Education Program Manager

jobs•Newport, RI

6d•$90,000 - $110,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Education Program Manager will play an integral role in activating Ocean Hour Farm’s mission and requires a candidate who is creative, a strategic thinker, skilled in program design and passionate about supporting the next generation of land stewards. This person will lead all educational programming targeting young adults with a focus on hard skills required for a career in regenerative land stewardship, permaculture in practice and ecoliteracy. This includes facilitating science-based programming for high school students, maximizing the impact of Ocean Hour Farm’s living demonstrations through university-level partnerships, and building out a career pathways summer program. The Education Program Manager will also support the Program Director in the execution of workshops for farmers, landscapers, the general public and food system leaders. The ideal candidate brings excellent organizational and communication skills, a background in agriculture or a related land stewardship field, and the ability to engage diverse audiences. This role reports to the Program Director and involves close, ongoing collaboration across departments.

Requirements

At least four years of work experience in the field of education and community engagement.
Work experience in agriculture or a land stewardship-related field.
Bachelor’s degree in education or an agricultural or science-related field.
Non-profit experience and/or volunteering experience.
Excellent oral, visual, and written communication and presentation skills; ability to speak, read, and write effectively in English (Spanish a plus!).
Be a positive spokesperson and representative of Ocean Hour Farm in the local community and beyond.
Progressive thinker and open-minded, especially to learning new things.
Flexibility to work simultaneously on a wide range of projects and the ability to prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and meet deadlines.
Comfortable using Google Suite and other platforms like Canva, Miro, etc.
Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, to establish and maintain effective relationships with coworkers, visitors, and others in the workplace.
Able to work outdoors in hot, cold, wet, humid, or windy weather conditions.
Ability to work legally in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Spanish language proficiency

Responsibilities

Serve as the point of contact for all high school & university-level inquiries.
Develop and execute experiential, outdoor education programming for high school students in collaboration with teachers and administrators.
Ensure curriculum and programming are culturally inclusive for the diverse population Ocean Hour Farm serves, including offering multilingual programming when possible.
Maintain and build long-term partnerships with community-based organizations, local high schools and regional universities.
Recruit and coordinate with staff in other farm departments, as well as regional experts, to serve as educators on skill-specific programming.
Develop curriculum on topics including watershed science, soil health, climate change, regenerative agriculture and permaculture.
Build long-term partnerships with local universities with the goal of integrating students into our ecological monitoring, land-based practices and various research activities.
Identify opportunities to incorporate on-farm demonstrations, research activities and land-based installs into educational programming.
Curate and manage the Tide to Land Education Apprentice each summer as part of a career development program for young adults interested in environmental education.
Oversee and curate the 4-month URI Agriculture & Food System Fellow at Ocean Hour Farm.
Support the onboarding and quality of experience for all on-farm apprentices.
Design and build a summer career-training program focused on regenerative land stewardship, to be launched in 2027.
Engage stakeholders in the development of the program, ensuring it aligns with and meets the needs of the community.
Identify practitioners to serve as guest educators as needed.
Lead on the curriculum design, including identifying core topics for instruction, onboarding, skill-specific certifications/training opportunities, job-readiness support and ensuring a quality experience for all participants.
Provide and assist with farm tours for the general public as well as potential partners.
Follow and complete the required administrative workflow for new projects.
Lead on the annual budget assumptions process for education activities as well as tracking spending through out the year.
Stay up to date with and maintain a deep understanding of various research activities, land-based installations, sustainability efforts and other projects on the farm.
Track and evaluate the success of all on-farm education programming.
Attend environmental education and ag-related network meetings throughout our region to better hone the role of Ocean Hour Farm.
Maintain thorough documentation of programs in the google drive and other platforms as requested.
Lead on the promotion of all educational programming, including supporting the communications team in posting events on our website and creating flyers as needed.
Ensure waivers are collected and organized for visitors.
Attend bi-weekly staff meetings, occasional all-staff volunteer days and Ocean Hour Farm’s annual farm-to-table events.
Support the Programs Director on farmer and other land steward workshops, training and convenings as needed.
Seek out and attend conferences and convenings to support personal growth and quality programming.
Ensure that all staff are up to date with their First Aid Certification and assist with coordinating recertification as needed.
Organize and maintain education supplies, prioritizing sustainable options whenever possible.
Onboard and oversee two seasonal positions.