Agricultural Interpreter (Instructor I)

Salary

$16.66 - $21.42 Hourly

Location 

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Part-time, 29 hrs per week or less

Department

Parks and Recreation

Opening Date

02/28/2025

Closing Date

3/28/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Description

Based on our internal equity review process, the starting salary for this position will be $16.66

The current full hourly range for this position is $16.66 - $21.42

Join the exceptional staff of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum! The mission of our accredited museum is to engage a diverse regional audience with Puget Sound's first globally connected settlement through historic preservation, experiential learning, and interpretation. The Agricultural Interpreter supports this mission by collaborating with other staff and volunteers to research, plan, and conduct hands-on historical agricultural demonstrations to engage visitors in the role that agriculture played during the 1850s. Demonstrations may include guiding tours, presenting experiential learning during camps, staffing public events, and providing presentations during public programs, with the goal of assisting guests in making connections to our cultural resources.

Work where you play!

Join our team at Parks Tacoma to put your skills to use serving your community and making Tacoma a vibrant, healthy, and welcoming place to live.

Who We Are

Parks Tacoma is a CAPRA-accredited and AZA-accredited, independent park district that leads efforts to build a healthy, sustainable community. Located in Tacoma, Washington, Parks Tacoma's mission is to create healthy opportunities to play, learn, and grow. The independent park district spans the city providing a wide range of life-enriching destinations and services, including 70+ parks, 80+ miles of trails, 1,000+ acres of urban forest, 66 playgrounds, four community centers, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Point Defiance Park, and much more. Our work is guided by eight core values that are the foundation of our actions and goals: innovation, excellence, equity, inclusiveness, sustainability, accountability, safety, and fun.

Why You’ll Love it Here

Come work with us and work where you play! You will contribute to the overall vitality and well-being of your community when you work for Parks Tacoma, and you’ll do so as part of a supportive team of committed, passionate, and mission-driven professionals. The people of Parks Tacoma are the key to its success, and you just might be the next great addition to our team.  On top of that, you’ll wake each day knowing that you’re helping make Tacoma a great place to call home.

Position Information 

Provide fun, informative and exciting classes or learning opportunities in assigned program area. 

In the performance of their respective tasks and duties all employees are expected to:

• Perform quality work within deadlines with or without direct supervision.
• Interact professionally with other employees, customers and suppliers.
• Work effectively as a team contributor on all assignments.
• Work independently while understanding the necessity for communicating and coordinating work efforts with other employees and organizations.
• Observe applicable safety requirements, use safety equipment provided, implement appropriate safety practices at all times and report immediately any unsafe working conditions or hazards.

Essential Duties

• Provide support to, and collaborate with, other department staff to assist with planning, preparing, and implementing programs. 
• Plan and prepare instruction materials or lesson plans or implement already established lesson plans.
• Instruct, and/or teach participants using excellent citizenship, sportsmanship, and inclusivity. 
• Assess and evaluate student progress and provide feedback.
• Provide each participant the opportunity to succeed and grow their skills through program opportunities. 
• Maintain a safe and inclusive learning environment. 
• Track attendance reports as required. 
• Provide a positive attitude toward program participants and staff; encourage and serve as a positive role model. 
• Maintain communication with staff, participants, and/or parents/guardians as needed.
• Stay up to date on trends within assigned program area.
• Responsible for the designated site location program set-up and general clean-up.  
• Ensure program/facility rules, policies and procedures are followed; maintain and enforce safety standards and expectations. 
• Ensure proper use, care and storage of program equipment and supplies.  
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional Requirements:

• Maintain historical gardens, crops, and livestock using 19th-century techniques.
• Research and document appropriate plant varieties for a heritage garden and producing an annual planting plan engage.
• Search seed catalogs, order seeds, and maintain records of sources.
• Arrange garden material delivery and coordinate harvest and produce use.
• Collect and preserve seeds for future planting.
• Demonstrate 19th-century skills and acquire more.
• Open and close all historic buildings within the museum.
• Care for all museum exhibits.
• Continue to expand knowledge of our history through independent reading and research.
• Adhere to period clothing guidelines.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 18 years of age.
• At least 1 year of related experience in assigned program area. 
• Valid First Aid and CPR certification may be required.

Additional Information

HOURS/SCHEDULE:
Up to 29 hours per week. 
Typical schedule will be between the hours of 10:30am - 4:30pm; combination of weekdays and weekends.

COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of assigned recreation programs, activities, and services.
• Demonstrate knowledge of safety guidelines and practices.
• Skill in overseeing and instructing/teaching others.
• Ability to handle conflict and solve problems using tact, patience, and courtesy.
• Ability to navigate emergency situations.
• Work with diverse groups of people in a tactful, effective, and respectful manner.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, the community and program participants.
• Follow instructions, both written and verbal.
• Ability to safely perform job tasks in a variety of park and non-park settings.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Work is performed indoors and outdoors.
• Driving a district vehicle, and transporting patrons, is required for some positions.
• Work various schedules including mornings, afternoons, evenings, and weekends.
• Ability to Frequent communication with district employees and customers. 
• Noise level is moderately loud. 
• Standing for long periods of time. 
• Walking, kneeling and/or crouching to demonstrating proper form. 
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds on occasion. 
• Ability to navigate emergency situations, including performing CPR.

PARKS TACOMA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
All qualified persons will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation, disability or any other merit factor. Members of ethnic minorities, women, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans, persons of disability and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply.

Parks Tacoma employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Parks Tacoma is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resources at hr@tacomaparks.com.

Employment is subject to a national background check.

This position is an at-will position with no written or implied contractual agreement.

EmployerParks Tacoma

Address4702 S. 19th St.

Tacoma, Washington, 98405

Websitehttps://www.parkstacoma.gov/