Education Fellow

The Clifton Institute seeks an Education Fellow to provide environmental education programs to children. This is a six-month-long position, with an extension to twelve months contingent on grant funding. In the 2022-2023 school year the Clifton Institute will be starting a new program to bring all third-grade students in the Fauquier County Public School system to our property on field trips. Starting in fall 2022 we will also be transitioning to a new format of field trips, during which our students participate in ongoing research projects on our field station. The Education Fellow will be responsible for working with teachers to arrange field trips, helping design lesson plans for the field trips, providing the field trips, and visiting classes in school after their field trips. We would like the Fellow to start in mid-April, although we can wait until early May for the right candidate.

The Clifton Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located two miles north of Warrenton, in the northern Piedmont of Virginia. Our 900-acre field station, which includes forests, grasslands, shrub fields, and wetlands, is permanently protected under a conservation easement. Our education programs include field trips for local school groups, summer day camps, nature hikes for children and their families, and walks and workshops for adults. Please visit www.cliftoninstitute.org/events to learn about our upcoming events. The Clifton Institute is a small but dynamic organization and the successful applicant will play an important role in our organization.

Duties for this position include:

• Providing half-day environmental education programs to groups visiting from local schools. This includes coordinating with teachers to arrange the visit, running the program, and following up to collect feedback after the program.
• Designing lesson plans for field trips on which we will collect scientific data with our students.
• Designing teaching materials for teachers to use with their students before and after field trips.
• In the summer the Education Fellow will help run four weeks of day camp where we explore natural history and conduct scientific research with children. This includes planning activities and hiring camp counselors.
• Teaching children natural history, ecology, and conservation biology during our monthly family hikes and other pre-K-12 education programs.
• Other duties as assigned.

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:

• A personal interest in natural history, conservation, and education.
• Knowledge of the natural history of the forests and grasslands of eastern North America.
• Teaching experience and / or other relevant experience working with children.
• A Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, education, or related field. A graduate degree in these fields a plus.
• Excellent interpersonal skills required.
• Excellent writing skills required.
• Ecological research or grassland restoration experience a plus.
• Digital design skills a plus.
• Must be willing to work at least one Saturday per month. Currently all of our programmatic staff work Tuesday through Saturday.
• Must be authorized to work in the US and able to work at our office in Warrenton, VA.

Salary and Benefits

• The starting salary will be $37,000 per year.
• Full time employees receive 15 paid days off during their first year of employment. In addition, we observe ten public holidays.
• The employee will enjoy a flexible work schedule.
• We have competitive health, dental, and retirement benefits as well as life insurance.
• In addition, employees of the Clifton Institute spend a significant amount of time outside on our beautiful 900-acre property.

How to apply:

Please send applications to jobs@cliftoninstitute.org. Please include a resume and a cover letter describing your interest in working at the Clifton Institute. Please also provide the names and email addresses of at least three references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.