Yellowstone Program Supervisor

About Ecology Project International

 EPI is an international non-profit organization dedicated to addressing critical conservation issues through field-based partnerships between local experts and high school students. We engage adolescent youth from local communities and youth and teachers from around the world in applied hands-on science and conservation as they learn about and help protect threatened species and habitats. Through EPI’s programs in five countries throughout the U.S. and Latin America, participants are inspired and empowered to engage in conservation efforts at home and worldwide to become the next generation of conservation leaders. More information can be found at www.ecologyproject.org

Job summary

The Yellowstone program supervisor plays a pivotal role in the Yellowstone program team, overseeing the execution of program goals and maintaining program quality by evaluating and improving existing systems used to deliver field courses. The program supervisor will lead seasonal staff recruitment, training, and supervision processes. They are responsible for ensuring course quality and strong risk management through professional mentorship of their direct reports who deliver courses and by working with staff from other EPI program sites to share best practices. 

To support the diversity of Yellowstone participants and EPI staff, it is critical that the program supervisor has the skills to constructively address implicit bias and be culturally responsive in interpersonal communication, program planning, and program implementation. This position is also empowered to identify new and creative ways to cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment for full-time and seasonal staff that encourages self-reflection, feedback, and commitment to professional growth.

Key responsibilities and duties

Categories of key responsibilities include overall program supervision of operations, direct supervision of seasonal instructors and YEL operations coordinator, and assisting with the BWI program planning. The supervisor is expected to collaborate with the program manager to refine program systems and contribute to program development.

Program Supervision

• Create, maintain, and update curriculum, activities, and educational materials according to the EPI education framework. This includes annually updating the Yellowstone appendices to the EPI Education Handbook and physical teaching resources for Yellowstone instructors.
• Revise and update EPI journals and Yellowstone appendix in the EPI Instructor Handbook.
• Coordinate and supervise YEL program courses. This includes the following:
  • Pre-course communications with teachers/chaperones in conjunction with the Recruitment team.
  • Prepare and/or compile briefing notes that convey information about the group, school, chaperone, course expectations, logistics, course activities, and any additional topics to the instructor team.
  • Prepare and print accordion documents for each course, including itineraries, reservations, etc.
  • Plan and execute briefing and debriefing meetings with the instructor team.
  • Ensure that all post-course information and paperwork is uploaded into the appropriate systems by instructors (i.e. Incident reports, photos, course logs, social media posts, etc.).
  • Oversee evaluations and assessments of new and recurrent vendors and activities for course quality improvements.
  • Utilize Salesforce to track debriefing notes.
  • Oversee course accounting (per instructor expense) for accuracy and completeness.
• Participate in regular meetings with the admissions team to find alignment on logistics for upcoming visiting groups.
• Compile course conservation statistics for end-of-season reporting.
• Review and send updates for visiting recruitment materials in coordination with the Recruitment team.
• Maintain close risk management monitoring of all programs and activities.
• Participate in the Yellowstone emergency response system (ERS) including being assigned to the emergency phone (24h available to support emergencies on the field).
• Occasionally participate in the global ERS system, when Yellowstone courses are the only EPI courses in the field.
• Systematize and control all Course Impact Summaries.
• Support the creation of annual reports for the Yellowstone field program.

Program Staff Supervision:

• Responsible for recruiting, hiring, and onboarding instructors to deliver Yellowstone Winter and Yellowstone Wildlife (summer) Ecology courses
• Seasonally set instructor schedules, adjusting as needed for changes.
  • Maintain a schedule of office hours for instructors.
  • Create and execute instructors’ payrolls (twice per month)
• Supervision duties in the instructor house:
  • Ensure the instructor house is clean, prepped, and ready for instructors to move in before each program season.
  • Ensure each instructor receives their sub-lease, and return it signed and dated, before their move-in date.
  • Issue invoices and receive rent payments for each instructor each month
  • Ensure the instructor house is fully cleaned, moved out, and inspected at the end of each program season.
• Organize and lead bi-annual instructor trainings, mid-season debriefs, and end-of-season debriefs with instructors.
• Supervise field instructors’ annual professional development
• Conduct field visits to observe field staff in their execution of research and service projects, as well as to evaluate partners and their projects (1-3 visits per season).
• Responsible for recruiting, hiring, and onboarding all direct administrative reports (e.g. Operations Coordinator)
• Supervise and support the duties of the YEL operations coordinator.
• Supervise and support local program operations.

Other Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Program Coordinator (BWI) to assist in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding instructors for the Bitterroot Wildlife Internship.
• Support BWI coordinator with planning and delivering office- and field-based training to Bitterroot Wildlife Internship field instructors at the beginning of the summer season.
• Administer and make reports for accounting expenses relating to personal staff travel, PD expenses, etc.
• Other responsibilities as determined in conjunction with your supervisor.
• Contribute to a positive and welcoming community environment that is supportive to field staff, including those from non-dominant communities.

Required qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s degree or higher, ideally in education, biological sciences, ecology, or natural sciences.
• Two years or more of staff supervisory experience, of both seasonal and permanent staff.
• Two years or more of field instructor experience in outdoor, environmental, or adventure education programs.
• Curriculum development experience.
• Proficiency in project planning, organization, and management, including the ability to multitask and keep track of multiple simultaneous projects.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Valid Wilderness First Responder certification or willingness to obtain.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and demonstrated ability to work effectively with partners and students from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and dynamic environment.
• Commitment to EPI's mission and values.

Desired qualifications and skills

• Field experience in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—lived experience and knowledge of local ecologies, communities, and history.
• Experience as a classroom educator OR experience delivering and designing professional development programs for formal science educators.
• Experience responding to challenging medical and/or behavioral situations in the field OR experience providing support to field staff responding to challenging field situations.
• Group facilitation experience in team-building and professional development settings.
• Spanish fluency.

Reports to

The Yellowstone program supervisor reports to the Yellowstone program manager.

Direct Reports

The program supervisor will supervise:

• All seasonal instructors
• The Yellowstone operations coordinator
• Local recruitment coordinator (in the future)

Schedule & Location: The Yellowstone Program Supervisor position is full-time (40 hours/week) with office hours typically from 9am to 5pm. This position requires the ability to report to our EPI office, located in Missoula, Montana.

Physical Requirements: This position involves some travel, site visits, and outdoor work in variable weather conditions.

Compensation

The local market-based starting salary range is between US$50,000.00 and $55,000.00 annually. Additionally, this position is eligible for a generous benefits package that includes 32 days of paid time off, health insurance, retirement plans, and funds for professional development.

EPI is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age. All qualified candidates will be considered for employment regardless of these factors. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.