Nature Education Specialist

Nature Education Specialist will work at various parks within Mansfield and the Mansfield Activities Center (MAC). Responsibilities will include the development and execution of a variety of outdoor recreation programs, activities and events such as kayaking, canoeing, fishing, camping, rock climbing, and archery workshops. The applicant will also be responsible for assisting with the nature education field trips, summer camp, preschool, Home School and scout programs.

EXAMPLES OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED: •Conduct daily outdoor recreational activities for children of all ages including archery workshops, canoeing field trips, kayaking tours, fishing programs, summer camp, booths at events to promote Oliver Nature Park, and additional educational programs. •Assisting with the nature education field trips, summer camp, preschool, Home School, scout program, having booths at events, planting and maintaining gardens, and additional programs. •Develop new exciting programs for families, children, and adults. •Assist staff in planning, developing, promoting, executing and evaluating recreational programs for all ages. •Observe safety precautions; correct minor safety problems; conduct activities in a safe manner. •Maintain discipline at all times using appropriate behavior management techniques .•Operate city-owned 15 passenger van for local day trips and field trips as well as other city-owned vehicles and trailers. •Attend mandatory staff trainings and meetings. •Perform basic office duties such as answering phones, making copies, faxing, filing, and gathering data. •Assist with other Nature Education programs, classes and activities as needed. •Enforce and maintain all Parks and Recreation policies and procedures as needed •Ability to work outside in a variety of weather conditions and temperatures. •Enthusiasm for learning and teaching about nature. 
OTHER DUTIES: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contact a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 
•Knowledge of theory, principles, natural sciences, land stewardship and environmental education programming and techniques, interpretation of ecological concepts, land and wildlife management, local flora and fauna, soils, hydrology, geology and current environmental issues. •Ability to work flexible hours including evenings, weekends and holidays. •Knowledge of Microsoft Windows and Windows applications. •Good communications skills, both written and verbal. •Flexible, energetic and outgoing •Must be comfortable around animals used for nature programming •Good communications skills, both written and verbal.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE: 
•Must be at least 21 years of age •Bachelor’s Degree in environmental education, environmental science, biology, botany, outdoor recreation, teaching or related field. •Three (3) years of experience working in a Nature Center, zoo, classroom or similar. •Experience developing curriculum for classes. •Experience working outdoor recreation setting instructing guests of all ages. •Good communications skills, both written and verbal.
DESIRED TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE: •Master Naturalist preferred. •Master Gardener preferred. •CPR/First Aid Certification, kayak training, archery training, and camping skills. 

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS: 

1.The physical activity of this position •Climbing. Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized. •Balancing. Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling and walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. •Stooping. Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. •Kneeling. Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees. •Crouching. Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine. • Crawling. Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet. • Reaching. Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction. • Standing. Particularly for sustained periods of time. • Walking. Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another. • Pushing. Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward. • Pulling. Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion. • Lifting. Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles. • Fingering. Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling. • Grasping. Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm. • Feeling. Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips. • Talking. Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. • Hearing. Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound. • Repetitive motion. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. 

2. The physical requirements of this position • Medium work. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.  

3. The visual acuity requirements including color, depth perception, and field vision.  • The worker is required to have visual acuity to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment.  

4. The conditions the worker will be subject to in this position  • The worker is subject to environmental conditions. Protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes. • The worker is subject to outside environmental conditions. No effective protection from the weather. • The worker is subject to both environmental conditions. Activities occur inside and outside. 

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES The City of Mansfield complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and it is our policy to ensure that no person is discriminated against based on their disability.  The City of Mansfield offers equal employment opportunity to qualified individuals and strictly prohibits the discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability.  The City of Mansfield shall provide reasonable accommodates to applicants and employees who are otherwise qualified to perform the essential job duties when doing so does not create an undue hardship for the city.  

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER The City of Mansfield  provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.  The City of Mansfield is mandated by federal law to provide a drug-free working environment for the safety of its employees and the public.  All employment is contingent upon passing a post-offer employment drug test and /or physical. 

How to apply:

TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION, PLEASE SUBMIT AN APPLICATION BY VISITING THIS LINK: 
https://www.mansfieldtexas.gov/332/Job-Opportunities