Planetarium Educator (Part-Time, 10-Month Position)

Job Description

Job Description

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