Education and Outreach Specialist

Lynker Technologies

Education and Outreach Specialist

US--

Full-Time

Remote Worker- USA Only

Overview

Lynker Corporation is a leading provider of innovative solutions in ocean science and exploration. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for innovation, Lynker leverages cutting‑edge technologies and scientific expertise to support the creation and delivery of improved operational weather forecasts.

As part of our ongoing growth and expansion, we are seeking a dynamic and experienced Education and Outreach Specialist to join our growing team.

Responsibilities

Duties will include the following:

Professional Development / Outreach Training

You will provide instructional and design leadership to implement a national educator professional development program across online, onsite, and hybrid platforms to enhance ocean literacy and advance agency mission objectives.

• Program Design and Coordination: Providing the instructional and design leadership for national educator Professional Development (PD) effort (online/onsite/hybrid), including program/presentation design, agendas, content, and videos; designing, coordinating, and delivering national NOAA Ocean Exploration professional learning and professional development opportunities for educators (online, hybrid, and/or onsite) to advance NOAA Ocean Exploration mission objectives and exploration science subject matter. This work includes developing objectives and agendas, developing workshop materials (including design and development of presentations, handouts, supply guides, etc.), curating NOAA Ocean Exploration content (multimedia, expeditions, fact sheets, lessons, etc.), communicating workshop priorities, needs, and expectations with all relevant internal and external partners, and creating informational and promotional materials for educator opportunities; including education content development, product graphic design, and outreach promotion.
• Network Management: Work with a network of Professional Development Facilitators; maintaining and training a network of internal and external workshop facilitators (5 minimum); work with the Education Team Lead as a TPOC to identify new facilitators (i.e., Host Partner recruitment) and meet workshop implementation needs (planning, logistics, promotion, implementation, and instruction); leading facilitator training and monitoring meetings to ensure consistency of all NOAA Ocean Exploration educator opportunities across the country; and executing the training of Ocean Exploration and Research Facilitators.
• Partnership and Liaison Coordination: Serving as the Alliance Partner site coordinator liaison (onsite PD/online PD); and coordinating with the Education Team Lead and Outreach and Education Division Chief (TPOCs) to cultivate and establish new Alliance Partnerships with science institutions including, but not limited to, aquaria, museums, universities, and other informal science centers in coordination with the COR and/or applicable TPOC(s) and coordinating, preparing, and executing planned ocean education partner meeting logistics (both onsite and virtual) including agendas and meeting minutes.
• Execution and Evaluation: Regularly presenting workshops and promoting offerings; overseeing advertising; designing, promoting, and executing ocean exploration topical education webinars/presentations in coordination with the COR and/or applicable TPOC(s); and executing and guiding PD evaluation(s) and summative workshop evaluations.
• Workshop and Course Management: Managing Professional Development Workshops for educators in the use of Learning Ocean Science through Ocean Exploration curriculum in accordance with Government‑approved deadlines; and providing program management for development, design, and execution of online EX teacher professional development courses in cooperation with the College of Exploration.
• Outreach and Web Services: Coordinating with graphics designers and national partners to develop workshop announcements and post to Ocean Exploration Educator listserv, The BRIDGE, and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Building a Presence for Science listservs; and coordinating with the NOAA National Ocean Service Special Projects Team to keep the Professional Development offering and Education Alliance page up to date on the OE website.
• Project Coordination: Collaborating with the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research to provide project coordination, program, and technical services for education products and activities that engage educators, students, and the general public, enhancing America's ocean literacy through the excitement of ocean expeditions, exploration and discovery.

Outreach and Partnerships

You will provide technical and administrative services for the management of existing alliances and the development of new educational partnerships and programs.

• Alliance Partnership Management: Maintaining the Alliance Partnership by coordinating with the Director of Education of OER (TPOC) to manage, track, and document financial agreements with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and establish new alliance partnerships.
• Education Program Development: Preparing and coordinating with the Director of Education of OER (TPOC) and national partners to develop an education outreach program to advance the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer expeditions and telepresence capability and performing expedition education outreach in the community

Education / Outreach Product Development

You will provide technical and administrative services for the creation, management, and refinement of educational materials and digital content.

