Who We Are:
NatureBridge provides best-in-class environmental science education experiences for more than 30,000 students and their teachers every year in the world’s best classrooms: our National Parks. Our mission is to connect young people to the science and wonder of the natural world, igniting self-discovery and inspiring stewardship of the planet. Through our programs, students explore the outdoors, connect with their peers, discover themselves and develop a lasting relationship with science and the environment around them.
What You Will Do:
The Education Director ensures the quality, consistency, and excellence of Environmental Science programming for students, aligned with NatureBridge’s Theory of Change. This role oversees the hiring, supervision, training, and support of Environmental Science Educators across Environmental Science programming, with responsibilities including curriculum development, pedagogy, risk management, and program logistics.
This full-time position takes place at our campus in Olympic National Park and cannot be performed remotely.
Your primary job will be to:
Supervision, Coaching & Professional Development - 30%
- Provide coaching, regular check-ins, and consistent feedback monitoring.
- Manage the recruitment, hiring, training, and performance assessment of the Olympic Education Team.
- Supervise Education Team members, amd use the Educator Coaching and Assessment Pathway (ECAP) to support their professional development.
- Design, coordinate, implement, and evaluate Educator training programs, including New Educator Training Modules and in-service training sessions.
- Demonstrate and model allyship and inclusion, applying culturally-relevant supervision strategies.
- Manage timesheet entry and expense reimbursements.
- Collaborate with the leadership team to address and resolve campus-based housing disputes or grievances.
Program Logistics and Oversight - 30%
The Education Director collaborates with Operations and Sales Teams on program logistics to ensure smooth and effective environmental science and camp programming. Specific responsibilities include:
- Coordinating staffing shifts in alignment with the standby system
- Collaborating to estimate and maintain adequate staffing levels for program delivery.
- Directing programming adjustments in response to weather or other factors.
- Providing daily, onsite program management and oversight, including serving as the “day manager,” running morning meetings, answering phone calls, monitoring radios, and checking in with field staff at the beginning and end of the day
- Teaching and occasionally substituting for educators in the field as needed.
- Support emergency response and offer general field support.
Leadership & Collaboration - 30%
The Education Director provides leadership for the Olympic Campus education team while fostering collaboration across departments and campuses. Key responsibilities include:
- Leading the Olympic Education Team to ensure high-quality program implementation and adherence to the NatureBridge Theory of Change.
- Cultivating a positive and inclusive work culture by:
- Fostering respectful, supportive, and compassionate relationships with staff, volunteers, and participants.
- Building and maintaining a professional learning community that values diversity, equity, and cultural responsiveness.
- Modeling NatureBridge Core Values and promoting a growth mindset.
- Collaborating with the Olympic leadership team to share campus responsibilities and address organizational goals.
- Working with other campus Education Directors and the National Director of Education to connect Olympic educational programs with NatureBridge-wide initiatives and partnerships.
- Acting as a key resource in environmental education theory, research, and practice, with expertise in Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Washington State Science Standards, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), inquiry-based learning, equity & inclusion, and fostering responsible environmental behavior.
- Confidently presenting to a variety of audiences, including students, teachers, board members, staff, and the public.
- Act as Program Risk Manager, including reviewing and approving Incident Report Forms and supporting a culture of risk mitigation
- Supporting budget creation, regular monitoring, and reporting in alignment with organizational priorities.
- Representing the Olympic Education Department at Board meetings, development events, and other key engagements; contributing to the stewardship of donor relationships
- Assisting in the planning and execution of funded projects; coordinating the collection of information for grant reporting.
Continuous Improvement - 5%
- Monitor the quality and culture of Olympic Campus education by gathering and synthesizing feedback
- In partnership with the Operations Director, analyze weekly customer and staff feedback, collaborating across departments to benchmark and enhance participant and staff experiences.
- Support the design and execution of program evaluation activities, including setting goals, developing evaluation tools, collecting data, and presenting findings to internal and external stakeholders, potentially in partnership with external collaborators.
External Partnerships - 5%
- Partner with education and interpretation leaders from NPS and Park Partner organizations at Olympic National Park to strengthen the NatureBridge-NPS collaboration.
- Represent NatureBridge in leadership roles on select local and regional committees and professional associations focused on environmental education, diversity, and science education.
- Foster and expand partnerships with schools, grant providers, regional collaborators, and community organizations. Proactively identify and pursue opportunities for new connections.
Compensation:
- $65,000-$70,000 annual salary
- Medical, dental and vision insurance
- Option for a 403b retirement plan with employer match after six months
- Generous paid vacation, training days and sick leave
- Other benefits include Employee Assistance Plan (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and more
