Community Outreach Manager
The Anacostia Watershed Society seeks a full-time Community Outreach Manager to manage, coordinate, and implement meaningful outreach and education programs and experiences that foster, develop, and build community connections, awareness, and action to protect and restore the Anacostia watershed. This position is an integral part of the organization and works directly with the Director of Education and Outreach, the Education and Outreach Team, and other staff across the organization to identify, engage, and collaborate with diverse and underrepresented communities, partners, and other stakeholders of the Anacostia watershed, a critical strategy of the organization.

About the Anacostia Watershed Society

The Community Outreach Manager is a great opportunity to help further develop and grow one of the most effective grassroots, community-based non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C. metro area.  Since our founding in 1989, the Anacostia Watershed Society has worked to protect and restore the Anacostia River and its watershed for all who live here and for future generations.  Over the past 35 years, AWS has grown from a small group of concerned individuals into an award-winning, $3 million+ non-profit with a staff of 20 that is deeply involved in a cause that affects many different Washington, D.C. area communities within the 176 square-mile watershed.

This is an especially exciting time to join the Anacostia Watershed Society’s team of professionals as we embark on a new and ambitious strategic plan and prepare for the opening of our state-of-the-art environmental education center at Washington, D.C.’s 11th Street Bridge Park in 2026. The Anacostia Watershed Center will be an enriching resource for the diverse communities who live along both sides of the Anacostia River and will house our award-winning education programs for youth and adults of all ages in the District of Columbia, and Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland.

The Anacostia Watershed Society’s mission is to conserve and restore the Anacostia Watershed for all who live here and for future generations.  Pursuing this broad mission, the Society takes on issues of nature resources conservation and management, environmental protection, sustainability, community health and welfare, and environmental justice.  We collaborate with diverse stakeholders to advocate at all levels of government for policies that promote greater watershed protection and restoration investments.  Our field programs work to restore habitat and wildlife, and to connect local communities to the watershed through volunteer activities, boat tours, and canoe and kayak adventures.  Our education programs work with schools, students, and adults throughout Washington, D.C. and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, engaging them in the classroom and on the river and its banks, providing hands-on experiences that contribute to current restoration projects and prepare the next generation of environmental stewards.  In addition, the Anacostia Watershed Society serves as the voice for the river, educating, alerting, cajoling, and, when necessary, challenging government officials, business interests, thought leaders, and the public to go to greater lengths to protect the ecological health of the watershed, improve water quality, and mitigate the negative effects of habitat loss, pollution stormwater, and climate change.

Key Accountabilities

• Serve as lead organizer of the AWS’s annual Earth Day Cleanup event.
• Lead and manage AWS’s community-focused education programs (such as the Watershed Stewards Academy), that result in inclusive educational experiences.
• Provide outreach support, programming, and materials for restoration, education, and recreation programs, to support community engagement in projects and events (such as green infrastructure, wetlands restoration, pollution abatement, watershed clean-ups, etc.).
• Collaborate with the Director of Education and Outreach to develop and implement outreach plans and mechanisms to connect and include diverse communities, partners, and other stakeholders in the watershed with our efforts to restore the Anacostia watershed.
• Participate in other special projects, organization-wide efforts, and tasks as assigned

Key Requirements

• Interest and experience in community outreach and engagement, environmental education, conservation, enthusiasm for and comfort in the outdoors (on the water and in the field), and demonstrated knowledge, commitment, and passion for environmental sustainability and environmental justice.
• Effective management and leadership skills, including the ability to motivate team members to work well together, and work collaboratively with other parts of the organization.
• Excellent written/verbal communication, interpersonal skills, including persuasive and effective communication that forwards the purpose and mission of the organization.
• Effective problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to collaboratively develop program budgets and proposals, monitor expenses, and raise and report on funds.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented self-starter. Proven ability to prioritize even during periods of peak activity and meet deadlines in a timely manner.
• Ability to work with and provide excellent customer service internally and externally, especially experience working in a metropolitan area.
• Self-motivation, innovation, resourcefulness, and a collaborative team player.
• Boating and Paddling experience strongly preferred.
• Willing, motivated, and able to work a flexible schedule that includes some evenings and weekends, work in the field, often outside in variable weather, travel, and driving to field and recreation sites. Some physical work required (i.e. ability to lift up to 30 pounds).

Required Qualifications and Experiences

• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience and proven success in developing and implementing outreach or environmental education programs targeting diverse and underrepresented audiences; non-profit experience a plus.
• Experience leading, managing, and educating groups of diverse people in environmental science, education, or restoration programming; Bachelor’s degree an added plus.
• Demonstrated command of the required technical information relevant to volunteer outreach and engagement, as well as constituent relationship building and fundraising.
• Experience in partnering with diverse and or underrepresented communities to drive and build effective relationships and partnerships within the Anacostia watershed.
• Experience in project management, logistical support, and working with staff and volunteers.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office required; experience with database management (preferably a constituent relationship/volunteer management database) preferred.
• Candidates bilingual in Spanish strongly encouraged to apply.
• Current CPR/First Aid certification strongly preferred.
• Valid driver’s license and clean driving record.