Postion: Headlands Director of Education
Organization: NatureBridge
Location: Sausalito, CA in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
NatureBridge is a nationally recognized leader in the field of experiential environmental education. NatureBridge partners with the national park service to provide programs for more than 40,000 participants annually at its four campuses in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Olympic National Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Yosemite National Park.
SUMMARY
The Director of Education is responsible for managing and overseeing all Headlands Institute programs. This person sets the educational and programmatic vision for the Institute and leads a team of program managers, program coordinators, and 30 educators across four programs: Field Science, Public Programs, Youth Programs, and Teacher Professional Development. This person provides support and vision for program content and curriculum, teacher professional development, staff retention, diversity training, program evaluation, and long- term community and school engagement. This person also serves on the Headlands Leadership Team and partners across NatureBridge to share best practices. The position reports to the Headlands Institute Director.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Educational Vision and Leadership:
• Create, implement, and evaluate NatureBridge-wide
educational goals, both short- and long-term, that keep the organization at the leading and growing edge of environmental education
• Lead the Headlands Institute Education Committee
• Actively participate in the NatureBridge Education
Directors Team and the National Directors Team
• Represent NatureBridge and take an active leadership role
among select local and regional committees and professional associations, related to environmental education, diversity and/or science education
Development & Partnerships
• Support NatureBridge’s executive, communications, and
development functions in cultivating potential donors and partners, promoting and facilitating media opportunities, strategizing around funding opportunities, developing proposals, implementing funded projects, grant reporting, and stewarding donor relationships
• Work in partnership with the education/interpretation
leaders in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) to leverage and strengthen the NatureBridge/NPS partnership
• Support and encourage integration and partnership amongst
the park partner community within the GGNRA, across NatureBridge campuses, and across Headlands Institute’s education departments
• Lead the ongoing development and strengthening of
partnerships with schools and community organizations and seek opportunities to develop new ones
• Co-develop and oversee/manage multiple grant budgets
• Represent education department at Board meetings,
development events and PR opportunities
Professional Development & Supervision:
• Design, lead, and support ongoing professional development
for managers, coordinators, and educators across Headlands Institute’s education programs
• Support the development of and co-lead Headlands
Institute’s professional development workshops for classroom teachers
• Serve as a resident expert in both the theory/research and
practice of environmental education, including topics such as inquiry- based learning, diversity and equity, and responsible environmental behavior
• Directly supervise the Field Science Education Manager,
Public Programs Director, Youth Programs Coordinator, Teacher Professional Development Coordinator, and 1-2 senior field educators
• Support the ongoing refinement of the education
department’s recruiting, hiring, retention, and staff assessment activities
Evaluation:
• Support the design and implementation of all campus-based
evaluation activities, including goal setting, instrument development, and data collection, analysis, and sharing to internal and external audiences
• Monitor the quality of Headlands Institute education
formally and informally through field observation, staff meeting attendance, and staff dialogue
• Actively support the development of new online data
collection, sharing, and analysis initiatives across NatureBridge
Curriculum & Resources:
• Ensure that Headlands Institute program design and
implementation are explicitly aligned to NatureBridge’s Core Education Framework, as well as to state and federal content standards, where relevant
• Support the development of NatureBridge’s Pedagogy Guide
and online resources for educators
• Lead development of new curriculum, teaching resources, and
staff development in response to changing trends in environmental and science education nationwide
• Support the development of education content on the
NatureBridge website
• Identify and develop projects to expand and deepen
Headlands Institute’s educational potential
• Create and manage annual program budgets and participate in
budget development as a member of the Headlands Leadership Team
• Any other duties as assigned
EXPERIENCE, COMPETENCIES AND EDUCATION
The ideal candidate can demonstrate the following:
• Master’s degree or equivalent, teaching credential a plus
• Four to 10 years of experience in nonprofit management or
school administration, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Successful leadership track record
• Extensive experience teaching youth, adults, and
professional educators
• Significant experience supervising multiple teams
• Proven coaching/mentoring skills
• Experience developing innovative programs, trainings, and
curricula
• Exemplary budget and project management skills
• Exceptional writing, editing, and public speaking skills
• Significant experience designing, implementing, analyzing,
and sharing findings from program evaluations
• Sophisticated understanding of and demonstrated commitment
to issues of diversity and equity in education
• Strong pedagogical foundations in experiential and inquiry-
based learning, multiple intelligence theory, and thematic teaching
• Working knowledge of human and natural history of the
California Coast
• Current Wilderness First Responder and CPR certifications
Recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce is a high priority at NatureBridge.
Interested individuals are encouraged to submit a letter of interest and resume. Position is open until filled. No faxes or phone calls please. No recruiting or staffing agencies please.
Full-time, exempt role. Compensation is commensurate with experience and includes non-profit benefits.
Email resume and cover letter to:
HeadlandsEducationDirector@naturebridge.org [1]