Education Program / Community Engagement Manager

What You Will Do

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• High comfort level with database management tools (Salesforce, Donorbox), Google Workspace, and active use of AI materials and platforms.
• 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.

Location: our headquarters in Custer, South Dakota, with regular travel across the Black Hills and the Nebraska Panhandle.
Status: full time, permanent.
Pay: $58,000 to $62,000 per year.
Benefits: 403(b) with employer matching, plus an employee discount in our park stores.
Reports to: the Executive Director/CEO.

Full posting: https://blackhillsparks.org/employment/