Director, Education Program – Communications, Marketing & Education Division

Reports to:                  Vice President, Communications, Marketing & Education – Communications, Marketing & Education Division

Location:                    New York, NY

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Based in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers. 

Position Summary:

This Director, Education Program will be responsible for leading all aspects of the Education Program in promoting strong global citizenship among students around the world while teaching science, math, language arts and social studies skills. S/he will lead strategic planning, evaluation, fundraising and staff management while directly implementing work with US school partners. S/he oversees curricular development, management of the Rainforest Alliance Learning Site as well as a growing portfolio of international projects currently in Guatemala, Mexico and Ghana.

Responsibilities:

Program Implementation

• Develop and maintain relationships with strategic partners, including schools, funders and nonprofit organizations;
• Establish school-wide adoption of curricula through close partnerships with US schools in priority cities;
• Oversee the Rainforest Alliance’s web-based education platform and ensure continued innovation and high visitation;
• Create opportunities for and lead professional development and teacher training workshops;
• Develop and implement analytical frameworks and processes for evaluating impacts of Rainforest Alliance curricula and school partnerships on student learning and environmental values;
• Ensure educational materials are updated, accurate, and engaging;
• Oversee international environmental education initiatives;
• Ensure the Adopt-A-Rainforest program continues to attract a growing number of donations; and
• Present program successes at regional and national conferences.

Strategic Planning and Execution

• Develop strategic work plans and budgets; oversee project implementation, assessment and reporting;
• Work with the Finance and Development staff on program budgets, grant writing, and reporting on deliverables;
• Liaise with Finance & Administration, Human Resources and the Office of the General Counsel to address office administration, information technology, legal and human resources needs and ensure compliance with applicable policies and obligations.

Supervision

• Manage a multi-cultural and geographically diverse team;
• Ensure the team is aware of and complies with relevant organizational policies, rules, values and norms; 

• Provide peer support and mentoring to the upcoming and emerging leadership in the unit to ensure a steady high performing team managing the unit through successive periods; and
  • Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Education or Environmental Studies or a related field; advanced degrees in Education or Environmental Studies, or equivalent experience in a nonprofit organization, program management, and education and outreach preferred;
• Minimum 10 years experience in a managerial-level position in environmental education;
• Demonstrated ability in identifying and establishing methods for quantifying the impacts of environmental education projects;  
• Demonstrated ability in fundraising and donor cultivation;
• Written and verbal proficiency in Spanish highly preferred;
• Strong planning, analytical, and project management skills, with ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously while adhering to deadlines;
• Demonstrated ability to prepare, analyze and review financial reports, budgets and cash flow projections;
• Ability to work with a variety of constituencies, including schools, funders and institutional partners;
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to coordinate and communicate with people across a wide geographic range, both verbally and in writing;
• Collaborative and energetic work style, superior people skills and ability to motivate and delegate;
• Dependability, enthusiasm for the issue and a sense of humor; and
• Willingness and ability to travel a minimum of 20% per year, nationally and internationally.

Salary: 

Commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits package provided.

To apply:

Send resume, cover letter and salary history to Human Resources, Rainforest Alliance,  665 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10012; Fax: 212-677-2187; E-mail: gro.ar@lennosreP. If emailing, use the following format in the subject line: first name and last name, job title of position you are applying for.

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.