Coordinator, Community Conservation

Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 42,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The Missouri Botanical Garden seeks a Community Conservation Coordinator to engage communities in stewarding local lands and waters, drawing on our expertise in plant conservation, horticulture, and ecological restoration. The role is 75% office coordination and 25% fieldwork, with a focus on education, partnerships, and biodiversity outcomes.

Responsibilities include coordinating projects, leading volunteers, delivering talks and workshops, and collaborating with regional partners to translate

Qualifications

• 3+ years in conservation, ecology, restoration, or forest management.
• 2+ years with biodiversity topics including invasive species removal and native plant landscaping.
• 2+ years working with diverse public audiences.
• Knowledge of invasive species, ecological restoration, and environmental education.
• Valid driver's license; ability to travel within Missouri.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates community-based projects with education, public awareness, and stewardship actions to protect regional biodiversity.
• Plans and executes invasive plant removal and native plant restoration events across priority communities.
• Leads local volunteer corps, recruits/train volunteers, and arranges transport to sites as needed.
• Develops community education programs and workshops linking people to stewardship opportunities.
• Represents the Garden in partnerships with regional conservation leaders and agencies.
• Supports funding, budgeting, and reporting of outcomes and impacts.

Skills

Communication

Collaboration

Accountability

Problem Solving

Stewardship

Education

Bachelor's degree in ecology/related field

Tools

ArcGIS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Summary:

The Community Conservation Coordinator will leverage the Missouri Botanical Garden's core areas of expertise in plant conservation, horticulture, knowledge of invasive and native plant species, environmental education, and ecological restoration to engage and build capacity within communities to actively steward local lands and waters. Approximately 75% of this role is comprised of office tasks to coordinate, plan and report out on ecological stewardship programming in the community and 25% is fieldwork.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Coordinates community-based projects with ongoing education, public awareness, and stewardship actions focused on protecting and enhancing regional biodiversity.
• Coordinates strategically timed call-to-action alerts; writes web-site updates, e-newsletters, digital and social media posts to connect individuals with regional stewardship opportunities.
• Coordinates the Honeysuckle Sweep for Healthy Habitats, to include planning, organizing and implementing year-round invasive plant removal and native plant establishment volunteer events and ecological restoration activities in priority communities, especially in late winter/early spring (February-April) and fall (October-December).
• Coordinates the annual City Nature Challenge and iNaturalist species inventory competition.
• Collaborates with sustainability, research, restoration, and education staff from the Garden, Shaw Nature Reserve, Butterfly House, and other external conservation professionals to translate best available science and research into practical strategies for invasive plant removal, ecological restoration, monitoring, and land management to increase biodiversity.
• Coordinates and leads local volunteer corps focused on invasive species removal projects including recruiting and training volunteers, setting up workdays at priority locations throughout the community, and collaborating with partner organizations with volunteers. On occasion, transports program participants and/or volunteers to work sites in a 15-passenger van.
• Identifies and recruits target audiences for project activities and stewardship actions including students, teachers, landowners, community groups, municipalities, parks departments, policymakers, and more.
• Develops and delivers community education programs, talks, and workshops that connect individuals to stewardship opportunities to enhance biodiversity. Promotes public awareness of conservation strategies, and trains community members in best practices for maintaining and converting land into ecologically valuable habitat.
• Promotes the development and facilitation of collaborative partnerships. Represents the Garden with regional conservation leaders to enable long term conservation relationships linking the Garden with state and local agencies, professional alliances, and other non-profit environmental conservation organizations. Acts as liaison with conservation professionals.
• Identifies new opportunities, collaborations, and project sites for stewardship actions.
• Assists with the coordination and implementation of the two Rainscaping programs coordinated by the Department: Deer Creek Watershed Alliance's Rainscaping Cost-Share (Rebate) Program and the MSD Rainscaping Small Grants Program as assigned by Sustainability Projects Manager.
• Represents the Garden in a professional manner at relevant community outreach events and community conservation initiatives, including Missouri Invasive Plant Council and Community Stewardship Alliance.
• Maintains and updates the BiodiverseCity STL website and BiomeSTL ArcGIS Story Map. Assists with securing funding opportunities to support community conservation projects.
• Ensures financial and program goals are met in all assigned project activities including ordering supplies, recruiting audiences to participate, managing budgets, evaluating outcomes, and reporting project activity results and impacts. Ensures that all applicable safety standards are followed (i.e., informs participants/volunteers of safety guidelines and safe working practices and routinely monitors to enforce them. Adapts or modifies work methods to reduce hazards. Reports all accidents, injuries, and near-miss accidents immediately).
• Demonstrates the highest level of professional and ethical conduct; knowledge and understanding of organizational policies, procedures, and systems.
• Meets expected attendance guidelines.
• Follows and adheres to established policies and procedures, including but not limited to Employee Handbook, Garden Safety Guidelines and Department Policies.
• Behaves and communicates in a manner that promotes and fosters a culture of teamwork and cooperation, within our division and throughout the Garden, with co-workers, supervisors/managers, volunteers, visitors, and community partners.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Core Competencies:

Communication - Listens to others and asks questions for clarification; Writes clearly and presents information accurately; Speaks professionally and responds well to questions; Supports positive visitor relations.

