Summer Educator, Mountains to Oceans, Ocean Wise

Position Overview

Salary: $22 CAD per hour

Description

Ocean Wise is hiring a Summer Educator for its Mountains to Oceans program in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on a hybrid, full-time basis at $22 CAD per hour for an 8-week short-term contract with no guarantee of extension.

Ocean Wise is a global conservation organization on a mission to build communities that take meaningful action to protect and restore the ocean. The Mountains to Oceans program blends STEM learning, Indigenous knowledge, and hands-on conservation across Vancouver’s ecosystems for youth ages 13 to 15.

The Summer Educator leads youth through immersive week-long programming, offering training, mentorship, and exposure to green-sector skills such as environmental monitoring, restoration, and stewardship. The role is designed to be accessible to youth with differing levels of prior experience.

Responsibilities

• Deliver daily Mountains to Oceans programming including field-based STEM activities, guided hikes, shoreline cleanups, marine ecology sessions, and basic data collection.
• Create inclusive, supportive learning environments that encourage curiosity, teamwork, and confidence in youth ages 13 to 15.
• Integrate environmental science, ocean literacy, Indigenous knowledge, and conservation action using age-appropriate approaches.
• Ensure participant safety by following all risk management procedures.
• Model environmental stewardship and introduce youth to green career pathways through hands-on restoration, biodiversity monitoring, water quality testing, and citizen science.
• Prepare program materials, equipment, field journals, and safety gear daily.
• Support logistics including transportation coordination, site access, and transitions across program locations (mountains, forests, watersheds, shoreline, marine facilities).
• Maintain field equipment and program supplies.
• Build rapport with youth and support personal growth, teamwork, and confidence throughout each week.
• Model respectful, inclusive behaviour aligned with Ocean Wise values and community standards.
• Guide youth during reflections, group activities, and presentations.
• Record daily attendance, incidents, and field-collected data.
• Support feedback collection and contribute to end-of-week program summaries.
• Complete activity logs, service metrics, and data sheets including biodiversity surveys and water quality tests.
• Work collaboratively with fellow educators, Indigenous knowledge keepers, and science partners including PSEC researchers.
• Represent Ocean Wise professionally with youth, families, and community partners.
• Participate in training on facilitation, safety, environmental content, and inclusive engagement.

Requirements

• Interest in working with youth and learning about local ecosystems; formal experience is not required and training will be provided.
• Comfort spending full days outdoors in forests, shorelines, parks, and trails, supporting hands-on activities such as basic data collection and field observations.
• Curiosity about environmental issues including watersheds, marine habitats, climate impacts, and stewardship practices.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a field-based team and take initiative during program preparation and cleanup.
• Valid Class 5 driver’s licence.
• Ability to participate in physical aspects of the role including walking, light lifting, variable weather conditions, and waterfront environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Access to a reliable vehicle.
• Standard First Aid or willingness to obtain prior to program start.

Additional Notes

• Full-time short-term contract, 37.5-hour work week.
• Flexibility required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and outside standard business hours; overtime paid per Ocean Wise policy.
• Vancouver-based with opportunities to work remotely or at the downtown Vancouver headquarters on non-program delivery days.
• Travel required, sometimes for extended periods of up to four weeks at a time, to deliver Ocean Wise Sea Dome programming to communities across Western Canada and beyond.
• 4% pay in lieu of vacation days, 5 paid sick days, paid statutory and general holidays.
• Ocean Wise welcomes applications from youth facing barriers to employment, including those with limited work experience.
• Ocean Wise does not use AI, algorithms, or automated tools to screen or evaluate candidates.

How to Apply

Apply through the Ocean Wise careers portal on UltiPro.