Interpretation and Exhibits Educator

About the role

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.

Application review will begin September 14, 2026.

Responsibilities

• 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 (mobile Discovery Carts, Native Butterfly House, Learning Apiary).
• Conduct tours that provide extended storytelling through 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.
• Participate in educational events with informal education opportunities such as The Caterpillar Lab, other travelling naturalist programs, and partner organizations; cover topics including 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, developing and implementing docent training, organizing extended learning opportunities for docents (e.g., “Lunch & Learn”), and collaborating with Volunteer Engagement to support docents.
• Support the planning and development of interpretive strategies by researching content, writing interpretive text, gathering assessment data via visitor surveys and feedback, tracking participation, increasing diversity of voices in programming, and collaborating across Horticulture, Plant Science & Collections, and Education departments.
• Help set up and maintain interpretive exhibits, gardens, and other resources by monitoring displays, repairing or notifying manager of needed repairs, and maintaining the Native Bee exhibit and Learning Apiary gardens with basic tasks like weeding and watering.

Requirements

• 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.
• Enjoy and be comfortable interacting with guests, staff, board members, and the community; strive to create an exceptional experience for visitors.
• Commitment to working across the organization to support the integration of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility principles into education programming, internal operations, and relationships with visitors.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• 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: occasional moderate physical demands, hands‑on garden education, transporting and handling interpretive materials; prepared for active physical work as a common component of the workday during the open season.

Benefits

• Personal and sick paid time off
• Health and retirement benefits
• Discounts in culinary programs and Gardenshop
• Gardens membership

Pay

$27.00 - $30.00 hourly, non‑exempt

Schedule

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 the open season; expected to contribute to seasonal staffing needs associated with the Gardens Aglow light show.