Public Programs Coordinator

Chabot Space & Science Center; Oakland, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 54,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Job summary

Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland seeks a Public Programs Coordinator to lead and deliver engaging science programs for diverse audiences, from families to adults. You will design, plan, and execute festivals, star parties, performances, and community programs with education partners and across departments.

This role requires coordinating timelines, budgets, safety, accessibility, and partner relations, ensuring a welcoming, accurate, and engaging visitor experience across programs.

Qualifications

• Degree in a science field or equivalent experience translating science for the public.
• At least two years developing or coordinating public programs, educational experiences, community events, or audience-engagement initiatives in a museum, science center, cultural institution, nonprofit, or similar setting.
• Strong event, project, timeline, and budget-management skills, with real attention to detail.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, facilitation, and public-speaking skills.
• Sound judgment and composure under pressure, including the ability to prioritize, make day-of decisions, and communicate clearly when things change fast.
• A real commitment to accessibility and inclusion: you think about who might be left out before someone has to point it out to you.
• Ability to work well across departments and with people from a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and roles.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays when programs call for it.
• Comfort with common office, calendar, presentation, spreadsheet, survey, and project-management tools.

Responsibilities

• Plan and lead public programs and events, family programs, adult programs, performances, festivals, celestial events, cultural programs, presentations, exhibit-related experiences, evening programs, and community or off-site programs.
• Take each program from concept through planning, delivery, evaluation, and follow-up, keeping timelines, budgets, and deliverables on track.
• Work with the Director of Museum Programs to shape the annual program calendar with mission-aligned experiences that are fun, welcoming, accessible, and relevant across ages.
• Develop hands-on activities, demonstrations, and other informal learning experiences alongside Education staff, scientists, artists, performers, and community partners, making sure every program is scientifically accurate, age-appropriate, and genuinely accessible.
• Research, cultivate, and maintain relationships with program partners and presenters, coordinating schedules, contracts, invoices, and everything else a good partnership needs, so Chabot’s programs reflect and welcome the East Bay we serve.
• Maintain clear project plans, timelines, and shared documents so everyone involved knows what’s next and who owns it.
• Oversee public programs and events from setup through breakdown, making sure the visitor experience is coordinated, safe, accessible, and fun.
• Serve as the staff lead and safety point person during programs: directing event flow, making calls in real time, troubleshooting, and keeping everyone on the same page.
• Build run-of-show documents, floor plans, staffing plans, and clear staff and volunteer assignments so nothing gets left to chance.
• Lead pre-event coordination meetings and day-of briefings so staff, volunteers, partners, and presenters know their roles, their handoffs, and what to do if something goes sideways.
• Coordinate spaces, room setups, signage, supplies, audiovisual needs, accessibility, crowd flow, permits, and everything else a program needs to run well.
• Welcome audiences, introduce presenters, support activities, and step into delivery yourself when a program needs it.

Skills

Event management

Project management

Budget management

Public speaking

Communication

Accessibility & inclusion

Cross-department collaboration

Flexible scheduling

Education

Science degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Office tools

Calendar tools

Presentation software

Spreadsheets

Survey tools

Project management tools

Job description

$54,000 t0 $58,000 DOE, full-time, in-person

Chabot Space & Science Center is a non-profit science center and observatory dedicated to inspiring and educating learners of all ages about the Universe and planet Earth. Chabot’s mission is to spark and engage curiosity, deepen access and inclusion within science education, and provide opportunity for pathways into careers in the sciences.

Situated on a beautiful 13-acre campus nestled in the redwoods of Oakland’s regional parks, Chabot Space & Science Center includes immersive exhibits, hands‑on learning activities, science festivals, a state of the art planetarium, and is home to the official NASA Ames Visitor Center. Chabot’s research‑level astronomical observatory, featuring three large scale telescopes, is the largest observatory complex free for regular public viewing in the Western United States.

Position Summary

The Public Programs Coordinator brings science to life for the people of the East Bay, kids, families, adults, and everyone in between. Reporting to the Director of Museum Programs, this person leads the planning and delivery of the festivals, star parties, performances, and community programs that turn a visit to Chabot into a spark: a moment where science stops being abstract and starts feeling like something you own.

This is a job for someone who’s just as excited leading a 21+ science night as a family bubble fest weekend, and who wants Oakland to feel like Chabot belongs to them. You’ll design and lead public programs from concept through execution, working closely with the Director of Museum Programs and partnering across Education, Visitor Experience, Marketing, Facilities, and Volunteers to pull it off. That means being a proactive communicator and a steady project leader: clarifying roles, keeping people in the loop, and taking accountability for making each program come together well.

