Program Coordinator Nature Education

Program Coordinator is responsible for ensuring quality and accurate program communications. This includes staff and parent communication – absences, illness, late arrival, calling weather delays or closings, program evaluations, etc. The Program Coordinator also handles details that may affect multiple or all programs and ensures that communication flows smoothly between all team members.

Key Values

• Naturalist and Survivalist: Experiential knowledge of a majority of the following areas in Southern Appalachia: Southern Appalachian hazards, wildlife tracking, edible and medicinal plants, ecology, plants and animals, survival living skills, wildcrafting

• Compelling Mentor: Inspires through genuine enthusiasm

• Professional: Dependable, punctual, clean and tidy appearance, respectful demeanor

• Team-Player: Committed to collaboration

• Conflict Resolution - strong skills and abilities around conflict resolution.

• Leads team members with respect, offers of support and making themselves available and approachable

• Independent Self-Starter: Sees the needs and fills them, “pays it forward,” volunteer mindset

• Practitioner of Reflective Feedback: Gives and receives constructive feedback in a forthright yet loving

  way, without taking it personally, for the purpose of growth

• Healthy Communicator: Expresses needs, ideas, and suggestions to co-workers and supervisors

  promptly and clearly; committed to moving through conflict

• Growth Oriented: Strong personal and professional desire for growth

• Coyote Culture: Values gratitude, curiosity, core routines, questioning, community, sinking into our

  senses, trickster attitude when appropriate

Program Coordinator responsibilities fall into three core areas:

1. Execution and development within LES for the role and responsibilities you are responsible for.

2. Development and execution of the LES mission and vision as an organization, as a leader within LES.

3. Community engagement and development representing the mission and vision of LES, “Nature Connection for all”.

Preferred Qualifications - But we expect to train the right candidate. 

• Bachelor’s Degree or an equivalent amount of training and/or work experience

• Current CPR/First Aid/AED certification

• Excellent communication skills

• Experience leading teams of people

• Experience and passion for working with children in nature education

• Naturalist and survival skills

• 21 years or older with a good driving record

• Computer literacy with email, Microsoft Word, Google Drive and other online systems

• Human Resource, Management experience and background

• Wilderness First Aid or beyond

• Experience in 8-Shields or Coyote Mentoring models

Program Coordinator Field Responsibilities

Execution and development within LES for the role and responsibilities you are responsible for.

•  Issues and collects first aid kits at the start and end of programs

•  Serves as main liaison with parents if questions or issues arise beyond day-to-day details

•  Plans 100%, thinking through gear, tasks, stories, rain plan, and explanations. Has the flexibility to deviate from the plan for what best serves the kids.

• Knows how to be prepared to take care of themselves and others in all weather conditions

• Desire to participate in programs as an instructor: homeschool programs, weekend workshops, custom programs, any program you have interest in that we provide, or that you’d like to bring to LES.

• Able to lead programs as a substitute when necessary due to illness, staffing issues, etc.

• Ensures proper staffing for programs, by selecting appropriate staff with the pertinent skills.

• Ensures the programs have sufficient and proper materials to support program activiites

• Hires for summer programs and any other program needing staffing

• Obtains and distributes materials to instructors as needed: program rosters, medical notes, incident reports, accordion folders for programs

• Collaborates with instructors to determine weather cancellations

• Ensures policies are being followed

• Listens to staff concerns, ideas and suggestions and communicates them to Executive Director

• Mentor staff to facilitate professional and personal growth of staff.

• Works with staff on their professional development objectives.

  Development of LES mission and vision as an organization, as a leader within LES.

  •  Program budgeting each fall for the following year programs.

  •  Supply management: materials and supplies used in programs.

  •  Scholarship & Financial Aid process support: allocating funds in support of families in need

  •  Oversee and manage summer camp programs serving as the main liaison for site coordinators.

  •  Communicates effectively and in a timely fashion with all team members

  •  Schedules and moderates staff meetings and trainings including pre and end-of-season as well as visionary meetings

  • Keeps tabs on enrollment numbers and negotiates changes to programs if necessary

  • Creates school year calendar according to the timeline outlined

  • Assigns work to instructors in support of program calendar

  • Supports Custom Program proposal creation, scheduling, staffing and delivery.

  • Checks email daily, responds within 24 hours of receipt of email.

  • Is the main communicator to parents/ participants including sending information emails and answering phone calls. Sends a week-before verification email to participants and evaluations at the end of each program.

  • Community engagement and development representing the mission and vision of LES, “Nature Connection for all”

  • Support staff in their creation and execution of their Fall and Spring LES Community Days.

  • Identifies ways LES can engage in the community to expand our positive impact and mission. This could be through partnerships, joining nonprofit boards, volunteering, etc. Bring your creativity and ideas.