2024 Membership Renewal is now open! Renew your organization’s membership today!

Urban Green Lab

Education Manager

Urban Green Lab

Apply

Job Summary

Help us teach sustainability.

Urban Green Lab is searching for a full-time education manger to join our team and help us fulfill our mission of teaching communities how to live sustainably.

Urban Green Lab

Urban Green Lab teaches communities how to live sustainably. A 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2009, we’re working to grow a culture of learning in classrooms, households, and workplaces that encourages people to make better choices for our planet and society. We believe in systemic change, and use the following strategies to reach our goals:

  • Organize: We organize teams of people in community institutions to tackle sustainability challenges.
  • Train: We train them to teach others how to live more sustainably where they work, learn, and live.
  • Connect: We connect people with experts and services that make a meaningful difference.

Job Summary

Urban Green Lab’s education managers oversee a portfolio of programs or initiatives that facilitate learning and advance peoples’ sustainability journeys. Supervised by the Executive Director and in collaboration with the team, this manager will lead, develop, and report on two related programs – Official Lab Recognition and Students in Sustainability – plus a variety of smaller tasks. We’re looking for someone who can inspire the community, shares our values, and grow with us over time. The position is full-time exempt and based in Nashville with a flexible work-life balance.

Job Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Setting Goals

Set and refine goals for programs, plus annual targets. Ensure programs are aligned with Urban Green Lab’s broader organizational goals and the 2025 Strategic Plan, including the city’s own sustainability-related goals.

Building Relationships

Grow strategic and meaningful partnerships and relationships with key workplaces and stakeholders citywide for both programs. Attract and collaborate with expert community advisors and steering committees for both programs as necessary. Build and execute annual retention and recruitment plans that target diverse community institutions and align with organizational goals. Help steer program participants into Urban Green Lab’s other educational programs and fundraising opportunities.

Lab Recognition Program

Lead Urban Green Lab’s Official Lab Recognition program, which turns workplaces, like businesses, nonprofits, schools, public offices, etc., into Nashville-approved urban green “labs” of learning about sustainable practice, at work and at home. Using a 40+ question baseline assessment, diagnose workplace sustainability needs in terms of organizing green teams, training colleagues, and connecting with experts and local services. Help workplaces weave sustainability into mission statements, strategic plans, new-hire orientation, signage and staff education, and vendor procurement, etc. Teach participating workshops the basics of sustainable practice using a standard workshop curriculum.

Students in Sustainability

Lead Students in Sustainability, a program that matches local high school juniors and seniors with corporate, nonprofit, and public workplace green teams to learn how any job can be a green job. Identify and develop workplace green team hosts, like Nissan North America and the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, and work with area schools to recruit and assign student cohorts for each workplace. Organize an annual orientation at the start of each school year for host workplaces and their assigned student cohorts, setting expectations and goals for working together. Facilitate presentations by student cohort at the end of each year to propose solutions to host workplace sustainability challenges.

Reporting Success

Work with the Assistant Director of Programs to help evaluate success of both programs and identify opportunities to strengthen them. Present high-level monthly program performance reports with the staff on progress and opportunities for improvement. Share reporting with community stakeholders and the Board of Directors, and through presentations and publications, like the Annual Report.

Other Duties

Contribute to the development of fundraising opportunities, like corporate sponsorship and grants. Collaborate with the Communications Coordinator to help tell the story of our champions. Attend regular team meetings, including weekly and monthly staff meetings, program meetings, and organizational meetings. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Attributes

Passionate commitment to Urban Green Lab’s mission and values. Entrepreneurial, with a keen sense of how to sustain innovative programming. Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills, and high sense of integrity. A positive, flexible attitude, intellectual curiosity, and capacity to adjust to change. Diplomatic and discreet, with excellent community relations and listening skills. Self-reliant, proactive, dependable, and on time – a team player to the core. Humility and grace under pressure, a sense of humor.

Ideal Qualifications

At least 2‐4 years of relevant professional experience (graduate degree not required). Experience with diverse workplace cultures and perspectives ideal. Background in professional training, education, or facilitating exchange of best practices. Familiarity with fundraising, sponsorship solicitation, and partnership building ideal. Comfort working with diverse experts, stakeholders, vendors, students, and the public. Understanding of sustainability, the environment, public health, or related issues. Clear oral and written communications, and experience with presenting. Outstanding organization and communication skills, and a quick learner.

Additional Information

Benefits

This is a full-time exempt position and salary depends on experience. Benefits include health insurance allowance (medical, dental, and vision), 408p match, cell phone stipend, and generous paid time off.

Work Environment

Urban Green Lab enjoys a flexible work-life balance and all staff are responsible for managing their own schedules during the week. Staff are expected to spend reasonable time with the team at our Marathon Village office. However, until stay-at-home measures are lifted due to COVID-19, staff are working remotely, with most meetings and events over Zoom. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities. The employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, listen and feel, reach hands above the shoulder, occasionally stoop or crouch, and lift or move items weighing 10-25 pounds.

Equal Opportunity

Urban Green Lab is fully committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by state or local law. Urban Green Lab welcomes applicants from a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and ideas.

Disclaimer

This job description is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, requirements, or conditions. While intended to be accurate, it is not meant to exclude that other, different tasks may be required when circumstances change (such as during emergencies, personnel changes, workload alterations, rush jobs, or technological developments or advancements).

How to Apply

Please email your cover letter, resume, and three professional references (email, phone, and nature of each affiliation) to Todd Lawrence, Executive Director, at careers@urbangreenlab.org. References will not be contacted without prior approval. Combine all documents into one PDF file with your full name as the file name and write “Education Manager” in the email subject line. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for consideration will be contacted. Applications are accepted until the position is filled. All correspondence is confidential. Background check required.

Details

  • Date Posted: April 2, 2021
  • Type: Full-Time
  • Job Function: Educator
  • Service Area: Education
  • Start Date: 07/01/2021
  • Salary Range: Depends on experience
  • Working Hours: M-F 9am-5pm; Urban Green Lab has a flexible working environment.