The Outdoor Education Program Coordinator leads the Tribe’s Outdoor Education Program, a culturally grounded program connecting tribal and community members of all ages to the outdoors, the S’Klallam language, and tribal ways of knowing. The program is opening the door to serve students of all ages, engage families, and offer community classes alongside the original after-school programming.
This is a program leadership role. The Coordinator oversees a growing team of teachers and program staff who deliver outdoor and cultural learning across multiple age groups and formats, rather than teaching a fixed daily schedule personally, and is responsible for designing, staffing, and evaluating the program’s expansion into family engagement and community classes, in addition to continuing to strengthen the existing K–3 after-school program and the separate before-school program. The Coordinator works under the guidance of the Director of the PGST Department of Education.
An ideal candidate brings program development and management experience, supervisory experience, grant management experience, strong writing skills, and a genuine connection to the cultural arts, history, sciences, and people of the S’Klallam Tribe. This person will build and document program standards, curriculum, staffing structures, and partnership agreements across all program strands, and will work collaboratively with school district staff, Tribal departments, families, and the Education Director to position the program for sustainable, long-term growth.
Program Leadership &Strategic Expansion
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Lead the program’s transition from a grade-limited, grant-funded pilot to a Tribally funded program serving all ages and develop a multi-year growth strategy reflecting that expanded mandate.
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Develop and maintain a multi-year program growth strategy, including infrastructure assessment, partnership development, and a roadmap for expanding program offerings, age groups served, and enrollment.
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Lead planning and implementation of new program offerings, including family engagement programming, community classes, and the new before-school program (see below), in alignment with the Department of Education’s priorities and available funding.
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Research, draft, and collaborate with the Tribe on expansion opportunities, including new curriculum, compacts, handbooks, and other school-based literature.
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Identify and pursue new and renewed funding sources to support program growth and sustainability, including grant research and grant management.
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Track progress against growth targets (e.g., enrollment across age groups, program offerings, funding diversification) and report regularly to the Education Director.
Before-School Program Development & Oversight
- Design the before-school program model, including schedule, staffing structure, curriculum approach, eligibility, and enrollment process, for approval by the Education Director.
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Develop staffing needs, job descriptions, and training plans for before-school program staff, and lead recruitment and onboarding.
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Oversee day-to-day before-school program operations through assigned staff; the Coordinator is not expected to staff the before-school program directly on an ongoing basis, but will provide oversight, coaching, and quality assurance.
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Establish safety procedures, supervision ratios, and a check-in/check-out process appropriate for a before-school setting.
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Build relationships with families and the district school to coordinate before-school logistics (e.g., drop-off timing, transitions into the school day).
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Set measurable outcomes for the before-school program (e.g., enrollment, attendance, family satisfaction) and monitor performance using the program’s evaluation systems.
After-School Outdoor Education (K-3)
- Oversee the continued delivery of outdoor and cultural after-school programming for K–3 students through co-teachers and assistant teachers, ensuring consistent quality and cultural grounding.
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Develop and maintain a centralized curriculum framework aligned with state standards and S’Klallam ways of knowing, including standardized lesson plan templates and pacing guides aligned with the Tribe’s seasonal practices.
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Integrate S’Klallam language into outdoor learning naturally and consistently (e.g., vocabulary, signage, place-based language activities) in partnership with language and cultural staff.
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Work collaboratively with tribal departments and tribal knowledge holders to bring cultural curriculum into the program.
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Step into direct teaching as needed to cover staff absences, model lessons, or support quality assurance, while the day-to-day teaching role is carried by Lead teachers and assistant teachers.
Family Engagement
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Design and lead family engagement programming such as family outdoor days, language and cultural nights, and seasonal gatherings that bring parents, caregivers, and extended family into the program alongside students.
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Build relationships with families across all program strands and communicate program updates, events, and opportunities through social media, email, phone, and in-person outreach.
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Create pathways for families to participate in or co-lead activities (e.g., elders and knowledge holders sharing teachings, parents assisting with outdoor activities).
