Black Hills Parks & Forests Association is the nonprofit partner of Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, the Black Hills National Forest, and the Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands.
We are hiring an Education Program / Community Engagement Manager to own the strategic development, delivery, and evaluation of all of our educational, interpretive, and community outreach programming. You will work directly with our National Park Service and USDA Forest Service partners, oversee our education staff and volunteer program, and build the relationships that connect gateway communities to the public lands around them.
This position is based at our headquarters in Custer, South Dakota, with regular travel across the Black Hills and the Nebraska Panhandle. It reports to the Executive Director/CEO.
What you will do
Personnel and leadership
- Direct, supervise, and mentor education staff, including scheduling, professional development, and performance evaluations.
- Direct, supervise, and evaluate the Volunteer Coordinator. All volunteer management runs through this position.
Programs and community engagement
- Design, deliver, and evaluate fee-based and free educational programs and advanced field seminars for all ages.
- Collaborate with agency staff and our Education Committee to plan and execute an annual interpretive plan.
- Build partnerships with local libraries and community groups to run nature education programming.
- Coordinate targeted outdoor workshops and affinity programs with national and local partners to engage underrepresented demographics.
- Plan or assist with community events, skill workshops, and youth initiatives, and collaborate on digital marketing assets.
Data and funding
- Manage program participation from registration through follow up in all database platforms.
- Search out and apply for grants and other funding that supports the BHPFA mission.
Safety and operations
- Annually review, update, and implement our program risk management and safety plans, to comply with both organization policy and federal public land safety protocols.
- Maintain records of program attendance, demographics, and partner impact to support grant reporting, board updates, and annual reports.
What we are looking for
- A bachelor's degree in education, parks and recreation management, environmental science, nonprofit management, or equivalent life and field experience.
- Minimum 3 to 5 years coordinating educational programming, managing volunteers, or working within a nonprofit or cooperating association. Preferred.
- High comfort level with database management tools (Salesforce, Donorbox), Google Workspace, and active use of AI materials and platforms. You must be willing to search out and learn new digital tools to work more efficiently and effectively.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to present confidently to groups ranging from young children in library settings to agency officials.
- Proven resilience and flexibility to modify programming around resource constraints, federal budget impacts, or seasonal land closures.
- A deep passion for our mission: fostering a sense of wonder, exploration, and stewardship for public lands.
Certifications
- Proof of a current background clearance, or willingness to obtain one, to work directly with minors.
- Current Wilderness First Aid or First Responder training, or willingness to attend and pass training within 6 months of hire.
Physical and logistical requirements
- Able to learn and adapt to varied outdoor terrain and work assignments.
- Able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds of program supplies.
- A valid driver's license and access to a privately owned, insured vehicle for regional travel across South Dakota and the Nebraska Panhandle.
- Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including select weekends and evenings for full-moon hikes and community festivals.
- Must be bondable.
How to apply
Send a resume and a cover letter to Patty Ressler at [email protected] with "Education Program / Community Engagement Manager" in the subject line. Applications are reviewed as they arrive. The full posting is at https://blackhillsparks.org/employment/
Pay: $58,000.00 - $62,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- 403(b) matching
- Employee discount
Work Location: In person
