Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

This position also requires a valid driver’s license and ability to travel and the ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays as dictated by program needs.

SEA Discovery Center is a public aquarium located in Poulsbo, WA and is a self-sustaining program of Western Washington University. The Center’s facilities include a 3-story main building (footprint 24,000 sq. ft.) with fresh and saltwater aquarium exhibits, classrooms, and theater, outdoor grounds and parking lot, and floating boathouse classroom. The Center inspires lifelong learning and a deeper connection to the marine environment through public aquarium exhibits, school field trips, educational programs, a vibrant volunteer program, and environmental stewardship projects involving the community. Annually, more than 25,000 people visit the aquarium or participate in an educational program at SEA.

Job Duties/Responsibilities: 

(55%)  Develop and deliver marine science and other informal education programming at SEA Discovery Center (primarily for K-12 students) Manage the outreach, scheduling and coordination of school field trips to the aquarium Work with SEA & WWU staff and resources to create and deliver programs, prepare, modify, and/or update curriculum, lesson plans, and/or classroom materials to stay current with state standards in science education Lead education activities in classroom, aquarium, theater, floating lab and other appropriate SEA facilities. Work with volunteers to ensure appropriate staffing and support for K-12 groups 

(30%)   Volunteer Management Recruit, manage and maintain a group of volunteers to help support SEA's ongoing operations, to include support for education programs and aquarium guides/docents. Create and implement volunteer recognition program and other incentives for service Ensure adherence to WWU policies and procedures Create annual volunteer impact report  

(5%)   Marketing and Fundraising Support Work with the Director of Operations and Outreach to support fundraising and grant writing efforts for SEA Discovery Center Collaborate with University Relations and Marketing, SEA Staff, Volunteers and others to support marketing and social media efforts (Facebook/Instagram)

(5%)   Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism and Accessibiity Efforts Demonstrate a commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment Contribute to the unit, OCE, and Western's work on diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and accessibility through conversations and professional development

(5%)   Other Duties as assigned to support the operations of SEA Discovery Center

• Bachelor's degree plus 2+ years of related work experience in an educational setting, or a position that lends itself to providing informal education to groups of students/individuals
• Demonstrated knowledge of marine life of the Pacific Northwest and a commitment to being a steward of the marine environment
• Experience delivering program information through teaching or training, community instruction, service, outreach activities or similar type of experience
• Demonstrated ability to foster and maintain strong and collaborative relationships with coworkers, volunteers, stakeholders, constituent groups, community groups, city/county government officials
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated organizational skills necessary to successfully manage a large volume of information
• Intermediate skills in the use of technology, including recent versions of Office 365 or similar programs
• • Demonstrated commitment to contributing to an inclusive work environment

• Experience with curriculum design or development, adhering to national standards within a discipline
• History of success with grant writing or fundraising
• 2+ years' of paid work experience at a non-profit organization
• Experience managing volunteers for a non-profit or similar type of organization

This position requires a fingerprint background check.

Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position. This position is not benefits eligible. 

Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

Position closes September 12, 2025 at 11:55 p.m.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs at vpsa.office@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.