Associate Director of Experience Design

About the California Academy of Sciences

Founded in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned, AZA-accredited non-profit scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, research institute, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our living collection reflects Earth’s vast biodiversity, consisting of nearly 60,000 animals representing over 800 species. Our research collections are the largest west of the Mississippi, spanning nearly 46 million plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. Our diverse team includes leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who are passionate about advancing knowledge and catalyzing action through science and storytelling.

Whether you're conducting research behind the scenes or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About the Opportunity

The Associate Director of Experience Design will envision and create future-forward experiences for the California Academy of Sciences, redefining how science is experienced through immersive, responsive, and deeply human-centered environments. Blending spatial storytelling, emerging technology, and the Academy’s unparalleled scientific assets, this leader will create transformative offerings that ignite curiosity and inspire audiences. In close partnership with the Senior Director of Experience, the Associate Director will ensure that every project advances a cohesive, ambitious design vision—positioning the Experience Studio as a laboratory for innovation and a global leader in experiential science engagement.

The Associate Director provides team leadership across spatial, interactive, digital, graphic, and media design disciplines. This position oversees a design team and external partners/vendors, establishes design standards and processes, and serves as creative lead for the Experience Studio. In addition to supervisory and leadership responsibilities, the Associate Director actively contributes to concept development, design direction, and key deliverables on assigned initiatives.

Organizational Culture

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, and celebrates its accomplishments together. Staff share a commitment to executing a new strategic plan that will strengthen the organization's financial foundations, cultivate a vibrant internal culture, and foster smart growth to secure the Academy’s future.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are motivated to contribute to our mission. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.

Key Responsibilities

Supervisory & Leadership Responsibilities:

Experience Design Responsibilities:

QUALIFICATIONS: A successful candidate will have the following:

EXPERIENCE and/or EDUCATION:

Required and Preferred:

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Required and Preferred:

Physical Environment:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Compensation and Benefits:The salary range for this position is $150,000 - 165,000. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Full-Time, 40 hours per week, three days per week on site.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).