Community Engagement Specialist

About the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, research center, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our extensive collections span plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. We are a diverse team of leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who work collaboratively to advance knowledge and inspire action through science and storytelling.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you're working behind the scenes in research or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

The Community Engagement Lead, reporting to the Social and Environmental Justice Manager, serves as a crucial link in supporting cross-collaboration for initiatives shared between the Education and Innovation division. In this capacity, this role is responsible for supporting community engagement activities and events, managing program delivery, and conducting evaluations that integrates guest education and innovative community engagement.

The Lead is responsible for direct community and guest engagement during peak attendance periods on the museum floor. This includes confidently interacting with guests and presenting on any topic relevant to the Academy and its mission, which will also bridge the partnership between innovation in guest experience and education. Additionally, the Lead assists with critical projects, such as designing programs and community engagement, which will also strengthen the partnership between teams, including Guest Experience, Guest Education, and Innovation.

Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.
This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by Cal Academy Workers United, and will be subject to the terms and conditions of that contract.

• Under direction of the Social and Environmental Justice Manager, support the design and delivery of direct outreach and engagement activities (community convenings) with community members. Most engagements will occur at California Academy of Sciences with occasional off-site activities.
• Assist with community engagement program and content development, including material preparation and maintenance, administrative tasks, and special projects as assigned.
• Support design and implementation of listening sessions and other engagement strategies to understand community needs and challenges.
• Support with coordinating experiences and activations with the Innovation team.
• Collaborate with the SEJ manager in the analysis of data and guest input collected during community listening sessions and community convenings.
• Assist with the implementation of community engagement program evaluations and visitor assessments, and special programs/events
• Produce written reports and provide…