Associate Director, Experience Strategy

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 Strategy shapes the overall vision, narrative design, and comprehensive visitor journey at the California Academy of Sciences. Working closely with the Senior Director of Experience and cross-functional partners, this role develops new approaches to visitor engagement that blend storytelling, design, imagination, and science.

Creating experiences that are cohesive, emotionally resonant, and relevant to audiences—while advancing the Academy’s mission—is central to this role. Drawing on deep experience with immersive and emerging formats, the Associate Director establishes the creative and narrative frameworks that guide new experiences and inspire future possibilities. The Associate Director ensures this vision is brought to life across spatial environments, interactive systems, immersive media, and experimental activations.

Their work connects individual moments into a compelling whole, ensuring every new experience contributes to a distinctive and meaningful Academy journey. 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 Lead and manage staff responsible for experience strategy, visitor journey design, and audience experience insights. Partner closely with the Senior Director of Experience to define the conceptual direction and storytelling strategy for the Experience Studio. Establish frameworks and processes for narrative development, concept creation, and visitor insight integration across projects.

Collaborate with Associate Directors of Experience Design and Experience Production to ensure strong alignment between narrative vision, creative design, and project realization. Foster a culture of experimentation, research, and audience-centered thinking within the Experience Studio. Oversee relationships with external consultants as required Experience Strategy Responsibilities Lead the development of new experience concep