Outdoor Environmental Education Director

Sound View Camp and Retreat Center is set on 100 wooded acres in the Pacific Northwest. The camp is owned by the Presbyterian Church (USA), a Christian denomination with a strong focus on social and environmental justice. Sound View sweeps down to half a mile of beautiful waterfront acreage on Puget Sound. The grounds contain a large teaching garden, farm animals, nature trails through a mature forest and a biodiverse shoreline. Some of the activities offered are boating, a ropes course, archery, paintball, arts and crafts and gaga ball. Located forty minutes from the town of Gig Harbor, Washington, this would be considered a relatively remote, peaceful location.

The camp has a few main areas of focus: outdoor environmental education (with primarily school groups), family camping and retreats, and Presbyterian summer camping. Sound View’s secular OEE program for public, private, and homeschool groups began in 2018 and had 1.5 years of fast growth before the pandemic. This is the first year of hiring a new full-time OEE director and continuing to grow the program post-pandemic, so this position is ideal for someone looking to expand and improve an existing program. We are looking for an OEE Director who is excited about guiding the program through change and assisting the Executive Director in guiding the camp through change. Sound View will be converting to a 501(c)(3) in the upcoming years and experiencing other shifts in governance structure and partnerships.

The main focus for the OEE Director is the school outdoor environmental education program in the spring and fall seasons. Winter will include administrative work, outreach to schools, and one-month paid time off. During the summer, the OEE Director is part of the summer camp director team along with temporary summer staff. The OEE Director will also work to incorporate OEE into summer programs and other non-school groups. This is a full time, year-round position, Monday through Friday, including evening teaching and occasional weekend work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

● Plans, creates, facilitates and teaches quality programming for outdoor environmental education (OEE) groups
● Recruits and retains OEE school user groups
● Recruits, interviews, trains, supervises and evaluates OEE naturalist staff, Americorps NCCC volunteers and other volunteers
● Creates staff schedules for the OEE weekly school groups
● Serves as the main contact for OEE groups including assistance choosing dates, selecting classes and activities and sending invoices. Creates daily schedules and lodging plans, visits schools for pre-visit presentations as requested, collects paperwork and allergy lists and communicates with the Food Service Manager. Conducts group satisfaction surveys.
● Acts as group host for OEE groups, responding to questions and concerns during their visit as needed
● Plans SV Garden, obtains seeds/starts, and coordinates planting and garden maintenance
● Plans and advertises other special OEE camps, possibly including spring break camps
● Assists in coordination of yearly Key Peninsula Farm Tour at SV
● Supervises upkeep of program areas, such as trails, OEE supplies, orienteering courses, archery, ropes course, and Arts and Crafts room
● Creates and distributes OEE marketing materials (emails, flyers, posters) and maintains SV social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram) and OEE portion of website
● Maintains and develops new collaborative relationships with schools and community organizations
● Seeks and applies for grants for OEE program as needed
● Attends at least two Olympia Presbytery and at least two Seattle Presbytery meetings to distribute marketing materials
● During summer camp, is part of the summer director team, teaching OEE classes and facilitating ropes course, archery and other outdoor activities. Exact summer leadership role will be decided with the Director.
● Other duties as assigned by Executive Director

Required Qualifications:

● Bachelor’s or master's degree in Environmental Education, Environmental Studies, Biology, Natural Science, or related field (or equivalent experience)
● Previous experience teaching in camp environmental education or formal education setting
● Previous experience in a leadership/supervisory position, especially at a residential camp
● Experience working with diverse groups of children and adults
● Strong organizational and management skills
● Basic knowledge of natural history and/or desire to increase knowledge of local flora and fauna, including forest and marine ecology
● Excellent oral and written communication and collaboration skills
● Flexibility and adaptability for upcoming changes at camp
● Experience with marketing (making promotional materials) and communications (Facebook, Instagram, emails)
● Support Sound View’s plan to expand our OEE and summer camp programs, and commitment to the mission and goals of Sound View Camp
● Access to a car, as site has no access to public transportation, and some tasks will involve driving to events and meetings (gas mileage for work-related driving will be reimbursed)
● Ability to lift 40 pounds and walk ~five miles a day while camp is in session
● Current First Aid, CPR, and food handling certifications (can complete after hiring)
● Must be able to pass background check and participate in child safety trainings
● Must be able to comply with and maintain a smoke-free and drug-free camp environment Desired Qualifications:
● Experience as a Ropes Course Facilitator or willingness to be trained. Must be comfortable with climbing to heights of 40 feet or more.
● Specialized training and experience in archery or boating
● Bilingual skills are preferred but not required
● Lifeguarding certification a plus
● Familiarity with American Camp Association standards

Please email resume to wedgpres.jennifer@gmail.com and we will reply and possibly invite you to submit a cover letter and references. This is to minimize the need to write a cover letter to only those who meet our minimum qualifications.

Application Deadline: September 21, 2023 (or until position is filled)

Start Date: ~October 15, 2023