Director for the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring

The Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) is an aquatic community science center at Dickinson College. ALLARM is a nationally recognized technical and programmatic support center for community organizations interested in watershed assessment, protection, and restoration through the lens of citizen science.

The Director for ALLARM oversees the operation, program development, strategic implementation, grant writing, community engagement and student learning. This unique position compiles the critical skills of higher education leadership, strategic planning, administration, and successful grant writing to raise funds for ALLARM’s $400K annual budget, as 70% of the organization is funded by external grants. The remaining 30% is supported by Dickinson College as a high impact learning center for our students.

Through the work of three full time professional staff, three part time staff and 10-16 Dickinson College part-time student employees, ALLARM has carried out its mission to empower regional communities with scientific tools to assess stream health and help communities use those data to implement stream restoration and protection measures since 1986.

Essential Functions:

• Maintains organizational vision and in collaboration with full-time employees (FTE), defines ALLARM’s annual scope of work while identifying and prioritizing areas for development.
• Raises external funds through grants and donor support ($400,000+). Maintains organization finances, writes grant proposals and reports, and cultivates relationships with existing and possible funders.
• Supervises full and part-time professional staff. Ensures that they are engaging in exciting projects that are aligned with ALLARM’s strategy, leveraging their strengths and interests, and maximizing their learning opportunities in the organization.
• Supervises ALLARM student staff. Develop, implement, and assess student work plans that facilitate opportunities to engage in community-based work, build their professional skill sets to be effective leaders, and experience high-impact learning.
• Works collaboratively with the ALLARM team to develop and implement technical and scientific water quality monitoring resources to support regional volunteer and community scientists. Creates and co-creates educational resources, workshops, monitoring methods manuals, quality assurance project plans, and educational resources. Oversees a quality assurance/quality control lab for volunteer scientists.
• Identifies opportunities for new partnerships with community organizations as well as statewide, regional, national, and international networks.
• Fosters collaborations with Dickinson faculty, staff, and students in and out of classroom. Serve on campus committees as applicable and works to connect ALLARM to projects and initiatives of Dickinson College.

Preferred Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5-8 Years work experience
• Valid Driver’s License
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to work with college students and diverse volunteer constituency; ability to successfully write grants and raise program funds; ability to handle complicated tasks and projects; detail and deadline oriented and able to work some evening and weekend hours and drive and travel substantial distances within PA. 
• Knowledge of scientific concepts and principles;
• Ability to prepare analyses on scientific, technical, and/or programmatic issues related to an assigned area of expertise;
• Skill in program management;
• Ability to innovate programs and recommend changes;
• Skill in oral communication;
• Skill in written communication;
• Skill in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships;
• Ability to coordinate input from internal and external stakeholders for the purpose of developing consensus on technical issues;
• Ability to drive substantial distances.

Preferred:

• Master’s Degree
• Experience can substitute for a masters degree. 5-8 years of work experience with organizational leadership