Weekend Chicago Museum Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Part-Time Education Specialist

Union Position

About the Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium connects people to the universe and each other. Whether introducing a guest to the Ring Nebula, a neighborhood school to a community partner, a research team to a network of citizen scientists, or one staff member to another, the Adler’s focus on meaningful connections dates back nearly a century.

Today, the museum typically hosts more than half a million visitors annually and reaches millions more through youth STEAM programs, neighborhood skywatching events, online citizen science, and other outreach efforts. With the Adler’s support, people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities gain the confidence to explore their universe together and return to their communities ready to think critically and creatively about any challenge that comes their way.

The Position

The Adler Planetarium is seeking a Part-Time Education Specialist to join our dynamic team on Chicago's Museum Campus. Staff in this role will work as part of a team of museum educators, delivering engaging, informal learning experiences to museum visitors of all ages daily. Educators engage Adler audiences on the floor, in museum galleries, and in educational spaces. They are experts in understanding and adapting to meet the needs and expectations of target audiences: adults, families, and students.

Part-time Education Specialists are excellent communicators with an enthusiasm for sharing knowledge, connecting with others, and supporting learners at various levels. They are creative, proactive problem-solvers with the ability to adapt and meet the needs of different audiences. Education Specialists bring their experience facilitating science-rich educational activities to deliver high-quality, audience-centered experiences for all museum visitors. They can prioritize and manage multiple tasks, make well-reasoned, independent decisions, and work well with others.

This is a union position with the Adler Planetarium Workers United, AFSCME Council 31.

This individual will also be responsible for:

• Facilitating onsite activities for adults, families, and students

• Providing positive guest-facing interactions

• Collecting participation data, logging successes and challenges, and providing input regarding visitor feedback and experiences to the wider department.

• Preparing for educational programs and maintaining organized learning spaces (e.g., set up/breakdown of activities, restocking spaces, reporting supply needs).

• Ongoing participation in training and knowledge development.

• Taking an active role in team discussions and participating in training sessions to build and maintain facilitation skills and expand content knowledge

• Participating in ongoing professional learning and training on existing and new Adler activities and engagement strategies.

• Participating in activity testing, visitor testing/observations, and supporting iterative program development.

Interview Schedule & Format

Initial onsite group interviews will be held for this position on the following dates:

• Monday, July 13, 2026 in the morning

• Monday, July 20, 2026 in the afternoon

The Work Schedule

The typical work schedule is Sundays and Mondays (10:00 am - 4:00 pm on both days) and the 4th Wednesday of each month (1:00 pm - 5:00 pm). Work is on-site only. Weekend availability is required. Periodic night availability is required. Schedule is subject to change based on operational needs.

Work hours for this position vary seasonally, ranging from 10 to 16 hours per week. Select holidays are required (MLK Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day).

The Compensation & Benefits (Part-Time)

Base Pay Range: $18.25/hr - $19.59/hr

Work-Life Balance

• 10 to 16-hour workweek

• Eligible to accrue up to 6 vacation days per year

• 3 sick days as of date of hire (can accrue up to 6.5 days per year)

• Eligible to earn time and a half for working on any of the 7 Adler-observed holidays

• Paid Family Bereavement Leave & Jury Duty

• Paid Parental Leave

Commuter flexible spending account

Retirement Savings Plan

• 403B plan with Adler match

• Adler match is 100% vested immediately

• Eligible to enroll as of the date of hire

Network of Support through our EAP programs

• Resources to help address emotional, legal, and financial issues

• Face-to-face, telephonic, and web-based services

• Free subscription to the Calm Premium app

Employee Loan Program

Discounted Onsite Parking Program

Free Entrance to Chicago area museums and cultural institutions

The Person

Required Qualifications:

• Associate's Degree or 3+ years professional work experience

• Two or more years of experience working in informal or formal learning environments, or experience facilitating, supporting, or teaching science-rich activities to the public

• A confident public speaker with storytelling skills. Demonstrates professional maturity and high levels of emotional intelligence and cultural competency.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to provide service to, and work with, a diverse array of people.

• Excellent communicator with an enthusiasm for sharing knowledge, connecting with others, and supporting learners at various levels.

• Ability to adapt to meet the needs of different audiences.

• Self-directed learner with the ability to master content and concepts quickly.

• High degree of adaptability. A creative, proactive problem-solver.

Preferred qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or 5+ years of professional work experience. Specializations: STEM, education, museums

• Previous public-facing experience at a cultural institution such as a planetarium, museum, science center, zoo, or theater.

• Two or more years as a museum educator or interpreter.

• Interest in or experience with astronomy

• An audience-centered approach to working with the public.

• Prior knowledge or willingness to learn basic astronomy and space science concepts.

• Fluency in two or more languages common to the Chicagoland area is a plus.

Application requirements:

Applicants are required to submit/attach the following with their application:

• A resume that highlights your work experience and how it relates to the required qualifications listed above. Resume page limit: No more than 2 pages, in total.

• A cover letter that includes answers to all of the following questions below. Cover letter page limit: No more than 2 pages, in total; 1 page preferred.

1. Are you available to consistently work the entire schedule listed in this job ad: Sundays and Mondays (10:00 am - 4:00 pm) and the 4th Wednesday of each month (1:00 pm - 5:00 pm)?

2. This position involves spending most of the workday standing, moving throughout museum galleries, and engaging with visitors in a busy, often crowded, environment. Are you comfortable working in this type of setting?

3. Describe your previous experience working directly with the public in educational and/or museum settings and how it relates to this role. Include details about the audiences you have worked with and examples of the types of activities, events, and experiences you have facilitated. Be sure to describe your role.

4. After reading the job ad, which responsibility are you most excited about and which do you think will be the most challenging? Why?

5. This position requires the ability to quickly learn new science content, facilitation techniques, and museum programs. Describe a time you learned new information or a new skill and then used it to support, teach, or engage others.

The Adler Planetarium is dedicated to complying with its Equal Opportunity employer obligations. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email the Human Resources Department at recruiting@adlerplanetarium.org with the nature of your request and your contact information. Accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.