Education & Outreach Manager

About Waukesha County Land Conservancy (WCLC), It's Mission and Culture

WCLC works effectively and efficiently to maximize our conservation, stewardship, and outreach impact and achieve our mission to protect and care for environmentally significant land and water in Waukesha County for future generations. Having protected nearly 3,000 acres over our 27-year legacy, WCLC is one of Wisconsin’s most successful nonprofit conservation organizations. In 2015, we successfully transitioned from an all-volunteer to a professionally staffed organization, and in 2018, we were named Wisconsin’s Land Trust of the Year by Gathering Waters.

WCLC is a highly dynamic and inclusive workplace that fosters collaboration, delegation, and mentorship between our board, staff, volunteers, and committee members; between our internal team and outside stakeholders; and between the organization and the community at large. The work culture at WCLC is based on leadership, professional self-assessment, and continual growth. Our team comprises young and tenured professionals alike with varying backgrounds and fields of expertise, and our network comprises some of the best scientists and environmental educators in the region.

Position Purpose and Objectives

This is a new, full-time, salaried position. You will be part of WCLC’s management and outreach and education teams and will lead our new Community Conservation Partnership (CCP) program, which centers on building an alliance of conservation and environmental education organizations. You will lead and work collaboratively, namely with the executive director, land-stewardship manager, land-protection manager, board and committee members, and volunteers and interns, helping your team build their skills in project management and leadership.

The education and outreach manager will:

• set alliance-wide conservation, stewardship, and education priorities, goals, and benchmarks;
• share resources, tools, and expertise to reduce redundancy and maximize efficiency;
• better engage members of our underserved Latinx and African American communities with the benefits of nature;
• coordinate activities, events, and volunteer programming via alliance-wide file- and database-management and communication systems;
• coordinate volunteer activities such as workdays to remove invasive species and plant trees and native prairie seed;
• establish and strengthen partnerships with more organizations that serve underprivileged populations to make nature accessible and fun for all;
• offer more public education events by leveraging existing environmental education programs for K–12 audiences;
• support staff and alliance partners to implement a citizen-science program to monitor plants and wildlife; and
• expand alliance-wide experiential learning program opportunities and paid internships.

Under your leadership, we will achieve the following over the next two years:

• Optimizing constituent-facing communication systems to increase (a) our number of volunteers from 175 to 400, (b) our number of citizens engaged in outreach activities from 400 to 1,000, (c) the number of households and organizations funding WCLC, and (d) our number of Facebook friends
• Lead the redesign of our website to make it a better educational resource for the community and partners
• Co-lead, with other staff members and volunteers, the development and implementation of information systems that manage educational and outreach events, thousands of communications, and hundreds of volunteers

Responsibilities and Duties

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

Living the WCLC Values

• Achieve our mission, vision, and strategic goals (See our website for the strategic plan)

Education and Outreach

• Work with partners to leverage existing programs and materials
• Work with land-stewardship manager to develop our educational and outreach event schedule
• Identify gaps and establish education and outreach materials, programs, and activities for the public

Program Management, Fundraising, and Impact-Reporting

• Assist with writing, managing, and tracking grants related to WCLC programs
• Set project timelines, monitor project deliverables, and update board, committees, and team on progress
• Create reports communicating program impact for granting organizations and the public

Leadership, Annual Plan, Event-Coordination

• Co-lead the development, education, and outreach committee (DEO) with the executive director and development and marketing leader
• Prepare meeting agenda and packets and present updates at committee and board meetings
• Create the annual plan for the DEO committee
• Coordinate events with volunteers and interns such as our “Oaktober” Fest, annual meeting, and sustainability fair

Enhance Inclusivity and Diversity

• Meet with potential partners in the Latinx community, with Waukesha County schools, and other community leaders
• Work with partners to jointly identify programs that better serve our underprivileged populations, making community leaders and constituents active participants in the development process

Grow the Volunteer/Experiential Learning Program

• Work with management team to define program goals, processes, and systems to fully leverage volunteer and intern talents and keep them engaged
• Engage volunteers to assist other managers with programs such as the conservation easement and owned-property monitoring programs
• Participate in outdoor activities and workdays in all weather conditions, as needed

Database-Management and System Improvement

• Engage with the Microsoft Access database on a daily basis to understand processes and improve efficiency
• Continually learn new systems and mentor others in system use

Qualifications

Skills:

• Strong desire and drive to build the skillset of team members, delegate tasks, and act in a managerial rather than an individual capacity
• Ability to work and collaborate with people at all levels of careers, across fields, and from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to take notes, lead projects, anticipate organizational needs, and meet deadlines without significant oversight
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills across digital platforms and in person
• Desire and ability to research, gather, organize, and document best practices in digital libraries as well as implement information technology systems that increase effectiveness and efficiency
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office products, Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, and PowerPoint as well as excellent file- and email-organizational skills
• Strong self-assessment awareness and professional self-reflection capabilities
• Some plant-identification skills and desire to build conservation/stewardship knowledge

Experience:

• 3 to 5 years of experience managing and effectively delegating to employees and/or interns/volunteers
• Strong record of planning, organizational, management, and mentorship success in a collaborative environment
• Record of success in developing and/or improving organizational systems and processes that continuously increase organizational performance
• Experience working with a broad array of people of all ages from diverse backgrounds
• Bachelor’s degree (advanced degree preferred) in education, business, environmental science, or similar field