Houston Audubon seeks Outreach and Engagement Director

Houston Audubon seeks a dynamic and engaging leader to oversee, direct, and manage our efforts to engage communities and individuals in meaningful, participatory experiences that fuel a greater understanding and love of nature and advance conservation. Engaging individuals, groups, and communities of diverse backgrounds,
perspectives, and experiences is also important to this work. In partnership, we strive to nurture the engagement of communities working together to make a difference.

About Houston Audubon

Houston Audubon is a leading regional nonprofit and accredited land trust focused on protecting the natural environment for birds and people in the Houston Gulf Coast area. Our commitment to excellence in land conservation, environmental education,
community engagement, and science is foundational to advancing the conservation of birds and their habitats and improving our community for people and other wildlife. We own and manage more than 4,100 acres and several nature sanctuaries that serve as community assets and outdoor laboratories for quality education and recreation experiences as well as collaborative research opportunities. Through deep collaborations, native vegetation plantings in urban spaces, field trips, classes, community events, and school programs we expand access to the outdoors; increase connections between birds, people, and place; and create opportunities for people to love and care for the natural world in ways that are meaningful for them.

Position Overview

The Outreach and Engagement Director is a new role dedicated to building a vibrant, inclusive birding community that reflects the full diversity of our region and that is engaged in improving our natural spaces for birds, people, and other wildlife. The position will oversee efforts to engage the broader public with nature, including developing programs to serve marginalized populations and overseeing volunteer-led birding and naturalist opportunities. The successful candidate will provide vision and strategy development for community engagement that is grounded in building partnerships and equalizing access to nature and bird conservation. The Outreach and Engagement Director will be a collaborative leader working across departments, guiding outreach and engagement strategies, and growing participation in bird-friendly communities’ programs and community science initiatives.

Annual Salary $65,000-$80,000 DOQ
Hours per Week 40
Location: HAS Headquarters 440 Wilchester Blvd, Houston, TX 77079

Flexible Work Options Yes

Benefits

• Medical Insurance: 75% of premiums
  for medical and dental plans
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) up to 3.5% match
• Competitive vacation and sick leave

Position Reports To: President & CEO

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop new strategies to connect communities to Houston Audubon, birding,
  and the organization’s conservation agenda including strategies that incorporate
  culturally inclusive programming, events, and volunteer opportunities; to grow
  and diversify our network of partners and volunteers; and to address barriers that
  have historically made natural spaces inaccessible to specific communities.
• Build a network of community partners by cultivating and maintaining
  relationships with community leaders, elected officials, business leaders, and
  other NGOs that may have a connection to advancing conservation and
  biodiversity at the community level.
• Promote and coordinate the implementation of Houston Audubon Bird-Friendly
  Communities programs, including but not limited to Lights Out for Birds, Native
  Plants for Houston, and Cats Indoors.
• Collaborate with internal departments to build support for conservation and
  develop strategies to improve diversity and engage audiences in actions that
  deliver conservation outcomes to improve habitats for birds and other wildlife.
• Engage with the community through presentations, one-on-one meetings,
  environmental education, community meetings, native plant projects, birding,
  community science, bird-friendly spaces, and other co-created conservation
  efforts.
• Oversee and manage the planning and execution of community outreach events,
  including Bird Week, special events, workshops, speaking engagements, and
  attendance at relevant community meetings.
• Co-create an outreach/communications plan to increase Houston Audubon’s
  visibility and reach.
• Provide leadership, management, support, and mentorship to a team of 2-3
  skilled and dedicated full-time staff.
• Participate in and coordinate with relevant board committees, including the
  Education Committee, supporting efforts to inform the board of outreach,
  impact, needs, and mission alignment.
• Plan and manage department budget; and develop, track, and report on outreach metrics to measure progress.
• Promote an organizational culture and structure that fosters cooperation,
  respectful communication, inclusive leadership, and effective teamwork–
  exhibited through an ability to collaborate with others and to incorporate new
  and differing perspectives in decision-making.

Qualifications and Experience:

• B.A./B.S. in a related field and 5+ years of experience or equivalent combination of
  education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience in partnership development with community groups,
  non-profit partners, and/or government agencies.
• Working knowledge of best practices for community engagement and experience
  working with people in varied and diverse communities.
• Awareness and experience in conservation, environmental, and/or social justice-
  related work.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating meetings and/ or trainings.
• Comfort with public speaking and excellent presentation, interpersonal, and social
  skills with a positive outlook.
• Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across
  the organization and with program partners.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting goals, and managing
  performance.
• Experience with budget development and management.
• Self-starter with the ability to generate work plans with limited support.
• Experience using applications such as Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Teams, and
  Outlook.
• Ability to build buy-in, influence, and rally partners toward outcomes.
• Experience and commitment to working across differences such as race, culture,
  disabilities, socio-economic class, and language desired.
• Ability to occasionally work after-hours and weekends.
• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Ability to work in a multi-functional setting with open and closed office spaces.

Preferred skills and experience:

• Experience working with communities, local governments, and/or nonprofits in the
  Greater Houston-Galveston region.
• Fluency in Spanish.
• Awareness of the cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental landscape of the
  greater Houston region.

How to apply:

To apply, send a resume via email to: hdrummond@houstonaudubon.org

Houston Audubon is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for
employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national
origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to fostering and nurturing an
organizational culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion within our workplace and sanctuaries, and in our
work in the community. We believe that the rich blend of ideas, perspectives, and viewpoints that come
with diversity are essential to our long-term success. Our values and actions reflect our commitment to
diversity and inclusion of all as reflected in our hiring practices, team interaction, and outreach and
engagement at large.