• Competitive total compensation package
• Rich benefits package with low employee costs
• Generous paid leave program
• 100% funded Employee and Family Care Leave Program
• Retirement pension plan and 457b plans available
• Subsidized recreation center pass, on-site fitness centers and wellness programs
• Continued education and career advancement opportunities

As part of our recruiting and application security processes, we may use automated tools and technologies to help detect fraudulent activity, protect applicant accounts, and support the administration of employment applications. These tools may collect and process information associated with your application activity, including: Number of job requisitions applied to External application session duration Geolocation country code IP address Device/browser fingerprinting information (including JA4 fingerprint data) This information may be used by Workday’s Fraudulent Job Application Prevention capabilities to generate an application risk or fraud assessment score. These tools are designed to support application security, fraud prevention, and recruiting operations and may be considered during the processing or review of applications. Meaningful human review remains part of our hiring and recruiting process. For additional information regarding our processing of applicant information, please review our Privacy Notice or contact [e-mail].

Please show all your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application. Leaving blanks or omitting previous employment may result in your disqualification from employment.

City policy requires that selected candidates provide documentation in the form of official transcripts of the highest level of education attained by the candidate that is listed on their application materials.

Applicants who hold a Commercial Driver’s License will also be required to undergo alcohol testing using an Evidential Breath Testing Device.

The city of Aurora uses E-Verify to determine if employees are legally eligible to work in the United States.

Know your rights! The city of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer. No applicant for employment or employee shall be discriminated against because of age, race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability or military status. The city shall develop and maintain a plan for diversity. Through its staff, the city shall periodically analyze its employment related practices and its plan for diversity to ensure compliance with this policy.

If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation for completing this application, please feel free to contact our office at: 303.739.7225 or visit us at 15151 E. Alameda Pkwy., Suite 3500, Aurora, CO 80012.