Collaboration -Demonstrates teamwork and promotes respect in the workplace; Engages in problem solving and group initiatives; Cooperates in implementing procedures and process improvements; Strives for positive visitor experiences.

Accountability - Demonstrates commitment to responsibilities and adaptable to changes; Effectively prioritizes, troubleshoots and takes appropriate actions; Follows policies and procedures, meets deadlines, quality, and safety standards; Strives to proactively, address visitor and internal colleagues' concerns.

Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems; Includes supervisor before taking action as necessary; Recommends solutions, demonstrates creativity and resourcefulness; Exhibits sound and accurate judgment in decision making process; Includes appropriate people in making decisions.

Stewardship - Promotes and adheres to sustainability, safety and security protocols; Fosters a culture of respect, diversity and inclusion; Demonstrates effective and prudent use of Garden resources; Maximizes contributions during work hours.

Qualifications/Experience:

• Minimum three (3) years of working in the conservation field with preference to those working in ecology, restoration, or forest management.
• Minimum two (2) years working with biodiversity topics including: invasive species removal, native plant horticulture, land management, native plant landscaping, and more.
• Minimum of two (2) years' experience working with a diversity of public audiences.
• Knowledge of invasive plant species, native plant landscaping, ecological restoration, and environmental education required.
• Experience and knowledge of ecological restoration best practices that enhance regional biodiversity.
• Must have an interest in environmental issues and be dedicated to fairly representing all sides of such issues.
• Knowledge of community engagement best practices preferred.
• Experience in experiential or investigation-based teaching preferred.
• Experience with ArcGIS mapping preferred.
• Prior experience working for a conservation organization or agency preferred.
• Use of personal car may be required to purchase supplies and food and transport gear; frequent travel within Missouri and surrounding areas.
• The Garden is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our employees, volunteers and guests. All staff are strongly encouraged to receive all vaccinations as recommended by your healthcare provider prior to hire date. The Garden reserves the right to require future proof of current vaccination status, based on local health department guidelines. When international travel is necessary for Garden business, staff must be able to obtain required travel clearances, driving permits, and vaccinations for all countries where travel is required.
• The requirements and duties listed are representative and not exhaustive of the knowledge, skill, and/or abilities required.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in education, science education, ecology, forest ecology, forestry, restoration ecology, horticulture, environmental science or related field preferred.
• An equivalent combination of skills, education, training, and practitioner experience may be considered.

Computer Skills:

• Proficient experience using Microsoft Office suite (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Etc.).

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to use and maintain specialty tools and gear designed for invasive plant removal.
• Ability to use and maintain basic gardening tools (trowels, shovels, pruners, etc.)

Communication and Language Skills:

• Ability to effectively and accurately communicate in English (oral and written)

Mathematical Skills:

• Proficient H.S. basic math aptitude: requires ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; calculate percentages and decimals; etc.

Reasoning Ability:

• Requires ability to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to problem resolution.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.
• Must have or be able to obtain a valid driver's license with a Class E certification within the first two (2) months of employment.
• Must have the ability to pass a background screening and motor vehicle report (MVR) to meet minimum insurance underwriting criteria.
• Able to acquire Pesticide Applicator License in Missouri upon hiring
• S130/190 Wildland Firefighter Certification preferred
• Chainsaw Safety Certification preferred
• ISA Certified Arborist Certification preferred

Physical Demands:

• Ability to lift 35 lbs. and over
• Ability to use specialized and standard land management and restoration tools and technologies
• Ability to stand and move about in indoor and outdoor settings for extended periods of time
• Must be able to drive a 15-passenger van.

Work Environment:

• Indoor shared office area with computer and project space for planning, preparing, communications/correspondence, and administrative needs
• Offsite locations for conducting programs, trainings, workshops, conferences/meetings
• Outdoor locations in a variety of locations/sites around the region for actual restoration activities, primarily invasive removal and replanting projects in high-priority geographies
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions (i.e., in temperatures over 100F as well as temperatures below 0F, in rain, snow and other inclement weather conditions as needed).

Contacts with Individuals/Organizations inside/outside the Garden:

• Employees, volunteers, visitors, contractors, government agencies, businesses, municipalities, conservation organizations, community-based groups, educators, students

Supervisor (title not person):

Manager, Sustainability Programs - Natural Environment Programs