Community Engagement Manager
The Community Engagement Manager leads KELT’s thriving education program and supports our blossoming development initiatives. This community focused position instills passion for nature and interacts with a range of audiences to articulate the necessity and importance of KELT’s mission conserving Merrymeeting Bay and the Lower Kennebec River region.
TO APPLY
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three professional references in one PDF file to applications@kennebecestuary.org with the subject line “Community Engagement Manager”.
In your cover letter, please describe your experience working as an educator, and what skills you can bring to this community centered position. We can't wait to hear it!
Questions can be directed to KELT’s Executive Director Becky Kolak, at bkolak@kennebecestuary.org.
Application deadline: Friday June 20, 2025
Estimated Start Date: August 11, 2025, with flexibility as needed!
Interview Process: Interviews will be conducted in June and July, beginning with a phone interview and then qualified candidates will have an in-person interview in Bath.
SUMMARY OF POSITION
This position balances facilitating nature-based education programming for people of all ages (75%) and engaging donors to raise funds to support our mission-driven work (25%). As a lead of KELT’s education program, duties include: schedule a variety of educational programs open to the public throughout the year; collaborate with local educators to facilitate existing and develop new programming opportunities for students in-classroom and outdoors; lead programming for adults, families, and children on land trust mission-related topics; and maintain and build partnerships with individuals and groups supporting educational opportunities. The work for engaging donors focuses on connecting people with KELT’s mission through writing, events, and in-person interactions. This position will be a key staff member in KELT’s development team (with the Executive Director and Communications & Operations Coordinator), working collaboratively to fulfill annual and multi-year goals in KELT’s strategic fundraising plan.
Positional duties
Education
• Lead student groups or classes from area public and private schools (grades pre-K through high school) either in the classroom or outdoors utilizing new or existing curricula.
• Collaborate with local educators to create, redesign, or use existing curricula for students to support achieving academic learning targets while engaging youth with nature of the Kennebec Estuary, both in the classroom and on outdoor field trips.
• Organize and/or lead public educational programs for adults, children, and families on a variety of nature or conservation related topics, both in-person and virtually, throughout the year. This includes the KELT Kids Summer Day Camp.
• Maintain and build partnerships with community organizations, businesses, individuals, and government agencies (municipal, state, and federal) to support engagement opportunities in communities within KELT’s service area.
• Coordinate seasonal community science programs that include a heavy community engagement focus. Current programs are the alewife count, salamander monitoring, rockweed monitoring, and green crab monitoring.
• Oversee coordination of KELT’s L.O.C.A.L. Garden in south Bath and supervision of the Garden Coordinator.
• Hire and supervise a 10-12 week seasonal summer steward to assist with summer educational programming, summer day camp, and other community engagement activities.
• Collaborate with the Communications & Operations Coordinator to produce content (written and media) across KELT’s platforms (print and digital) that reflect educational and engagement opportunities with KELT.
Development
• Coordinate logistics and volunteer coordination of fundraising community engagement events (e.g. trail run, ticketed social events, online auction).
• Assist in identifying funding strategies for the education program and general operations, which can include private donations as well as grants from private, state and federal sources.
• Write grant proposals for projects related to education and community engagement. Track and write reports and communicate with grantors, for private, state, and federal grants.
• Work with KELT’s development team to provide feedback on and support for solicitation campaigns, continually integrating our core programs (education, land, stewardship, and restoration) in fundraising efforts. This includes raising capital support for long-term endowment funds and special projects.
All Staff
• Articulate KELT’s mission, goals, and program work at a variety of forums and for diverse audiences.
• Work with KELT’s communication staff to supply information about ongoing work; assisting to create internal and public use articles, images, and other information for print and digital media.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to do this job. The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required. The omission of specific statement of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.
LOCATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS
The KELT office in downtown Bath, Maine. The position is a mix of office and field-based work throughout the nine towns in KELT’s service area (Bath, West Bath, Arrowsic, Georgetown, Woolwich, Bowdoinham, Dresden, Richmond, and Westport Island). Occasional work in the evenings or on a weekend day and occasional travel within the service region may be necessary. Our office can be bustling with staff, contactors, volunteers, and visitors. Options to work remotely up to 2 days of the week with computer equipment provided, seasonally dependent.
COMPENSATION
Full time position with benefits including health/dental/vision insurance, retirement savings plan, paid vacation time/holidays, and a flexible work schedule. Commensurate with experience, $51,000 - 54,000.