Summary
Sustainability Matters seeks an Environmental Education and Community Outreach Coordinator who is passionate about conservation and eager to join us in seriously making sustainability fun! The education and outreach coordinator will teach conservation programs for K-12 students and adults in school, community, and park settings. They will also build and maintain partnerships with schools and community organizations, lead citizen scientific research at our native meadows, and manage community events.
Core Responsibilities
Educational programming
Deliver Environmental Education Sessions For
- Middle- and high-school students in Fairfax County as part of our EcologiGALs and Guardians of the Green programs at community centers
- Public school students in Loudoun County and Rappahannock County, as well as other jurisdictions based on future funding
- K-12 and college educators to use our meadows for student research and education
- Our members and the general public through webinars and in-person workshops on environmental topics such as winter seed sowing, composting, foraging, installing no-mow lawns, etc.
- Collect and track pre- and post-program survey data, attendance numbers, and other metrics as needed for reporting purposes
- Ensure that target outcomes for educational programs are met or exceeded
Field projects & research
- Lead research at our Making Trash Bloom and other meadow installations to track the growth of various native plants, the growth of invasive plants, and the presence of pollinators and other insects
- Train and lead K-12 students and adult community volunteers in assisting with this research
Program and Event Management
- Collaborate internally to design, plan, and execute programs aligned with the organization's goals and objectives based on grants that we’re awarded and their deliverables
- Execute logistical components for EcologiGALs and other in-person programs
- Plan and moderate webinars
- Serve as liaison between Sustainability Matters and partner organizations, volunteers, and event speakers
- Develop outreach strategies to increase program visibility, attract participants, and engage the target audience through various channels
Partnership building
- Create and maintain environmental education partnerships with schools, local government agencies, and community organizations to engage new audiences
- Identify new opportunities to reach non-traditional conservation audiences with educational programming
Qualifications
The right person for this position will possess skills and qualifications including:
- At least two years of experience as an environmental educator in K-12 and/or community settings
- College or graduate degree in environmental science, conservation, horticulture, biology, or related field
- Passion for conservation issues and for sharing knowledge with others
- Demonstrated knowledge of and curiosity about conservation, horticulture, and nature
- Experience with scientific data collection and analysis
- Experience and comfort working within diverse communities often excluded from the environmental movement, including people of different racial backgrounds, income levels, political opinions, and countries of origin
- Ability to communicate clearly both to the public and to staff
- Comfort with digital platforms including social media, databases, G-Suite, Zoom, etc.
- Fluency in another language spoken widely throughout northern Virginia is a plus
- Teaching license or a degree in education is also a plus
- Willingness to work as part of a team
- Some level of awareness of how nonprofits operate
- Project management experience
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
LOCATION
Sustainability Matters employees work remotely, but this position will require extensive in-person work in Fairfax County in the summer and in other jurisdictions in the northern tier of Virginia during the rest of the year.
HOURS
This is a full-time, salaried job with flexible hours, including weekend and evening events. We work hard, fulfill our responsibilities (and then some), and take the time we need to recharge and enjoy full lives.
Compensation And Benefits
Sustainability Matters believes our people are our most important asset. We expect our staff to perform at the highest professional level, and we treat and compensate them accordingly. Salary range for this position is $40,000 - $50,000. Benefits include:
- Flexible working hours, outside of established programming hours
- Paid time off
- Health, dental, and vision insurance.
- Primarily remote work with up to 2-3 trips each week to facilitate educational programming and partnership development
- Reimbursement for mileage driven within the region, based on the federal rate
- A cell phone and laptop, or a stipend to offset the use of your own devices
- A hot spot for Internet access, or a stipend to offset the use of your home Internet
- Retirement account with an employer match
- Life insurance
- Short- and long-term disability insurance
- Annual reimbursement allowance, accrued monthly, for pet healthcare and adoption expenses
- Purchase of software as neededWe currently do not provide health, dental, or vision insurance.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
We seek to fill this position as soon as possible, but it will remain open until we find the right person. For consideration, please submit a cover letter, resume, and anything else you would like us to consider to
[email protected].
About Sustainability Matters
Since our founding in 2018, Sustainability Matters has organized more than 275 educational and outreach programs for over 30,000 participants. We reach millions more through our social media programming. Our partners include the State Arboretum of Virginia, the City of Winchester, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, and many others. We’re a creator of online videos and webinars with global reach and an architect of innovative, scalable projects like Making Trash Bloom, which is working to transform the waste management industry by planting native pollinator-friendly meadows on trash cells.
Our focus is on outreach that is universal, including both traditional and non-traditional conservation audiences. Our approach to conservation is realistic and practical, never purist. We’re about people almost as much as we’re about the planet: the community we’re building, both in-person and virtually, catalyzes our impact.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Sustainability Matters is an equal opportunity employer, drawing strength from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We value potential employees’ intellect, capacities, and work ethic. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, or any other non-merit factor.