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Track family participation and satisfaction as part of the program’s evaluation system, and use that feedback to shape future family programming.
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Identify community interest and unmet needs (e.g., through surveys or outreach) to guide which community classes are offered each season.
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Set measurable outcomes for community classes (e.g., enrollment, attendance, participant satisfaction) and monitor performance using the program’s evaluation system.
Staffing & Supervision
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Develop a phased approach that starts with current staff and parent volunteer program and identifies growth opportunities with staffing, program deliverables and community engagement.
- Oversee schedules for staff across all program strands (after-school K–3 programming, before-school, family engagement, and community classes); assist staff in setting up and managing their groups, and work collaboratively on curriculum delivery.
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Lead training and onboarding of new teaching and program staff, including safety procedures and behavioral support expectations.
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Create clear job descriptions, performance expectations, and mentorship structures for staff across the program.
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Partner with local colleges, tribal youth programs, and workforce development programs to help build a pipeline of future educators and community class instructors; explore volunteer, intern, and apprenticeship opportunities.
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Foster a collaborative team culture through shared norms, regular team-building, and professional development.
Program Evaluation & Data
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Develop and maintain a comprehensive program evaluation and progress-monitoring system covering all program strands, including measurable program indicators and an annual review process.
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Create and administer student, family, and community participant surveys; track attendance and participation data across all program offerings.
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Prepare an annual report on program outcomes, including student learning, cultural and environmental knowledge growth, family engagement, and community participation, for the Education Director and Tribal leadership.
Scheduling & Resource Management
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Make and share monthly calendars of classes and activities across all program offerings.
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Implement and maintain a centralized scheduling and resource-tracking system to coordinate staff time, supplies, and facility use across an expanding set of program offerings and age groups.
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Keep a program budget and purchase supplies; monitor spending against Tribal and any remaining grant funding sources
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Conduct an annual resource inventory and periodic workload review to support balanced staff workloads as the program grows
Community, Tribal & District Partnerships
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Work collaboratively with the district school (primarily Wolfe) to coordinate the before-school program with the start of the school day and the after-school K–3 program with the end of the school day, including pickup, drop-off, and facility use.
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Build relationships with Tribal departments, elders, and knowledge holders to support family engagement and community class programming.
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Represent the program in Tribal and community settings; build and maintain relationships that support program growth, including potential new compacts or partnership agreements.
Administrative & Compliance
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Attend education, safety, grant management, and cultural awareness training throughout the work year; travel required to attend trainings.
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Attend regular staff meetings.
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Comply with mandatory reporting requirements applicable to tribal employees and contractors providing services in education, health and human services, law enforcement, or clergy capacities.
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Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
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Bachelor’s degree in education, recreation, tribal/Indigenous studies, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
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Washington State Teaching Certificate preferred
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Valid Washington State Driver’s License required.
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Experience designing, launching, or expanding educational or community programming strongly preferred (e.g., school-based programs, family engagement initiatives, community education, before/after-school programs, or similar).
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Prior supervisory or staff oversight experience required; experience supervising staff across multiple program areas preferred.
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Experience teaching or working with K–8 students preferred.
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S’Klallam cultural curriculum experience.
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Experience working with Indigenous communities and across multiple age groups, from young children through elders.
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Grant management experience preferred.
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Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage files and maintain confidentiality.
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Excellent spelling, grammar, and written and verbal communication skills.
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Ability to work independently with strong work habits and initiative.
Physical &Environmental Requirements:
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Frequently required to walk, sit, and stand.
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Requires extensive knowledge of native plants, trees, berries, and other regional flora.
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Requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a diverse group of people of all ages, including young children, students, parents, elders, faculty, and staff, in an outdoor education environment.
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Must be able to function in an outdoor environment in various types of weather.
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First Aid/CPR certification required.
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Occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
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Normal audio and visual acuity.
Travel Requirements:
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Local, statewide, and out-of-state travel may be required
