Senior Education Manager

About the Waterfront Alliance

The Waterfront Alliance is a civic organization that brings together a diverse Alliance of more than 1,100 Partners with ties to the New York–New Jersey waterways. Founded in 2007, our mission is to inspire and effect resilient, revitalized, and accessible coastlines for all communities. Key program areas include climate resilience, waterfront design, public access, the working waterfront, and climate education.

About the Position

The Senior Education Manager will lead the strategic growth and implementation of Waterfront Alliance’s education portfolio, scaling programs that advance climate literacy, coastal resilience, and workforce development. This includes oversight of Estuary Explorers, Waterfront Scholars, internships, workforce development initiatives, teacher trainings (including CTLE), and community engagement activities such as coastal cleanups. The Senior Manager will design and execute a multi-year growth strategy, manage educators and interns, strengthen partnerships, and ensure inclusive, high-quality learning experiences rooted in environmental justice.

The Senior Education Manager will be responsible for implementation of different facets of Waterfront Alliance’s Estuary Explorers, such as engaging partners at schools and community organizations and leading waterfront field labs (focused on marine science and coastal resilience) with students participating in the program. The Senior Education Manager is an advocate for change, an imaginative problem solver, adept at anticipating challenges, resolving conflict, and moving through red tape to keep programs running throughout the busy school year. This position will also identify the interconnectivity of education programs with other Waterfront Alliance programs, such Policy, Climate Informed Communities and WEDG® (Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines).

This position involves excellent organization and communication skills, and conscientiousness when working with public agencies, community organizations, and schools. The Senior Education Manager is passionate about advancing the goals of equity, environmental justice, and inclusion through experiential climate education. This is a full-time non-exempt position that involves regular travel to schools throughout the NYC public school system and waterfront parks.

Responsibilities include all related scheduling, record keeping, administering evaluations, managing educators, and reporting. The Senior Education Manager will also support organization-wide events, fundraising efforts, and marketing initiatives on a limited basis.

Classification: Fulltime, exempt

Salary and Benefits: Salary is $70,000-$75,000. Waterfront Alliance offers a comprehensive benefits package, including employer paid medical, dental, and vision insurances; life insurance; 401K retirement plan with employer match; paid sabbatical after five years of continuous employment; commuter and FSA benefits, paid time off, professional development opportunities, and more. Our telecommuting policy allows staff the flexibility to work from home in a hybrid capacity.

Location: New York, NY

Reports To: Director of Programs and Climate Initiatives

Direct Reports: Part-time Education Coordinator and Seasonal Educator

Responsibilities

Education and Public Programming (45%)

• Oversee and expand Estuary Explorers waterfront field labs and classroom lessons focused on marine science, water quality, and climate resilience; periodically instruct lessons to model best practices and maintain program quality.
• Ensure educators are trained and equipped to lead hands-on field activities including seining, fish identification, water quality testing (e.g., salinity, turbidity, pH), and plankton observation - with safe handling and ethical catch-and-release protocols.
• Lead and facilitate teacher trainings; maintain CTLE sponsor compliance and records.
• Manage the Waterfront Scholars program and coordinate student engagement at the annual Waterfront Conference, including tailored learning and networking experiences.
• Direct internships and workforce development aligned with the Green & Blue Career Guide and partner needs in maritime, resilience, and sustainability sectors.

Coordinate and customize education programming at community events (coastal cleanups, festivals, family days), based on funding and community need

Operations and Administration (30%)

• Handle scheduling, site permissions, weather contingency plans, and logistics for waterfront access.
• Oversee data systems (e.g., Salesforce, Airtable) for participant tracking, photos, evaluations, and reporting; ensure accurate grant reporting and City Council contracting and compliance.
• Reference: Operational responsibilities reflected in 2023 Education Program Manager JD (scheduling, Salesforce, City Council reporting).
• Manage program budgets, procurement, invoices, reimbursements, and supply organization.
• Supervise, onboard, train, and provide professional development for part-time educators, per-diem staff, interns, and volunteers.
• Maintain safety protocols and risk management for waterfront activities; promote First Aid/CPR readiness.
• Work with Communications to prepare education materials for design and web placement; contribute to WaterWire articles and the Estuary Explorers newsletter.

Program Development and Partnerships (25%)

• Build and implement a multi-year education strategy to scale equitable access and impact across K–12, postsecondary, and community audiences; set goals, KPIs, and evaluation frameworks.
• Maintain and grow relationships with schools (NYCPS and charter), universities, workforce agencies, public agencies, and community-based organizations; execute MOUs and joint initiatives.
• Develop new curricula integrating NYC waterways knowledge, estuarine ecology, climate resilience, and workforce readiness; align with standards and community needs.
• Collaborate with Development to prepare program descriptions, grant materials, and impact narratives; identify school and CBO partners for funding initiatives.
• Represent Waterfront Alliance at conferences, panels, and coalitions, sharing program insights and advocating for resilient and just waterfronts.

Qualifications

Required

• 5-7 years of experience in environmental/climate education, experiential learning, or program management, including multi-program oversight and staff supervision.
• Strong knowledge of NYC waterways, estuarine ecology, and coastal resilience; ability to lead and train field-based activities (seining, fish ID, water quality testing, plankton microscopy).
• Excellent background and knowledge of positive youth engagement strategies.
• Demonstrated success scaling education programs and building partnerships with schools, universities, and workforce agencies; commitment to equity, environmental justice, and positive youth development.
• Data fluency with program evaluation; proficiency with Microsoft Office and project/data tools (Salesforce, Airtable).
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills; comfort working outdoors in variable weather; ability to lift up to 25–30 lbs.

Preferred

• First Aid/CPR certification.
• Experience administering CTLE trainings for educators.
• Familiarity with WEDG® and resilience design principles; experience partnering with the New York Harbor School.
• Experience with animal handling/aquarium maintenance and catch and release fishing protocols (ethical handling, safety, species ID).

Waterfront Alliance offers a comprehensive benefits package, including employer paid medical, dental, and vision insurances; life insurance; 401K retirement plan with employer match; paid sabbatical after five years of continuous employment; commuter and FSA benefits, paid time off, professional development opportunities, and more. Our telecommuting policy allows staff the flexibility to work from home in a hybrid capacity.