Informal Education Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is hiring an Interpretation and Exhibits Educator! 

Are you an educator and engaging storyteller who is excited about inspiring meaningful connections among people and nature in one of the most beautiful settings in Maine and committed to supporting the Gardens’ Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility goals?  

This is a Year-round, Full-time position. General schedule is 8:30 am-5:00 pm, with a requirement to consistently work one weekend day in a five-day work week during our open season. The employee is expected to contribute to seasonal staffing needs associated with our Gardens Aglow light show to the extent expected of other year-round staff. 

Year-round employees receive personal and sick paid time off, health and retirement benefits, discounts in our culinary programs and Gardenshop, and a Gardens membership. 

$27.00 - $30.00 hourly, non-exempt

The Interpretation and Exhibits Educator provides informal education that supports the Gardens’ mission to create meaningful connections between people and nature. They engage guests of all ages and backgrounds through a variety of interpretive strategies that include signage, tours, and live interpretation at Discovery Carts throughout the Gardens, the Native Butterfly House, and the Learning Apiary. This position also participates with other Interpretation and Exhibits team members in long-term interpretive planning, special events, and partnerships with outside organizations.    

Application review will begin September 14, 2026.  

Primary Functions: 

Provide informal educational experiences to guests through:

• Live interpretation via conversations that seek to create a sense of wonder, connect people to nature, and inspire curiosity and continued engagement outside of the Gardens. Live interpretation sites include mobile Discovery Carts, the Native Butterfly House, and the Learning Apiary.   
• Tours that provide opportunities for extended storytelling through the garden spaces, including current tours on garden history, native plants, wetlands, trees and the “Guardians of the Seeds” trolls, and a dialogue-based biodiversity tour.
• Educational events with informal education opportunities such as The Caterpillar Lab, other travelling naturalist programs, and other partner organizations. 
• Topics for interpretation include but are not limited to climate change, biodiversity loss, plant science, gardening practices, plant collections and research, natural history, environmental literacy, ecology, place-based storytelling, and intersectional environmentalism.

Manage the Gardens’ daily tour programs by:   

• Annually revisiting and refining content in collaboration with peers.   
• Developing and implementing docent training for live interpretation and tours.
• Organizing extended learning opportunities for docents, such as “Lunch & Learn” programming.
• Collaborating with the Volunteer Engagement program to support docents throughout the open season.  

Support the planning and development of interpretive strategies by: 

• Researching content for interpretation and writing interpretive text as needed.
• Taking part in gathering assessment data about new exhibits and programs through visitor surveys, verbal feedback, and other methodologies as appropriate.
• Tracking participation data as appropriate.   
• Increasing the diversity of voices, perspectives, and representation in informal programming.
• Working collaboratively across our mission pillar departments of Horticulture, Plant Science & Collections, and Education to develop content and stories that align with their practices and priorities.

Help set up and maintain interpretative exhibits, gardens, and other resources by:

• Monitoring interpretive displays and repairing or notifying manager of necessary repairs when appropriate.
• Helping to maintain the Native Bee exhibit and Learning Apiary gardens with basic garden maintenance tasks like weeding and watering.

•  Demonstrated experience and training in written and live informal education, and/or education in horticulture or the natural sciences.
• Education and/or significant practical experience in horticulture, botany, environmental studies, and/or other natural sciences.   
• Must enjoy and be comfortable interacting with guests, staff, board members, and the community; strive to create an exceptional experience for those visiting the Gardens.
• Commitment to working across the organization to support the integration of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility principles into the Gardens' education programming, internal operations, and its relationships with visitors and guests.
• Must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must be an enthusiastic and engaging storyteller.
• Proficient in basic computer software such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive.)  
• Experience with or the ability to learn and work with spreadsheets and database software such as Excel, Airtable, and Spektrix.

Physical Requirements: This position has occasional moderate physical demands. The position occasionally involves hands-on garden education and transporting and handling interpretive materials such as signs. The employee should be prepared for active physical work as a common component of the workday throughout the Gardens’ open season.