Position: Vice President, Education

Location: Washington, DC (hybrid)

Status: Full-Time, Salaried, Exempt from Overtime

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ABOUT US:

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is a non-profit leader dedicated to advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. A key driver of SFI’s success is its ability to engage diverse communities to deliver across its 4 pillars: Standards, Conservation, Community, Education.

Project Learning Tree (PLT), SFI’s education program, advances environmental education, forest literacy and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on the world. Our award-winning resources offer a lifetime of learning from early childhood through adulthood. Our wide and diverse PLT Network provides professional development for educators and opportunities for young people to explore nature and the diversity of green careers in the forest and conservation sector. Together, we are growing future forest and conservation leaders.

SFI is proud to provide our employees with a collaborative, dynamic, and rewarding professional experience, with a competitive compensation and benefits package and growth opportunities. Our benefits include (but are not limited to):

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
• Retirement plan with generous employer contribution and additional matching contribution up to 11% of your salary, provided you also contribute 4%.
• Paid Time Off: generous vacation policy, ranging from 2 weeks to 5 weeks increasing with experience, all 11 federal holidays, plus 4 floating holidays annually that may be used to observe additional religious, cultural, or traditional occasions that are meaningful to you, 12 sick days annually
• Educational assistance and investment in professional development.

ABOUT YOU:

The VP, Education advances PLT’s environmental education, forest literacy, and career pathways programs while embracing the ambitious plan of growing the scale, reach and impact of PLT. The VP, Education is responsible for establishing and delivering on PLT’s strategic direction as well as developing, integrating, and implementing US government stakeholder relations activities relative to education programming. The position also oversees the national program operations and governance, while developing and nurturing relationships at state, national, and global scales. The VP, Education will oversee the environmental education and forest literacy team. The VP will also work collaboratively with the career pathways team, led by the VP, Communications and Government Relations to look for ways to scale the reach of educational materials and programming.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategic Leadership:

• Lead strategy for PLT, interfacing with the CEO on strategic priorities, ensuring the sustainability of existing programs and maintaining its strengths while driving program innovation to broaden the relevance, reach, and impact in diverse communities.
• Develop and execute innovative strategies to reach pre-service teachers with PLT curriculum and professional development to build an appreciation for environmental education and PLT from the outset of their career.
• Develop and execute innovative strategies to engage district school boards and ensure their leadership values the contributions of PLT to learning outcomes and relevance to professional development. Prioritize initiatives that strengthen the relevance of PLT curriculum resources and professional development to formal education (e.g. correlations to national academic standards).
• Oversee ongoing formative and summative evaluation efforts to assess the success of products, programs, and initiatives in meeting strategic goals.
• Collaborate with the Director, Education in Canada as well as the career pathways team led by Communications and Government Relations to ensure alignment between US and Canadian strategies in growing PLT’s environmental education and forest literacy professional development programming and curriculum materials adoption in the respective countries.

Partnership Development:

• Sustain and continue to cultivate PLT’s strong network of partnerships and strategic alliances to strengthen and expand the adoption of existing programs, develop new initiatives and programs, and bring in new sources of revenue at the state, national, and international levels.
• Lead US government relations education and career pathways work, increasing PLT relevancy and integration into government programs and priorities to expand adoption, and secure long-term partnerships and funding.
• Develop and oversee PLT’s global strategy, sustaining existing global networks while expanding international reach.
• Engage coalitions and grassroots networks to ensure positive outcomes for environmental education policies and issues including forest and climate literacy.
• Enable the education staff to engage and elevate PLT Network achievements to increase program sustainability and scale effective programs, including contributing to the PLT Annual Conference.

Fundraising and Finance:

• Lead the creation and execution of an effective fundraising strategy, including nurturing corporate and government partnerships, to ensure PLT’s long-term financial sustainability.
• Guide and oversee the development and management of budgets and work plans for all education programs.
• Provide strategic leadership and collaborate with the sales and marketing team in ongoing evaluation and decision-making related to production, sales and inventory of PLT resources.

Communications and Brand Elevation:

• Serve as a compelling external representative and principal spokesperson for PLT and SFI at key community and education events.
• Initiate and contribute to the development of national marketing and communication strategies, interfacing with the VP, Communications and Government Relations, to build brand awareness and promote environmental education, forest literacy, and career pathways to key audiences and positively engage the PLT and SFI Implementation Committee (SIC) networks.
• Oversee PLT’s market research initiatives, ensuring that product development leads to new and expanded revenue from sales and development efforts.