Program Development

• Plan and lead public programs and events, family programs, adult programs, performances, festivals, celestial events, cultural programs, presentations, exhibit‑related experiences, evening programs, and community or off‑site programs.
• Take each program from concept through planning, delivery, evaluation, and follow‑up, keeping timelines, budgets, and deliverables on track.
• Work with the Director of Museum Programs to shape the annual program calendar with mission‑aligned experiences that are fun, welcoming, accessible, and relevant across ages.
• Develop hands‑on activities, demonstrations, and other informal learning experiences alongside Education staff, scientists, artists, performers, and community partners, making sure every program is scientifically accurate, age‑appropriate, and genuinely accessible.
• Research, cultivate, and maintain relationships with program partners and presenters, coordinating schedules, contracts, invoices, and everything else a good partnership needs, so Chabot’s programs reflect and welcome the East Bay we serve.
• Maintain clear project plans, timelines, and shared documents so everyone involved knows what’s next and who owns it.
• Oversee public programs and events from setup through breakdown, making sure the visitor experience is coordinated, safe, accessible, and fun.
• Serve as the staff lead and safety point person during programs: directing event flow, making calls in real time, troubleshooting, and keeping everyone on the same page.
• Build run‑of‑show documents, floor plans, staffing plans, and clear staff and volunteer assignments so nothing gets left to chance.
• Lead pre‑event coordination meetings and day‑of briefings so staff, volunteers, partners, and presenters know their roles, their handoffs, and what to do if something goes sideways.
• Coordinate spaces, room setups, signage, supplies, audiovisual needs, accessibility, crowd flow, permits, and everything else a program needs to run well.
• Welcome audiences, introduce presenters, support activities, and step into delivery yourself when a program needs it.

Administration & Evaluation

• Build and run evaluation tools, visitor surveys, partner feedback, and staff debriefs, and use what you learn to make the next program better.
• Follow attendance, participation, revenue, expenses, satisfaction, and accessibility data to understand each program’s real impact.
• Prepare post‑program reports and work with the Director of Museum Programs to decide what to expand, revise, repeat, or retire.
• Monitor assigned program budgets, contracts, invoices, and supplies, flagging concerns early.
• Coordinate accurate, timely program information with Marketing for websites, social media, signage, and other promotional materials.
• Keep program supplies and equipment organized, from inventory and ordering to post‑event reset, and take part in professional development and cross‑training as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Cross Training

Chabot cross‑trains staff across key operational functions to ensure appropriate staffing, visitor support, safety, and a positive guest experience. Employees may be trained to assist with front desk and reception, planetarium operations, floor resets, visitor greeting and wayfinding, field trips, crowd management, café functions, and traffic assistance as needed.

Required Qualifications

• A degree in a science field, or equivalent experience translating science for the public.
• At least two years developing or coordinating public programs, educational experiences, community events, or audience‑engagement initiatives in a museum, science center, cultural institution, nonprofit, or similar setting.
• Strong event, project, timeline, and budget‑management skills, with real attention to detail.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, facilitation, and public‑speaking skills.
• Sound judgment and composure under pressure, including the ability to prioritize, make day‑of decisions, and communicate clearly when things change fast.
• A real commitment to accessibility and inclusion: you think about who might be left out before someone has to point it out to you.
• Ability to work well across departments and with people from a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and roles.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays when programs call for it.
• Comfort with common office, calendar, presentation, spreadsheet, survey, and project‑management tools.

Chabot is committed to a diverse workforce where every person is treated with dignity and respect. We expect everyone on our team to appreciate the unique backgrounds and experiences of their colleagues and to help foster a welcoming, inclusive environment for staff and visitors alike.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements below are typical of what’s needed to perform this job well. Reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities.

• Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to lift 30 pounds.
• Ability to work indoors in climate‑controlled spaces and outdoors in seasonal weather.
• Ability to work in loud, active, and crowded environments for extended periods.

This is a full‑time, benefits‑eligible position. Pay range: $54,000 to $58,000 annually , depending on experience. Full‑time employees are eligible for Chabot’s benefits package.

• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Chabot Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Chabot is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our staff bring differing strengths, experiences, and backgrounds together around one shared passion: bringing science to the full range of our community. Diversity includes race and gender identity as well as age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and every other part of who we are. Every employee’s perspective matters here, and inclusion is everyone’s job.