Education Director jobs in Elkhart, IN

Position Summary:

Goshen College is a Christian liberal arts institution that prepares students to thrive in life, leadership and service. We strive to model an inclusive community committed to transformative justice, peace, and sustainability. A respect and appreciation of the Anabaptist-Mennonite faith perspective and practices, and a commitment to the mission, vision, core values and community standards of Goshen College, are important for teaching and administrative faculty members.

The Director of Environmental Education Outreach leads all environmental education programs and associated staff at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. Related PreK-12, family, and adult programs occur at Merry Lea and in communities throughout northeast Indiana. Specific responsibilities include oversight of program and curriculum development and evaluation, program delivery, modeling PreK-12 teaching to staff, students, and volunteers, leading professional development efforts, overseeing the teaching practicum experience for Goshen College’s Master of Arts in Environmental Education program, and seeking to advance environmental education efforts throughout the northeast Indiana region. This position serves as a senior Merry Lea staff member and works closely with the Executive Director to further Merry Lea’s mission, vision, and strategic plan.

This is a full-time salary exempt position (1.0 FTE) with an annual salary of $49,800.

Essential Functions:

• Lead the Environmental Education Outreach Team
  • Nurture a strong, cohesive environmental education outreach team
  • Supervise the members of the environmental education outreach team
  • Schedule and chair regular meetings of the environmental education outreach team
  • Develop an annual calendar of all environmental education outreach programs in consultation with the team members and the director of the master’s program
  • Guide strategic planning processes for the environmental education outreach programs
• Direct the delivery of Environmental Education Outreach programs
  • Oversee and assist with the delivery of environmental education outreach programs for PreK-12 audiences such as regional school and homeschool groups.
  • Oversee and assist with the design, delivery and assessment of environmental education outreach programs for public audiences such as Enchanted Forest, NatureFest, nature hikes, and visiting groups.
  • Contribute to the recruitment and training of volunteers for environmental education outreach programs.
  • Teach and model environmental learning experiences for graduate students working with environmental education outreach programs.
  • Assure the readiness and safety of program delivery sites
  • Manage the budget for environmental education outreach programs
• Guide EEO Curriculum Review and Development
  • Lead environmental education outreach team members in the review of programs on regular cycles
  • Collaborate with the Master of Arts in Environmental Education (MAEE) faculty to evaluate and assess EEO programs and to determine common goals
  • Contribute to revisions and development of curriculum for environmental education programs in conjunction with the master’s program
  • Assist members of the Institute for Ecological Regeneration on environmental education research projects
  • Compile program data on an annual basis, interpret trends, and prepare annual report
• Advance Environmental Education Outreach in the region
  • Coordinate outreach efforts (in collaboration with SEED faculty) with regional school administrators to discern ways to incorporate environmental education in the school systems
  • Build relationships with regional teachers regarding environmental education integration in curriculum and standards
  • Interact with regional environmental education providers and partners to determine the best options for collaborative outreach
  • Represent Merry Lea and speak at professional conferences
  • Promote EE that reaches the neighboring communities around Merry Lea
• Instruct in the Master of Arts in Environmental Education (MAEE) Program
  • Supervise graduate students in Practicum experiences throughout the year. This will entail organizing and delivering seminars, making contacts with outside schools and teachers, conducting and facilitating reviews and evaluations
  • Contact regional schools and teachers to coordinate in-school programs that are part of Practicum experiences
  • Mentor and evaluate graduate students
• General Administrative Responsibilities
  • Participate in Merry Lea staff meetings
  • Confer with the Director of the MAEE regarding resource needs for EEO programs
  • Build relationship with the Goshen College Education Department faculty members

Supervisory Responsibility:

Supervision of the Environmental Education Outreach staff, mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students and volunteers.

Education and/or Experience:

• Master’s degree in environmental education, education, or related field is required.
• Background or experience in the following areas will be advantageous: leading and managing educational teams; traditional classroom teaching; delivering environmental education at the PreK-12 level; supervising volunteers, graduate and undergraduate students; program and curriculum development.

Attributes and Skills:

• Passion for high quality environmental education
• Commitment to build and work collaboratively with a team
• Ability to plan, delegate, and organize multiple work tasks
• Self-motivated with good time-management practices
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills, especially comfortable speaking to large groups and able to effectively write materials for a range of audiences

Physical Demands:

• Physical mobility: sitting, standing, walking, bending, kneeling, lifting/carrying up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work outside in variable weather conditions.

Work Environment/Environmental Condition:

The location of this position is at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, which is 28 miles southeast of Goshen. Merry Lea consists of 1,189 acres of diverse ecosystems and is managed as a preserve. There are multiple program sites and facilities including classroom and office space.

Inside environmental conditions for a portion of the time, but does include significant work outside where there may be exposure to inclement weather, exposure to pollen and spores, venomous snakes, ticks, biting insects and other elements that are a part of an intentionally natural environment.

All of the essential job functions are subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform other job-related instructions as requested by the supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position description is not all-inclusive and may change at the option of the (supervisor or department head). Any major change will result in the position being reviewed for reclassification.

Benefits

• Health insurance (employee premium 100% covered)
• Dental, vision, life and LTD insurance
• Retirement plans
• Tuition discounts
• Free employee membership to Recreation/Fitness Center
• Flexible Spending Account
• Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave

See our website for additional benefits information.