Coding Education Technician

JOB TITLE: Coding Education Technician

THE POSSIBLE ZONE

BOSTON, MA

The Possible Zone (TPZ), a nonprofit organization, seeks a Coding Education Technician. The ideal candidate is a maker and mentor passionate about closing the opportunity gap with a strong track record of creative coding, learning new coding environments and languages, and helping others activate their ideas through code. This is a part-time, in-person role based in our Boston Innovation Center.

ABOUT THE POSSIBLE ZONE:

The Possible Zone is an afterschool program that uses entrepreneurship as a framework to close the skills and opportunities gap facing young people with untapped potential.

We guide students through a dynamic curriculum, including hands-on work experience and individualized career planning, to develop the personal qualities that predict future professional success. In short, we believe anything is possible!

Making, design thinking, and STEAM education are deeply embedded within The Possible Zone’s entrepreneurship and social enterprise programs. In 2022, TPZ launched a 35,000sqft youth innovation center in Boston which will serve 1,000 students at scale. This facility includes four makerspaces embedded in its classrooms as well as a 4,000sqft advanced manufacturing fabrication lab (the Fab Lab) on its lower level. The Fab Lab houses specialty 3D printers, electronics workstations, laser cutters, large-format printer/cutters, direct-to-garment printing, CNC embroidery, sewing machines, CNC milling, large-format UV printing, large-format CNC routing, a digital media studio, a mobile computer lab, and a woodshop. The Fab Lab will be a resource not only for our students but also for our staff and community members, hosting classes, hackathons, workshops, and open studio hours. Anticipated student and community projects include (and are not limited to) robotics, apparel, game design, photography, music production, product design, packaging, and furniture making.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Coding Education Technician will serve as in-house expert for our high school-aged students’ coding-related projects, including but not limited to game design, app development, web design, AR/VR, AI/machine learning, parametric design, and generative art. We are seeking candidates who are passionate about coding education and enjoy empowering others to learn and create with code, regardless of coding language. Our ideal candidate will have a depth of expertise with at least two different programming languages and is excited to facilitate projects implementing different coding languages and environments depending on students’ skill level and project type, such as Scratch, Thunkable, Python, C#, HTML, Javascript, Grasshopper, and others. Duties will include leading coding workshops and hackathons, creating and developing tutorials for fun coding projects to inspire students, configuring relevant coding environments (IDEs), and coaching students, staff, and community members on how to activate their creative ideas through code.

This position is part-time, 24 hours per week. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as passionate in-house expert for educational creative coding-related projects, including but not limited to game design, app development, web design, AR/VR, AI/machine learning, parametric design, and generative art;
• Develop documentation, tutorials, guides, trainings, and workshops for creative coding projects supporting learners with a range of prior skill;
• Lead coding workshops and hackathons;
• Coach students, staff, and community members, individually and in groups, on how to activate their creative ideas through code;
• Teach different programming languages and environments depending on students' skill level and project type, including Scratch, Thunkable, Python, C#, HTML, Javascript, Grasshopper, and others;
• Configure and troubleshoot relevant coding environments (IDEs) and software on TPZ’s mobile computer labs;
• Cross-collaborate with other TPZ technicians, Fab Lab coordinator, and STEAM and Program teams to help shape interdisciplinary projects and curricula;
• Work with the Research and Evaluation and STEAM teams to inform badging and certification requirements for students to demonstrate mastery;
• Train and oversee creative coding TAs;
• Oversee related inventory, maintenance tracking, user credentialing, and small equipment check-in/check-out;
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
• And other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3+ years experience developing creative and functional coding projects using a variety of programming languages, such as Scratch, Thunkable, Python, C#, HTML, Javascript, Grasshopper, and others
• Specialized expertise in at least one of the following: game design and development, app development, web design, AI/machine learning, AR/VR, parametric design, and/or generative art
• Prior teaching/mentoring experience with coding and/or in an educational environment
• Prior experience creating with design and fabrication technologies with exposure to general tools and maker processes beyond coding a major plus
• Ability to quickly learn new programming languages and platforms
• Ability to work with a diverse audience of varying numbers and experience levels
• Creative spirit and collaborative nature
• Ability to take initiative, work independently, and troubleshoot in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment
• Very high attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Passion for and understanding of the mission and vision of TPZ
• Commitment to live the values of Diversity, Equity and inclusion (see Statement below)
• Bilingual in Spanish, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole a plus

Compensation & Benefits:

$25-40/hr depending on experience

DEI Statement:

We believe every member of our team and student body deserves opportunities for growth, success and inclusion. We recognize that for many of our students, staff and communities, their life journeys run through oppressive structures and systems (e.g. classism, racism, sexism) — and that’s what makes our organizational culture and work so necessary and important.

We believe that diversity in perspective, backgrounds, ethnicities and lived experience is a strength, and from that strength, we can accomplish great things with the students we serve. Together as students, staff, organizations, communities, volunteers, and partners, we are intentional about creating safe spaces where all members can speak authentically and be themselves.

We are committed to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. As members of The Possible Zone community, our progression along this ongoing journey raises thoughtful questions, reveals biases, and opens conversations. We celebrate one another and are unified in our commitment to young people, excellence, and innovation. This work is our shared responsibility and our opportunity to welcome all members who share in our mission and strive to provide pathways that further prepare students in achieving their desired success.

COVID Vaccination Policy

The Possible Zone is requiring that all employees receive a primary series of COVID-19 vaccination as well as a booster dose. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen, and receives a booster dose when eligible. In order to be qualified for employment at The Possible Zone, final candidates must comply with the vaccination requirement or receive an approved exemption.

More About The Possible Zone

The Possible Zone’s (TPZ) mission is to advance economic equity by ensuring young people develop the entrepreneurial spirit, skills, and networks to launch successful careers. Based in Boston, TPZ offers high school students a year-round, multi-year entrepreneurship program that includes project-based curriculum, STEAM education, hands-on work experience, and individualized college and career advising. TPZ’s young entrepreneurs launch their own companies, learn design and advanced manufacturing, intern with local companies, and map their postsecondary goals and plans. In the process, they develop career readiness, social-emotional, and technical skills, and strengthen their professional identity, preparing them to succeed in any future path they choose.

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