Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) seeks a motivated individual to lead, improve, grow, and assist in the management of the visitor experience and community programs at ACES’ sites, primarily Rock Bottom Ranch (RBR), and other sites in the Roaring Fork Valley.

ACES is a nonprofit environmental science education organization. Since 1968, ACES has inspired a lifelong commitment to the Earth by providing innovative and immersive programming for all ages. We have three locations in the Roaring Fork Valley: Hallam Lake, Rock Bottom Ranch and Catto Center at Toklat. Our programs reach more than 140,000 individuals every year, and focus on ecological literacy, regenerative agriculture, forest and ecosystem health, land restoration and environmental leadership.  

ACES teaches in schools from Aspen to Rifle, and provides youth camps, field trips, adult classes and guided hikes. ACES works diligently to directly affect environmental and climate change education, awareness and action. We also engage our community by hosting public lectures and events. ACES collaborates with land trusts, public agencies and other nonprofits to achieve our mission.

Ideal candidates are self-starters, take initiative and are eager to collaborate with co-workers and other stakeholders. They have sought out opportunities for developing programs, enjoy teaching, and have an interest in building community and connecting people to place. Good candidates easily engage with people of all ages and backgrounds, are adept public speakers, and are quick to adapt communication strategies and programming for a variety of audiences.  

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Community Programs Coordination

• Assist in development and implementation of ACES’ community programs for participants of all ages at all our sites.

• Teach and lead ACES’ community programs regularly, including public educational farm tours. Some of these programs will happen outside of the typical work schedule.

• Continue to improve engagement with our Spanish-speaking community through partnerships and programming.

• Manage online registration for ACES’ community programs, including creating registration and website landing pages, responding to inquiries, sending registration confirmations, processing cancellations and refunds, etc. 

• Regularly communicate with and facilitate collaboration between ACES education and agriculture staff to coordinate joint participation in community programs.

• Be Manager-on-Duty for summer camps and school break camps, including managing check-in/check-out, rosters, and incident reporting.

• Assist in the planning and execution of summer educator and seasonal agriculture staff training.

• Support in scheduling and communicating with ACES’ summer Educator-in-Training high school volunteers.

• Facilitate the management of the RBR Children’s Garden and Habitat Garden as a community classroom and gathering place.

2. Visitor Experience Coordination

• Perform, schedule, and facilitate on-site visitor center hosting responsibilities at Rock Bottom Ranch. This includes greeting and engaging guests, answering telephone calls, informal visitor education, and fielding questions.

• Provide regular maintenance, upkeep, and development of key outdoor visitor educational areas which includes, among other things:  the Children’s Garden; kids wetlands and tractor play area; the new Wildscape Habitat Garden; and other outdoor areas that visitors may experience. 

• Manage and facilitate the creation of existing and new interpretive, educational and directional signage throughout the ranch.  

• Provide oversight and management of the on-site farm stand at the ranch, selling food products and merchandise, etc. 

• Provide leadership as ACES’ customer service representative to visitors, donors, program staff, rental parties, caterers and event planners.

• Continue to enhance the ACES’ visitor experience through improvement of the physical interior spaces including the vegetated wall, outdoor guest areas and customer service aspects of ACES’ sites. 

• Train staff on the RBR visitor center and visitor experience.

• Ensure necessary supplies and office materials are organized and stocked.

Secondary Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Assist with care of ranch animals and vegetable production tasks, when needed. 

• Support the ACES Administrative team with various projects including marketing, development, events, HR, finance and others.

• Other duties as assigned to further the mission of ACES.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience coordinating, leading and/or teaching programs. 

• Outstanding communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders, including community members, partners, teachers, parents and youth.

• Experience working with a wide variety of ages in an outdoor setting.

• Superb customer service skills.

• Strong administrative and organization skills; demonstrated attention to detail.

• Savvy with technology, computers, databases, and registration systems with an interest in learning new systems. 

• Interest in food systems, regenerative agriculture, and environmental education.

• Friendly, inviting personality and positive attitude.

• Strong willingness and desire to learn.

• Current CPR and First Aid certifications.

• Fluency in Spanish.

Reporting Relationship

This position reports to the Community Programs Senior Manager. Further support will be provided from the Education Director and Sustainable Agriculture Director.

Location

This position is located at ACES Rock Bottom Ranch in Basalt, Colorado.