Senior Educator, Camp Specialist

Job Title: Senior Educator, Camp Specialist

Department: Education

Reports to: School, Youth & Family Programs Manager

Supervises: Works with School, Youth & Family Programs Manager to support 18 seasonal educators

Classification: Specialist, Full-time, Exempt

Salary range: $49,000-$56,000

Benefits Include:

• Medical insurance: 100% payment of premiums for medical and dental insurance, for employees only

• Competitive leave benefits which include two (2) weeks paid vacation during a staff member’s first year of employment, accrual of eight (8) hours paid sick time per month, eight (8) recognized paid holidays as well as 40 hours of flexible holiday time per year, and family leave.

• 401(k) 3% match plus annual fixed amount contribution
• Ability to attend free or subsidized courses at Portland Audubon
• Substantial discount at our Nature Store, including optics
• Opportunity to work in one of the most beautiful forests in Oregon

Job Purpose:

Portland Audubon’s Senior Educator, Camp Specialist will act as the lead coordinating our summer, winter, and spring camps, with a focus on expanding economic justice in our work. Each year, we welcome 1,000 children through day camps, traveling camps and overnights. Last year, we offered all camps at a sliding scale for the first time. In addition, each year we collaborate with Hacienda Community Development Corporation, Verde and Bienestar to develop free camps with 100 families from six affordable housing complexes across the region. 

The Senior Educator, Camp Specialist is a passionate nature enthusiast and relationship builder excited to help us deepen our commitment to equity in our programs. They have a passion for Pacific Northwest ecology and outdoor adventures, and see environmental justice as inseparable from their work. They have a vision for expanding access through our sliding scale, and enjoy working with families to shape nature education in their own communities. Together, we’ll lead joyful, curious and collaborative programs that encourage all children to bring their whole selves, find their growing edge, and deepen their connection to nature and one another.

The Camp Specialist supports the School, Youth & Family Programs Manager in overseeing a team of 18 summer educators. In addition, they collaborate with the Youth & Family Partnerships Specialist to support young adults from our Green Leaders program, developed in partnership with Hacienda to engage Hacienda youth in developing outdoor education with families in their own community. Green Leaders lead camps both at Hacienda sites and in all Portland Audubon summer programs. It’s essential that the Camp Specialist is dedicated to creating a safe and anti-racist learning environment, and has a strong, demonstrated lived experience with youth of color, immigrants, and/or people from working class families. 

This position oversees a complex budget and must have a high attention to fiscal oversight, ensuring that camps are planned, promoted and executed on schedule and on budget. In addition, the Camp Specialist will join a diverse team supporting and leading all of Portland Audubon’s youth education programs including school programs, outdoor school, and camps. This position involves irregular work hours including evenings and travel (from multi-day to week-long field-based programs), as well as the occasional weekend program. As many families that we work with are Spanish-speaking, proficiency in Spanish is preferred.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

CAMP LEADERSHIP

• Develop winter, spring and fall camp curriculum for grades 1-8, including on-site camps at our Portland forest sanctuary, traveling camps throughout the Metro region, backpacking trips, and overnight programs at Marmot Cabin outside of Sandy, Oregon and beyond
• Work with School, Youth & Family Programs Manager to reimagine programs with a focus on building an inclusive, culturally responsive and joyful camp community
• Collaborate with Education team and partners to expand our audience for sliding scale camps, with a focus on communities who have been historically disenfranchised
• Work closely with Youth & Family Partnerships Specialist, Green Leaders, and partners at Verde and Hacienda to plan partner camps in response to input from Hacienda families
• Coordinate all camp logistics including transportation rentals, food and materials purchases, and seasonal staffing
• As needed, sub in and lead any of our camp programs, including multi-day backpacking trips, wilderness survival programs, archery and camps that require driving a school bus
• Collaborate with Education Administrator & Marketing Liaison to draft camp descriptions and support camp marketing as needed
• With School, Youth & Family Programs Manager, create and oversee camp budget and ensure revenue and expense projections are met

EDUCATOR SUPERVISION

• With School, Youth & Family Programs Manager, recruit, train, and support a diverse team of approximately 18 seasonal educators
• Collaborate closely with the Director of Education to actively recruit and mentor a racially and culturally diverse team of educators that mirrors the diversity of the children we serve
• Support educators in building an inclusive, welcoming and supportive learning environment for all campers across 5-6 camps each week
• Manage camp schedule and sub in for camps as needed

YOUTH PROGRAM DELIVERY

• With the Youth Education team, support school programs including field trips and in-school traveling programs, as well as some fall outdoor schools

• With the team, support logistics including the organization and maintenance of equipment, materials, and transportation vehicles as needed

Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of environmental education curriculum development, with a focus on racial justice, culturally-responsive teaching
• Experience teaching children in a camp setting, ideally with an environmental education focus
• Lived experience and demonstrated cultural competency and commitment to working with communities of color, immigrants, and historically marginalized communities
• Some experience with backpacking and wilderness survival practices
• Some comfort or familiarity with budgets, or willingness to learn
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage a flexible and dynamic program
• Knowledge of Pacific Northwest ecology and/or natural history
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google suite
• Spanish proficiency preferred

Working Conditions:

• Must possess a current driver’s license
• Willingness to lead multi-day, overnight programs
• Ability to be certified as a Wilderness First Responder
• Ability to lift up to 40 pounds to waist level
• Ability to hike up to five miles with a pack
• Ability to be certified for Class B CDL (Commercial Driver’s License)

Cultural Competencies:

Portland Audubon is committed to maintaining an anti-racist organizational culture. We are committed to training all staff on cultural competency and diversity, equity, and inclusion. We see staff with a high degree of cultural competency or lived experience working with communities of color, people who are disabled, and people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, as vital for all positions in our organization. We seek staff with comfort and curiosity in engaging in conversations around issues of identity, belonging, and systemic oppression. 

• Creates an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences.
• Functions and communicates effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities, and cultural backgrounds.
• Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.

How to Apply

Apply online at https://portlandaudubon.bamboohr.com/jobs/

To submit via US Postal Service:

Please send your resume, cover letter and the application found on our website to:

Human Resources

Portland Audubon

REF: Senior Educator, Camps Specialist

5151 NW Cornell Road

Portland, OR 97210

Updated: 08/12/2022

Application Deadline: on or before 09/19/2022 at midnight.