Planetarium Educator (Part-Time, 10-Month Position) in Jersey City, New Jersey at Liberty Science Center

The Role
The Planetarium Educator at Liberty Science Center (LSC) will: (1) Present NASA-themed content to students, grades 4-8, at weekly after school programs in the Hudson County, NJ area; (2) Develop content for those after school programs in partnership with youth-serving organizations, NASA staff and other LSC staff; (3) operate an inflatable, portable planetarium and train afterschool attendees on using, and creating programs for, the portable dome; (4) Give live presentations to guests in LSC’s large Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium (5) Operate planetarium equipment, including presenting movies and laser light shows in the planetarium (6) Cover evening planetarium and telescope programming at LSC. This Planetarium Educator will report to the Planetarium Director and will work closely with members of the STEM Education department. This is a 10-month position, November 2026 to October 2027.

What You’ll Bring
As a Planetarium Educator, you are passionate about presenting astronomy, space science, and Earth topics. Your formal and informal education experience will help keep students engaged in NASA-based interactive experiences. Your experience as a skilled, dynamic presenter will come to the fore as you train students to create and deliver their own planetarium shows. Your experience in public presentations will be tapped as you give programs in LSC’s giant Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium.

What You’ll Do

The essential functions of the Planetarium Educator (PT, Temporary) role are as follows:

• This position specifically supports LSC’s grant-funded program (‘NASA Afterschool Engagement’), in which you will provide NASA-themed afterschool content at public schools and at youth centers to students in grades 4-8.

• You will work with the project team on content to be delivered weekly at after school and summer camp venues.

• You will share NASA content with the students, developing and presenting programs that will enrich the students’ grasp of NASA’s work in areas such as the Artemis Mission and the James Webb Space Telescope.

• You will operate a portable digital planetarium offsite as a venue for sharing content with the students.

• You will train students on using basic planetarium-related software to create and deliver their own programs at family nights at the afterschool venues.

• Assist selected students from the afterschool programs to present their shows in the main Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium at LSC.

• Present outreach programs via the portable planetarium to various venues in the North New Jersey area.

• You will present energetic, engaging live programs in the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, to audiences that include the general public, school groups, summer camp groups, and attendees of day and evening special events.

• Present educational programs in Science on a Sphere (the six-foot, earth science focused globe in LSC’s Weston Lab), for scout merit-badge programs, and other venues that bring astronomy and earth sciences to life for LSC’s audiences.

• Operate and perform basic maintenance on audio-visual and digital equipment, both within the planetarium and with platforms and programs used for remote educational programs.

• Operate telescopes for public viewing nights at LSC

• Give ‘Science on a Sphere’ presentations for potential funders, board members, and organizational partners.

• Collaborate inter-divisionally on developing and producing creative solutions that serve to strengthen LSC’s brand, mission, and revenue.

• Establish an environment conducive to learning and appropriate to the physical, social, and emotional development of our diverse audience members.

• Other duties, as business needs require
  
  

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• Demonstrated ability in formal (classroom) education

• Experience in afterschool programming and other forms of informal education

• Excellent communication, public speaking, presentation, and interpersonal skills

• Understanding of current trends in astronomy and space science education

• Skilled in editing and adapting video and other content to full dome format

• Ability to contribute to a multicultural organization and serve students with diverse needs
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in astronomy, education, theater, or a related STEM discipline.

• Training in acting/ on-stage experience

• Other performance experience (singing, playing music, dance).

• Experience in venues that involve engaging and holding the attention of large audiences

• One or more years of experience in areas such as:
  • Working, operating, and presenting in a planetarium setting

  • Operating and maintaining telescopes

  • Teaching student groups in either formal or informal settings

Supervisory Responsibilities
The Planetarium Educator may manage and coach ‘near peer’ students that will also be funded under this project to help deliver the afterschool content to students.

Classification & Work Location
This is a part-time, non-exempt position. This position must be available to work onsite at Liberty Science Center and at school venues in Hudson County.

Schedule
Weekday afternoon availability is essential because of the schedule of afterschool programs (1pm-5pm). Weekend and daytime (9:45am-5pm) availability is also required. Evening availability (5pm-10pm) may be needed for special planetarium events and telescope viewing nights.

LSC’s Work Culture at a Glimpse
LSC prides itself on fostering a culture that enables all employees to experience a sense of pleasure, passion, and purpose while in the workplace. We believe in embracing and driving change, inspiring fun and learning, and creating a positive and family-friendly team spirit. Our differences as individuals (race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education and lifestyle) are an asset and contribute to our ability to drive innovation. Lastly, at the heart of our work culture is the commitment to delivering a “wow factor” through our exceptional customer service to not only our guests but also one another.

Physical & Environmental Demands
The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

• The position requires lifting 35 lbs and pulling wheeled equipment weighing 70 lbs up to 500 feet.

• This position involves working in a dark theater, so you must be able to move around in dimly lit spaces.

• The position involves bending over, kneeling, and sitting on the floor in setting up and operating equipment.

• This position must tolerate significant noise levels (especially from lively student and public audiences).

• The position includes extensive public speaking, often in noisy environments.

• The control system is up one flight of stairs; the ability to access the control system is necessary for this role. In addition, the position includes climbing a long stairwell from the planetarium’s front stage to the operator’s area.

• The ability to work for long periods of time at a computer is required.

• Must be able to operate telescopes in low-light environments.

Travel
Travel to local schools and other venues for delivering astronomy outreach programs is a key part of the position. Possible travel out of state to attend conferences and training related to the position. Valid Driver’s License.

Compensation & Benefits
The Planetarium Educator position is compensated at a rate of $21.00/hour. Liberty Science Center also provides perks for all eligible part-time employees, including

Paid time off
25% discount for staff in the LSC store
15% discount in the Cosmic Cafe
LSC Family Membership
Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
Free parking

To Apply
Please submit a resume and cover letter highlighting why Liberty Science Center and this particular role are a good fit for you.

Liberty Science Center is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and innovative environment with the best employees. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military service, marital status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

We know that you may not check every single box in this job description. If you are passionate about our mission and interested in this role, we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every requirement listed.

If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.