The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) seeks a Manager of Community-Based Restoration to inspire and inform communities about the Anacostia Watershed, and develop and implement innovative strategies to restore the Anacostia River and to engage these communities in the restoration of the Anacostia River. This position will oversee and be responsible for building and implementing meaningful engagement programs such as the Watershed Stewards Academy as well as developing additional ways to engage the community in our restoration efforts. The Manager of Community-Based Restoration works directly with the Director of River Restoration Programs to ensure integration among all AWS initiatives.
This is an exciting opportunity to leverage existing relationships while developing new partnerships and providing strong restoration and engagement for this critical piece of the AWS strategy, furthering its mission toprotect and restore the Anacostia River and its watershed communities.
About the Anacostia Watershed Society:
Since its founding in 1989, the Anacostia Watershed Society has worked to attend to the environmental needs of the Anacostia River and its watershed communities. Over the past 27 years, AWS has grown and developed from a small group of concerned individuals into an award-winning $4 million non-profit that is deeply involved in a cause that affects many different communities within the 176 square mile region of the Washington, D.C. metro area.
As part of its mission, the Anacostia Watershed Society is invested in local areas, working with schools and students throughout Washington, D.C. and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, engaging them in an experience that educates them through hands-on service and allows them to play a part in the continuing improvement of the Anacostia Watershed. In addition, AWS serves as a voice for the river; advocating for and actively involving itself in policies, actions, and programs that protect its ecological health, improve water quality, and work to mitigate the negative effects of stormwater, bacteria, and trash.
Throughout our existence, much progress has been made. The river has been subjected to heavy pollution for centuries and considered unfit for fishing and swimming for decades. It was once littered with trash and the wetlands had been almost entirely destroyed. With the work of AWS and help from others, we are now at a point where it is possible to look away from past devastation and focus on the future. The organization works towards a “Waterway to 2025” and envisions a future where the river is swimmable and fishable by 2025.
Key Accountabilities:
- Provide direction and oversight of all Community-Based Restoration programs, by working with public and private landowners and other stakeholders to plan and implement restoration programs such as tree plantings, invasive plant removal, and low impact development projects.
- Oversee, manage, and set strategies for volunteer/intern engagement.
- Create and implement community engagement programs and initiatives, by developing innovative ways to educate, engage, and empower community members to be advocates and stewards of the Anacostia River.
- Assist in creating partnerships and relationships that move the Community-Based Restoration programs forward and meet program objectives.
- Participate in organization-wide efforts, strategic planning, and other tasks as assigned.
Key Requirements:
- A command of the required technical information relevant to environmental restoration, experience working with public and private landowners, and experience planning and implementing restoration work, such as: tree plantings, invasive plant removal, low-impact development, etc. Knowledge of State and Federal agencies and programs, and experience in MS Office (Word, Excel, Project, and PowerPoint), GIS, and program tracking systems preferred.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills required.
- Effective in creating teams, partnerships, and relationships with diverse partners and stakeholders that move the work forward and engage others in a manner that allows the parties involved to discover common ground.
- Effective delegation of tasks to staff, with the result that work is completed in a timely manner and advances the goals of the organization and the objectives of its programs.
- Ability to inspire and support others to do their best work, including listening to others, providing helpful feedback, understanding their needs and priorities, and being proactive in communicating the information upon which they depend.
- Proven project, time, and budget management and evaluation skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks at the same time without sacrificing attention to detail. Ability to organize priorities, meet deadlines, and manage peak periods of activity. Ability to measure and track results and articulate programmatic needs.
- Willing, motivated, and able to work some evenings and weekends, work in the field, and travel to sites and partner/funding meetings. Paddling and boating experience a plus.
- Self-motivation, innovation, and resourcefulness in doing whatever it takes to get the job done well.
- Thinking and acting strategically from a whole system perspective, and maintaining an appropriate balance of immediate need and longer-range focus to ensure the Community-Based Restoration programs thrives in the near and long-term.
Required Qualifications and Experience
- Minimum 3-4 years of experience working as a conservation/environmental program manager, with community engagement and outreach accountabilities.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Demonstrated success in the design and delivery of impactful community based programs.
- Experienced in writing proposals and funding requests, including grant requests to secure program funding.
- Demonstrated success in working cross functionally to execute on program that will engage partners and members, and drive behavior change.
We are offering a competitive compensation package that includes a competitive base salary and benefits package.
Interested applicants should email a resume formally expressing your interest to askhr@anacostiaws.org.
AWS encourages and embraces diversity.
Photo of Anacostia River by Storm Cunningham.