Department: Education
Supervisor: Director of Learning and Public Engagement
Supervises: Education Program Leads, Education Program Guides
FLSA Salary Classification: Full-time, Exempt
Availability: Primary schedule of standard business hours with occasional evening and weekend availability required to support the department and organizational needs.

General Summary:

Develop and manage the Garden’s programs for informal and formal youth education, and oversee science camp and scout programs that propel people to connect to plants and plant stewardship. This includes rigorous program development, staff trainings and teacher professional development. Work to create a safe, accessible, and stimulating environment for all learners.

Essential Duties:

• Work with Education leadership to develop and implement high quality STEM, inquiry-based plant science conservation youth programs.
• Provide teacher professional development opportunities that meet district and teacher goals.
• Incorporate contemporary principles of educational technology, conservation education, and interpretation into formal school, camp, and scout programs.
• Collaborate with internal education colleagues as well as teachers, administrators and consultants to ensure all programs align.
• Oversee a programming calendar per season for scheduling and marketing purposes.
• Provide content for program catalogs including both camps and field trips.
• Supervise the Education Program Leads, and Education Program Guides. Duties include recruitment and selection, scheduling and job assignments, performance feedback, and staff development and training in keeping with the Garden’s policies and procedures.
• Collaborate with Garden colleagues and outside partners to design inquiry-based experiences in environmental science for youth, school groups, and teachers; and to identify Garden resources, program possibilities, and promotional methods.
• Consult with educators, district curriculum developers, and community organizations to identify gaps in environmental and conservation education, enhance and redesign onsite, offsite, and virtual program offerings, and attract participation from additional schools and districts that reflect the changing diversity of the Madison, Morgan, and Limestone County populations.
• Identify and oversee the development, teaching, evaluation, and management of teacher training programs, institute days, and other re-certification requirements.
• In partnership with the Education Coordinator, maintain and update the Camp Manual. Ensure that camp policies and procedures meet American Camp Association accreditation standards.
• Manage and report on budgets for relevant programs, and plan to meet or exceed program revenue and expense targets.
• Work with the Director of Learning and Public Engagement and others to support learning research through grant proposal writing, preparation and post-award implementation, and reporting.
• Engage in professional interactions with allied institutions, serve on internal and external committees as requested, and attend meetings and conventions, as appropriate.
• Other duties as assigned.

Management Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform in a leadership capacity in collaborating with Garden staff to provide high-quality, innovative, mission based youth programming.
• Active participant in management team meetings, supervisory and training of seasonal staff, and initiative support.
• Regularly provides effective communication through defined channels.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Environmental Education, Horticulture, Curriculum and Instruction, Learning Science, or elementary or secondary education with science endorsement preferred.
• 6+ years experience teaching in a formal or informal setting required.
• 3+ years supervisory experience required.
• Must have demonstrated experience in curriculum design, instructional design implementation, evaluation, and leading youth education programming.
• Experience creating successful digital learning platforms preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Next Generation Science Standards, Alabama and National Learning Standards, and other relevant standards is desirable.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Must become certified and maintain certification in First Aid and CPR (classes provided).
• Must possess a valid driver’s license, which is subject to insurability and an annual Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) report.

Success Factors:

• Exemplifies Core Values.
• Highly organized with the ability and experience to manage multiple simultaneous programs while maintaining high attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner, communicate clearly, and work effectively with a diverse group of people.
• Comfort and familiarity with digital learning environments.
• Act as an ambassador for the Garden, its mission and resources to program guides, teachers, school administrators, and students in an accurate, positive, and constructive manner.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Physical Demands: Requires some physical activity: limited lifting and carrying (up to 30 lbs.), and prolonged periods of sitting.
• Work Environment: Work is performed in a combined indoors and outdoors setting. Outdoor settings include leading groups of children and adults in walking, hiking and other physical activities, in all weather conditions throughout the four seasons.
• Equipment: General office equipment, tablets, audio-visual equipment, microscopes, specialized field monitoring equipment, two-way radio, Garden van.
• Schedule: Evening and peak-season weekend assignments as needed. Act as Education Program manager-on-duty on designated weekend days.

Job descriptions are guidelines that attempt to characterize major duties and responsibilities of employees, and are subject to change as needs and programs change. At Huntsville Botanical Garden they are considered neither inclusive nor exclusive. It is expected that up to 20% of your duties may change annually.