CAISE Hiring Online Producer for InformalScience.org

The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education is dedicated to strengthening the field of informal STEM education (ISE) by supporting and building on the rich diversity of projects supported by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Under a cooperative agreement with NSF, the Center provides resources and connectivity to practitioners, researchers and evaluators across the ISE sectors, i.e. science centers and museums, transmedia, afterschool and community programs, cyberlearning and gaming. The Center has funding from NSF through May 2015 with the possibility of extension pending additional funding.

The Principal Investigator (PI) of the Center based at the Association of Science-Technology Centers in Washington DC works with co-Principal Investigators at Oregon State University, and University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out of School Environments (UPCLOSE), The Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio and KQED Public Media in San Francisco, CA. Inverness Research is the project's evaluator. The Center staff work from ASTC, reporting to the PI.

CAISE's activities include convening meetings, workshops and conferences, both face-to-face and online; contributing to a user-friendly repository of online resources, including a centralized database of NSF-funded projects, supporting and tracking the Center's initiatives and participating in a variety of communication and outreach efforts.

Position Summary: The CAISE Online Producer's primary responsibility is to oversee and manage the website informalscience.org. The Producer will work with the CAISE staff and co-Principal investigators to create new and updated content, ensure that it has passed quality assurance, and publish it with the assistance of contractors. The Producer will develop and deploy strategies to define and maintain the character of a website and will daily be looking for ways to boost the popularity of the website and increase user activity. She/he will bridge previously unconnected people, projects, and site content; identify gaps and prioritize related activities; and reach and engage CAISE target audiences. In the spirit of the site being a “one-stop shop” for informal STEM learning, the Producer will be sufficiently current about issues, trends, and connections within the informal STEM learning field.

Position Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage an overall strategy and vision for informalscience.org in the areas of 1) content development and curation and 2) site functionality and user interface (25% of time)
• Assist CAISE staff and contractors to create original content for informalscience.org and social media sites (such as blogs, web pages, and audience engagement content such as polls) (25% of time)
• Develop and implement marketing and communications campaigns to reach target audiences (25% of time)
• Manage contracts relating to web development projects (10% of time)
• Day-to-day management of the website, including troubleshooting (10% of time)
• Attend relevant conferences, meetings, and workshops (both in-person and virtual) relevant to informal STEM learning with the aim of producing follow-up content (5% of time)
• Contribute to and support other components of the CAISE project as needed, e.g. writing for funding proposal

   

  Qualifications summary: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform the essential functions of the position.

   

  Position Qualifications:

   

  Travel: Periodic travel is required.

  Benefits and Compensation:

   

  To apply, please send letter of interest, resume, and salary requirement to jobs@astc.org. EOE.

  • • B.S. or higher degree in computer science, design, communication, science and/or science education
    • At least 5 years experience working with an educational, social science or non-profit organization
    • Awareness of/familiarity with the STEM education landscape, especially informal and/or out of school time settings and experiences
    • Familiarity with online content management systems, particularly Expression Engine
    • Excellent writer able to craft a variety of products—web pages, social media posts, blog posts—attuned to appropriate audiences
    • Experience in marketing, particularly through social media and other online strategies.
    • Proven web content producing skills, including but not limited to HTML, XML, CSS, as well as image manipulation and graphic creation
    • Ability to set and meet goals around site use and engagement for target audiences
    • Demonstrated experience managing contracts or projects relating to web development and/or online content production
    • Experience in or with the informal STEM learning field preferred
    • Familiarity with National Science Digital Library Cataloging System (NCS) software a plus
    • Familiarity with U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) policies, procedures and grant reporting requirements would be helpful
    • Salary commensurate with experience.
    • Individual group health and dental insurance (85% employer paid); family coverage available at additional cost.
    • Life, accidental death, and short term disability insurance.
    • Employee Assistance Program.
    • Up to 10% match in 403 (b) after one year of service.
    • 10 paid holidays
    • 13 days annual leave
    • 13 days health leave