Operations:

• Oversee the PLT staff in planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of the PLT program, ensuring that an appreciation of the multiple benefits of trees and forests is prioritized in its curriculum and professional development offerings.
• Oversee the governance of the PLT Education Operating Committee and contribute to the SFI and PLT Canada Board of Directors meetings.

**Check out PLT's Top 12 Products!**

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position is responsible for managing and developing the Education pillar team, including the team reporting structure. Current team members include:

• Senior Director, Professional Learning and PLT Products
• Director, Education and PLT Network
• Director, Strategic Partnerships
• Manager, PLT Online Learning
• Coordinator, Forest Education (based in Canada – will report to the Director, Education in Canada)
• Coordinator, PLT Data Systems and Operations
• Coordinator, PLT Network

This position is also supported by the Communications/Marketing team, and the Operations (Finance/IT/HR) team.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS / TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Physical requirements include the ability to work from a desk at a computer for prolonged periods of time. This position requires travel to the US and Canada, up to 30% of time.

WORK LOCATION:

To lead the predominantly DC-based team, this position will report to the downtown DC office 2-3 days per week, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays as designated in-office days.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, education, forestry, or natural resources required. MBA or master’s degree in education preferred.
• Highly strategic and entrepreneurial leader with 10 years of relevant experience in senior-level management.
• Experience and a working knowledge of the forest sector preferred. Respect for the role of sustainable forest management in sustaining community, our environment, and our economy.
• Possesses a strong network of strategic partners, including in government and US district school boards, and is highly skilled at managing a diverse network of partners, including Indigenous communities.5 years of experience leading national educational programs that appeal to and meet the needs of culturally and socioeconomically diverse stakeholder groups.
• Deep knowledge of the needs and priorities of formal, nonformal, and pre-service educators, the education sector, and conservation and environmental education.
• Experience designing creative new strategic initiatives driving successful program expansion at national and global levels and developing new business models to support growth.
• Exceptional communication and public speaking skills; ability to serve as a compelling and engaging spokesperson of the organization.
• Desirable: direct experience in environmental education, forestry, and/or natural resources sectors; understanding of Canadian environmental education and formal education contexts; knowledge and/or experience working with career pathways programs; knowledge and/or experience with connecting outdoor learning to human health and healthcare.

QUALIFICATIONS/PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Passion for environmental education, trees, and forests, and a commitment to growing education programs to create a more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive future for all
• Ability to lead, inspire, and develop a high-functioning, collaborative, and diverse hybrid team
• Strong business acumen; Innovative and strategic
• Strong cultural competence and a commitment to prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across all work
• Ability to translate big ideas into effective strategies with all levels of stakeholders
• Creative and flexible team player who seizes new opportunities
• Positive attitude and high energy, enjoyment working cooperatively in a hybrid team environment, and will prioritize the mission over individual agendas
• Track record for managing multiple complex projects in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities, handling tasks with diplomacy, tenacity, patience, and a drive for results
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to effectively plan, analyze, and meet deadlines
• Proficiency with group collaboration tools like Asana and ClickUP
• Proficiency with PCs and Microsoft Office 365
• Superior written and verbal communications skills
• Secondary language skills, particularly French and Spanish, a plus

APPLY:

Applications DUE March 22, 2024. Early applications encouraged.

We strive to be a diverse and inclusive organization that strongly supports the growth and development of its people. As such, we realize that not every candidate will perfectly meet all the requirements outlined in this (or any) posting. If you believe you bring the “must have” experiences, skills, and qualifications, and are confident that you can learn the rest, we encourage you to go ahead and apply for a position with us.

The salary range for this position is $130,000 to $160,000; the successful candidate’s actual salary will be dependent upon a number of factors, including geography, education/training, experience, time-in-role, management qualifications (as applicable) and skillset.

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SFI is proud to provide our employees with a collaborative, dynamic, and rewarding professional experience, with a competitive compensation and benefits package and growth opportunities. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and being an equal opportunity employer. Our team represents a broad range of cultures, education, disciplines, and work and life experiences, and we strive to leverage these differences in our daily work. We will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe in creating an empowered and supportive team that is committed to advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations.

Learn more about SFI Staff Culture, read our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy, and review our Indigenous Relations Commitment.