School Programs Manager

Conservation Maven; Asheboro, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; USD 37,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

State employee benefits

Job summary

North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, NC seeks a School Programs Manager to develop and oversee the Zoo’s education programs for schools, afterschool and nature play. You will lead a team, partner with communities, and design workshops on conservation and science topics for diverse learners.

Role requires weekend/evening work, app content updates, and collaboration across departments to fulfill the organization’s mission. Hybrid telework is supported.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Zoology, Conservation, Education, Wildlife Science, or Interpretation.
• Four years of museum or related work experience.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee KidZone nature play space and related programs and build partnerships with local afterschool organizations.
• Develop and maintain formal education programs (pre-K–12 onsite, offsite and virtual) focused on conservation education.
• Market and update content for the Zoo app; maintain tablet fleet.
• Train, coach/mentor and evaluate a team of staff, seasonal educators, volunteers and interns.
• Design and evaluate workshops on environmental and science topics for educators and students.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Nonformal education design

Nature play area design

Educational app content development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Zoology, Conservation, Education, Wildlife Science, or Interpretation

Job description

### School Programs ManagerSave JobNorth Carolina ZooAsheboro,North Carolina| | || --- | --- || Job Type | Permanent || Salary | $37,377 - $51,500 per year || Benefits | see NC state government employee benefits || Deadline | Sep 30, 2026 || Min. Experience | 2 - 4 years |The North Carolina Zoo is growing, and it is an exciting time to join our team! We are looking for an enthusiastic **School Programs Manager** to develop and oversee the Zoo’s School, Afterschool and Nature Play education programs. The primary purpose of this position is to develop innovative conservation education programs designed for audiences that work with or are a part of the formal education sector from preschool to university students and educators. These groups include teachers, preservice teachers, informal and environmental educators, public and private school children and homeschool groups, and children in afterschool programs (e.g., Boys and Girls Club and the Dream Center). The position collaborates across Zoo departments to advance the organization’s mission and requires occasional weekend, evening, and holiday work. **Key Responsibilities:*** Oversees the Zoo’s KidZone nature play space and related nature play programs, including preschool summer camps and educator workshops, while building and maintaining community partnerships with local afterschool organizations.* In collaboration with their team, this position develops and maintains a formal education program (pre-K -12th grade – onsite, offsite and virtual) and afterschool programs focused on conservation education.* Responsible for marketing and updating the content of the Zoo’s app and maintaining the Zoo’s fleet of tablets.* Trains, coaches/mentors, supervises, and evaluates a team of four full-time staff, up to 15 seasonal educators and the Zoo’s Education Fellow in addition to volunteers and interns assigned to the Education section.* Designs, delivers, and evaluates workshops that focus on a wide range of environmental and science topics (e.g., environmental education, conservation education, ecology, biology, nature play techniques and place-based learning techniques) to educators and community college/university students.* Evaluates all school, library, Kidzone activities/pop-up programs, afterschool programs, and educator professional development workshops. Works with appropriate staff to update the experiences based off the feedback.Knowledge Skills and Abilities/Management PreferencesTo receive credit for your work history and credentials, you must provide the information on the application form. Any information omitted from the application form, listed as general statements, listed under the text resume section, or on an attachment will not be considered for qualifying credit.Candidates meet the minimum qualifications of this position if they meet the minimum education and experience listed on the vacancy announcement. Vacancy specific knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and/or management preferences are not required. Applicants who possess the following are preferred:* Bachelor's degree in Biology, Zoology, Conservation, Education, Wildlife Science, or Interpretation from an appropriately accredited institution and four years of museum or related work, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.* Demonstrated supervisory experience.* Demonstrated experience designing and delivering nonformal education programs for schools (private, public, charter, and homeschool) and afterschool organizations that meet the NC Standard Course of Study.* Demonstrated experience in designing and maintaining nature play areas and experiences designed to connect people with nature.* Demonstrated experience developing content for educational technology (specifically apps).**Position/Physical Requirements*** Work schedule: Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm* Must be able to work weekends, holidays and after regular work shifts.* This position is designated as Essential/Mandatory and is required to work adverse weather events and may be called to work special events.* Required to participate in the zoo's occupational health program.* Must have a valid driver’s license issued from within the United States or be able to obtain one within 90 days of employment.* Required to obtain Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) training within one year of the hire date* Must be able to work with computers and MS Office including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Experience with video editing software a plus.* Must possess good hearing and vision (including appropriate assistive technology), a loud and clear speaking voice, be able to safely move 30 pounds, and be able to get around the Zoo.This position is deemed eligible for hybrid telework under DNCR’s Telework Policy.This position is located at:4401 Zoo ParkwayAsheboro, NC 27205**Minimum Education and Experience**Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See theEducation and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.Bachelor’s degree in Art History, Biology, Botany, Conservation, Education, History or Zoology from an appropriately accredited institutionANDfour years of museum or related work,ORan equivalent combination of education and experience.**Section/Unit Description**The Conservation, Education and Science (CES) Section is responsible for executing activities and programs central to the mission of the North Carolina Zoo. The section plans, organizes and executes scientific research and wildlife conservation programs within North Carolina and internationally. CES staff are actively involved in conducting research and wildlife conservation activities in the field both independently and in partnership with State, Federal and international organizations, and agencies. CES is responsible for the management of natural areas on over 2,800 acres of zoo-owned land. CES is also responsible for all educational activities and programs conducted by the Zoo in furtherance of the zoo’s mission and DNCR goals. Educational programming coordinated by CES is wide ranging and includes (but is not limited to) developing interpretive displays at zoo exhibits, organized programs for visiting school groups, educational camps, teacher training workshops, college research internships, activities promoting outdoor recreation and play, developing educational content for zoo social media, community outreach programs and virtual education programs. The CES section oversees the Zoo’s extensive volunteer program, which consists of over 300 active volunteers performing over 50,000 hours of service annually. Volunteers are active across many areas of zoo operations, including education, visitor services, horticulture, wildlife rehabilitation, and facilities maintenance. CES maintains its own ambassador animals and is responsible for overall care and management of this collection. This includes collection planning, animal acquisitions and dispositions, animal care, animal propagation, animal training and animal behavioral enrichment programs. CES staff facilitates, conducts, and develops all on-site research, with a particular focus on animal welfare and behavioral monitoring as well as education evaluation. Research staff approve, track and coordinate proposals from outside institutions (e.g., universities) and agencies, initiate and participate in multi-institutional research programs, and implement zoo visitor perception and satisfaction surveys. CES staff serve as liaisons for multiple professional societies, including with several Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) conservation and science programs.