Summary Description:

Yellowstone Forever is the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park. We partner with Yellowstone National Park to create opportunities for all people to experience, enhance, and preserve Yellowstone forever. Our combined operations include 11 educational Park Stores with gross sales of over $5.1 million; the Yellowstone Forever Institute, which offers more than 600 in-depth programs each year; a supporter program of over 50,000 Yellowstone enthusiasts raising funds to support critical park priority projects; and an online community of over 300,000 worldwide. Yellowstone Forever has provided over $100 million of cash support and over $55 million of in-kind support since 1933. Our mission of engagement and support through education and fundraising for the park will ensure Yellowstone remains for generations to come. 

The Assistant Institute Director plays a critical role in Yellowstone Forever’s Institute mission to create opportunities for all people to experience Yellowstone.  This position is responsible for assisting the Senior Director of Education to execute the vision for the Institute and leading the program management team in shaping a world-class education program for the park. This position will lead the Institute team in establishing content and curricula for Institute programs; lead the development and growth of YF’s youth, college, and teacher programs; play an essential role in collaborating with Yellowstone National Park’s education staff to develop unified youth education programs in the park in preparation for the planned Yellowstone Youth Campus. This position will also be responsible for training and mentoring of staff instructors, supervising program managers and lead instructors, and teaching key programs.  Success in this position requires a strong educational background, creativity, excellent communication skills, and close attention to deadlines and details.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assist the Sr. Director of Education in carrying out the vision for the Yellowstone Forever Institute.
• Supervise and mentor institute staff including program managers and instructors to deliver excellent program experiences in the park.
• Lead the Institute team in seasonally defining programmatic content, curricula, and course offerings that embody the essence of the Yellowstone ecosystem, address the conservation challenges and integrate Yellowstone National Park’s priority preservation initiatives.
• Lead the Institute team in developing and implementing a program evaluation plan to assess the outcomes and impacts of our educational programs.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of the environmental education program for students and teachers from kindergarten through college-level designed to engage classes in the natural history, cultural history, ecology, and conservation issues of Yellowstone National Park and that meet educational standards including Common Core and Next Generation Science standards.
• Collaborate with peers in the National Park Service to advance the Yellowstone Education Cooperative, creating a unified youth educational programming in the park.
• Assist in the development of a state-of-the-art distance-learning program
• Teach a combination of essential training programs including Certified Interpretive Guide, Certified Interpretive Host, Teacher Workshops and other training and certification programs.
• Collaborate with YF Institute team to integrate citizen science topics and experiences into the youth and college programs.
• Maintain a high standard of program quality, professionalism, and excellence in teaching. Ensure that institute programs set the example for Leave No Trace ethics, risk management, and conservation efficacy.
• Collaborate with the Institute management team in planning and administering a comprehensive recruitment, training, professional development, and mentoring program for highly skilled instructors. Supervise and maintain positive relationships with instructors and contract instructors as required through regular communications, observations in the field, mentorship, feedback and support to continually improve the quality of the program experience.
• Collaborate with Institute management team and with the Marketing team to coordinate strategic efforts for marketing of Institute programs and recruitment of program participants with an emphasis on diversifying participants.
• Work closely with the Institute management team to maintain consistent systems and processes related to program participation, registration, scheduling, implementation, and reporting.
• Develop and manage a detailed program budget that includes projected enrollment, revenues, and expenses.
• Serve as a key member of the YF Institute management team, collaborating to build a shared aspirational vision for the YF Institute’s future and to address issues such as wilderness risk management, marketing and public relations, operational efficiency, budget control, and program quality
• Play an important role in the Institute’s risk management program, including sharing on-call responsibilities, remaining up-to-date in Wilderness First Responder and CPR certifications, and assisting in risk management and emergency response trainings.
• Represent Yellowstone Forever and its mission accurately and positively
• Travel into Yellowstone, throughout the Greater Yellowstone area and other, as required

Basic Qualifications: 

• A Bachelor’s degree in teaching, environmental education or related field from an accredited institution, or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant employment in Interpretation, Environmental Education, Outdoor Education, Guiding, Tourism or a closely related field, including program development, implementation and evaluation, with at least 3 years serving in a management capacity
• Experience working with and meeting the specific needs of classroom teachers and youth audiences and knowledge of current pedagogical methods and curriculum development standards including Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.
• Proven leadership in staff training, supervision, mentoring, and performance evaluation, ideally in the field of environmental education or related discipline.
• Knowledge and experience with program evaluation
• Experience conducting workshops for educators including classroom teachers and informal science educators.
• Program management experience that includes budget development and analysis, field-based risk management, field-based operations, process, and policy development
• Certification in NAI training programs including Certified Interpretive Guide, Certified Interpretive Host, or willingness to obtain these certifications within first year of employment.
• A collaborative attitude with demonstrated ability to work effectively, and professionally as a part of a team.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and planning skills with attention to details
• General knowledge of natural history and conservation issues, preferably in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
• A strong commitment to the educational, philanthropic and conservation mission of Yellowstone Forever.
• Ability to represent YF in a courteous and professional manner
• This position involves driving YF vehicles, therefore applicants must be 21 years of age or older, maintain a valid US driver’s license, and maintain a favorable driving record for insurance purposes.
• The ability to pass and maintain YF Driver Training and a Department of Transportation medical exam
• A satisfactory criminal background check are conditions of employment

Preferred Qualifications: 

• An advanced degree in Environmental Education, Teaching, or a related field
• Active contributing affiliation with professional groups such as the North American Association for Environmental Education, National Association of Interpreters.
• Experience as a classroom teacher and/or environmental educator
• Experience giving presentations at professional conferences
• Experience working in a non-profit environment
• Experience working with a residential operation
• Experience working in a National Park or similar setting
• Experience working with volunteers and field employees
• Marketing experience
• In-depth knowledge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and familiarity with Yellowstone National Park’s logistical and operational landscape
• Wilderness medical training, Wilderness First Responder certification

Compensation:

This is a full-time, year-round position, based in Gardiner, MT. This is an exempt position, with a competitive salary based upon experience.  This position qualifies for Yellowstone Forever’s generous benefit package, which includes paid time off, paid holidays, retirement program, medical, dental, vision, paid leaves of absence, life and AD&D insurance, and other ancillary insurance plans. Yellowstone Forever employees also receive a 30% discount on most Park Stores products and a free Yellowstone Forever Institute Field Seminar each year.  Discounts on other courses and products are also offered.  Benefits of this position include knowing that your efforts directly benefit Yellowstone National Park and having the opportunity to work with one of the world’s premiere wilderness areas.

Yellowstone Forever is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, political beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.