• Content Management and Gap Analysis: Establishing, curating, and maintaining a storage management system for all historic and current education content; identifying gaps in current content and priorities for the development of new materials.
• Education Product Development: Planning, coordinating, and executing the development of education products—including coordinating the technical inputs of external partners that meet contemporary classroom needs, standards, and instructional methods.
• Brand Identity and Graphic Design Services: Coordinating the development of a unique brand identity for NOAA Ocean Exploration for education products produced in print and shared online;
• performing the graphic design of new educational materials and performing technical reviews of the work of external partners.
• Translation and Evaluation Coordination: Executing education and outreach product translations, including consulting and coordinating with regional language and local dialect experts and performing technical reviews of work completed by external partners; identifying resource evaluation needs and coordinating the workflow of external evaluators in coordination with the COR and/or applicable TPOC(s)

Education / Outreach Strategy and Programmatic Growth

You will provide technical and administrative services for the development, implementation, and expansion of education and outreach strategies.

• Education Strategy and Implementation: Executing education strategy development and implementation to advance the NOAA Ocean Exploration and NOAA Education Strategic Plans; analyzing the education landscape and educator needs; performing evaluation of current education product development, educator training, and ocean exploration education communication approaches; identifying gaps in current education offerings; and formulating novel promotion and outreach approaches to expand the reach and utility of NOAA Ocean Exploration education offerings.
• Promotion and Communications Strategy: Coordinating the development and execution of a promotion strategy for sharing NOAA Ocean Exploration expedition updates and discoveries, education products, and educator and student opportunities to a national educator audience (and international where relevant) using communications tools such as, but not limited to email, social media, NOAA Ocean Exploration and Deep Ocean Education Project websites, conference presentations, and educator newsletters; providing prompt updates for the NOAA Ocean Exploration website as education products and educator opportunities arise; strategically growing the ocean education audience.
• Educational Outreach Material Development: Planning, developing, maintaining, and executing lists of educational outreach materials and needed supplies, and related activities to achieve NOAA Ocean Exploration outreach and engagement priorities; initiating and planning projects, including requirements and resourcing needs documents, that lead to innovative, new approaches to communicating information about ocean exploration to education‑specific audiences.
• Expedition Education Coverage: Executing expedition education coverage through the implementation of modernized web‑based approaches and the delivery of technical and administrative services for Ocean Exploration Education outreach events and presentations.

Qualifications

The Ideal candidate will have the following:

Education and Prior Experience:
Bachelor's degree in Science Education, Curriculum Development, or a related field; OR a degree in
marine/ocean science-related field with professional experience as an educator, outreach specialist, or program coordinator in a formal or informal education setting.
Deep understanding of oceanography, marine ecosystems, and current marine technology.
Demonstrated experience developing age‑appropriate educational materials or programming (lessons,
readings, videos, etc) that support national formal education standards and instructional strategies (e.g.,
NGSS, Ocean Literacy, phenomenon‑based learning).

Core Competencies:
Ability to translate complex scientific data, technology, and discoveries into clear, engaging materials for
diverse audiences.
Ability to manage the full product development lifecycle, work with external contractors, establish project
milestones, monitor deliverables, and provide timely feedback.
Ability to lead collaborative education initiatives with interagency partners, cooperative institutes, and ocean education networks.
Practical understanding of Section 508 compliance standards for digital materials and experience coordinating web‑posting workflows for online educational collections.

Desirable Soft Skills:
Strong oral and written communication skills across diverse audiences.
Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills with internal and external stakeholders.
Proven ability to adapt quickly to evolving program requirements and agency priorities.
Demonstrated critical thinking and proactive problem solving skills.
Excellent time management and organizational skills.
Demonstrated initiative and self‑direction in managing assigned program areas.
Strong attention to detail when reviewing drafts, enforcing visual/content consistency, and ensuring compliance with federal standards.
Ability to work effectively both independently and as a collaborative team member.

Travel & Work Conditions:

This is a 100% remote position (full‑time telework). The selectee will perform their duties from an approved alternative worksite anywhere within the United States

Occasional travel is required (5+ trips annually). The selected candidate must be willing and able to travel to lead regional and national educator professional development workshops, facilitate classroom testing and product feedback cycles, and present program initiatives at professional educational or scientific conferences.
Due to frequent travel obligations, proximity to a major commercial airport is highly preferred to
facilitate efficient and cost‑effective official travel

About Lynker

Lynker is a growing, employee owned business, specializing in professional, scientific and technical services. Our continually expanding team combines scientific expertise with mature, results‑driven processes and tools to achieve technically sound, cost effective solutions in hydrology/water sciences, geospatial analysis, information technology, resource management, conservation, and management and business process improvement.

We focus on putting the right people in the right place to be effective. And having the right people is critical for success. Our streamlined organization enables and empowers our talented professionals to tackle our customers' scientific and technical priorities creatively and effectively.

Lynker offers a team‑oriented work environment, and the opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled professionals who embrace sound science and creative solutions. Lynker's benefits include the following:

• Personalized career growth plans for every employee

Lynker is an E-Verify employer.

Lynker is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local laws.