Environmental Education Program Manager

Rural Action Inc; The Plains (OH); On-site; USD 43,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

Rural Action Inc. is seeking an Environmental Education Program Manager in Appalachian Ohio. This role provides day-to-day leadership for program delivery, supervises EE AmeriCorps volunteers, and serves as a primary contact for external partners.

You will guide pedagogy, lead lesson planning, and sustain classroom education, summer camps, and community programs. Responsibilities include supervising volunteers, coordinating with the Program Director, and ensuring program outcomes align with

Qualifications

• At least three years of experience in the education or environmental education field.
• Progress toward a college degree or equivalent from formal education and experience.
• Outgoing, well-organized, creative, and able to work on a team or independently.
• Experience building, training, and leading teams.
• Experience mentoring employees, volunteers, interns, or AmeriCorps.
• Experience planning and facilitating meetings.
• Experience organizing public events.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Supervise EE service volunteers and interns with clear expectations and accountability.
• Lead pedagogy for the program and oversee all lesson plans.
• Develop, test, evaluate, and refine lesson plans with volunteers.
• Coordinate supplies, handouts, and teaching materials for new lessons.
• Identify opportunities to extend EE’s impact and meet funder expectations.
• Serve as primary contact for teachers and community partners on EE programming.

Skills

Team leadership

Communication

Multitasking

Detail oriented

Valid driver’s license

Education

College degree progress

Tools

Google Suite

Microsoft Word

Excel

Database management

Email

Job description

• Department: Environmental Education
• Reports to: Environmental Education Program Director
• Supervises: Rural Action AmeriCorps Volunteer(s), Interns
• Hours of work: F/T 35 hours/week; Exempt
• Pay Range: $48,000/yr
• Timeline: Temporary position (roughly 12 months)

Job Summary

Rural Action’s Environmental Education (EE) program focuses on building knowledge, community, and cultural capital within Appalachian Ohio through formal and informal education. The Environmental Education Program Manager provides day-to-day leadership for program delivery, acts as the direct supervisor for EE AmeriCorps service volunteers, and serves as a primary point of contact for external partners. The Manager helps lead the program’s pedagogy and lesson-planning work and sustain the full range of existing EE programs, including classroom education, summer camps, community programs, and special events.

The Manager must be a well-organized, excellent communicator with the ability to manage complex projects with multiple partners. The successful candidate will be a detail-oriented self-starter comfortable moving between program delivery and administrative responsibilities on a regular basis. The position reports to the EE Program Director and coordinates actively with other EE staff.

This is a temporary position (roughly 12 months) that may be extended if additional funding can be secured, but we recommend that applicants plan on an end date in early Fall 2027.

Essential Functions

Service Volunteer Supervision

• Serve as the direct supervisor for EE service volunteers and interns with responsive leadership that foregrounds clear expectations, guidance, and accountability.
• Conduct regular individual and team check-ins to review progress, address questions, and support professional development.
• Review and approve service-member timesheets and ensure that hours, activities, and required documentation are accurate and submitted on time.
• Support service members in planning, preparing for, and delivering high-quality programs, and ensure follow-through on individual work plans.
• Coordinate with the Environmental Education Program Director and AmeriCorps staff on performance, reporting, and other service-member needs.

Pedagogy and Curriculum Leadership

• Serve as the pedagogy lead for the program and maintain oversight of all lesson plans.
• Help service members adapt existing lessons and develop, test, evaluate, and refine new lesson plans.
• Evaluate and strengthen lessons to ensure that content, teaching methods, and activities are age-appropriate, engaging, inclusive, and aligned with program goals.
• Coordinate the development and preparation of supplies, handouts, teaching tools, and other materials needed for new lesson plans as projects come online.

Program Support and Development

• Identify opportunities to extend EE’s impact by meeting community needs and delivering on funder expectations.
• Serve as the primary contact for teachers and other community partners on environmental education programming. Respond to external partner questions, confirm program dates and logistics, and communicate expectations and preparation needs.
• Provide continued planning, coordination, facilitation, and instructional support across all existing EE programs, including school-based, community-based, camp, and educator programs.
• Work with the Environmental Education Program Director, other EE staff, and service volunteers to integrate new projects and deliverables into the program’s body of work.
• Track program needs, opportunities, challenges, and outcomes and communicate them effectively to the Environmental Education Program Director.
• In coordination with other EE staff, support program development related to wellbeing, tourism, other areas as directed.
• In coordination with other EE staff, play a key role in developing, preparing for, and leading summer day camps.

Fundraising and Administration

• Identify and pursue smaller grant opportunities that support EE programming, curriculum and materials development, service-member projects, and emerging initiatives.
• Assist with grant writing, implementation, tracking, and reporting as directed..
• Maintain accurate program records and contribute to required program, partner, and AmeriCorps reporting.
• Track spending and other metrics on a project-by-project basis as directed.
• Assists in preparing social media posts and other communications that promote programming.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• At least three years of experience in the education or environmental education field;
• Progress towards a college degree or equivalent from a combination of formal education and relevant experience;
• Outgoing, well-organized, creative, and able to work successfully on a team of diverse members as well as independently;
• Experience building, training, and leading teams;
• Experience mentoring employees, volunteers, interns, or AmeriCorps;
• Experience planning and facilitating meetings;
• Experience organizing public events;
• Able to work on multiple projects at once;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Experience with Google suite, Microsoft Word and Excel, database management, email, social media, and other computer software systems;
• Detail-oriented and able to follow-through with minimal supervision;
• Understanding of and with a strong interest in the Appalachian region, especially its natural history;
• Integrity, credibility, and commitment to Rural Action’s mission;
• A commitment to sustainable development and building healthy communities and strong local economies;
• Ability to work at a computer in a shared office setting;
• Ability to traverse rough terrain, carry up to 40 pounds, and work in varied indoor and outdoor conditions;
• Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings or weekends as schedules require;
• Valid driver’s license and a reliable vehicle.

NOTE: The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the associate a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of his/her position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Equal Opportunity

Rural Action is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and is committed to making employment decisions based on merit. We are committed to complying with any and all pertinent Federal, State and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, as well as all laws related to terms and conditions of employment.