School Programs Supervisor

The Morton Arboretum is a world-renowned outdoor tree museum, with an Education department that was founded in the 1940's making it the oldest of its kind at botanic gardens in the US. As part of the Schools programming team, the Supervisor joins a team of passionate, knowledgeable staff helping inspire the next generation of tree champions and STEM professionals through engaging content communicating the science of the Arboretum to K-12 audiences. Help advance our mission to plant and protect trees for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world while broadening the perspectives of students across the Chicagoland area.

Position Summary: Supervise The Morton Arboretum’s onsite and offsite school field trip and K-12 programs. Coordinate school program packs, materials and inventory for onsite, offsite and outreach programs. Recruit, train, and supervise education program guides to ensure full use of the Arboretum’s resources to provide learning opportunities that propel youth to take action to plant and protect trees. Work alongside internal and external stakeholders to organize program logistics both onsite and offsite. 

Essential Functions: 

• Coordinate the onsite logistics for school field trip programs. Greet external stakeholders, teachers, and parents and provide excellent customer service to program participants. Ensure safety of guests on field trips and provide excellent customer service to program recipients virtually and in-person. Collaborate with school programs specialist for weekly coordination reports. 

• Hire, supervise, train and evaluate education program guides. Lead staff training for new education program guides and existing team needs. 

• Communicate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure seamless program delivery and implementation. Ensure program materials and inventory reflect programs needs on a weekly and monthly basis. Assist with inventory needs for school, scout, teacher and camp programs

• Adapt and adjust program content, location, or materials to meet the needs of diverse learners, ensuring programs are inclusive for a variety of learners. 

• Maintain inventory and organization of supplies for school field trips, winter classroom visits, nature near you programs, and virtual outreach programs. Purchase, storage, distribution, and inventory of teaching supplies used for school programs and tours.

• Assist the Senior Manager of School and Camp Programs with the development and implementation of an offsite summer program, connecting school-age children with the green spaces in their community

• Work with the Senior Manager of School and Camp programs to evaluate the school field trip program, through informal focus groups, surveys, and feedback forms. Communicate the program’s impact to internal and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrate alignment with the Arboretum’s employee core values to be inclusive, take ownership, work together, keep learning, and make the Arboretum exceptional.

• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Serve in a supervisory capacity of one or more employees, providing leadership guidance and communicating the organization's goals. This includes:

  • Hiring, training, coaching and developing team members, by providing recognition and feedback, and evaluating performance 

  • Ensuring that team members adhere to the Arboretum’s policies and procedures, and maintaining a safe and compliant work environment

  • Building and maintaining positive working relationships with team members, colleagues, and other partners to foster a collaborative and supportive work environment

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Education, Natural Sciences, Botany, or Biology.  3+ years experience teaching children in a formal or informal setting required. Supervisory or leadership experience required. Demonstrated experience in the design and development of age appropriate informal education programs preferred. Excellent oral and written communication skills required. Dependable, flexible, and committed to customer satisfaction required.  Proficiency with Google applications is beneficial. Familiarity with booking systems, communications platform, and other database systems is beneficial. Must become certified and maintain certification in First Aid and CPR (classes provided). Must possess a valid driver’s license, which is subject to insurability and an annual Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) report.  

Success Factors: Highly organized with the ability and experience to manage multiple simultaneous programs while maintaining high attention to detail. Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner. Able to provide support, mentoring and coaching for staff. Communicate clearly, and work effectively with a diverse group of people.  Ability to maintain a calm demeanor despite daily stresses and pressures. Consistent dedication to the highest standards of customer satisfaction. Act as an ambassador for the Arboretum, its mission, and resources to educators, parents, and youth in an accurate, positive, and constructive manner.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Physical Demands: Requires some physical activity: limited lifting and carrying (up to 30 lbs.).  Stamina and ability to travel over one mile on paved, wood-chipped, and dirt paths over varied and uneven terrain.  Ability to sit at a computer for a long period of time, dependent on the seasonal programs.

• Work Environment: Work is performed in a combined indoor office environment and outdoors settings, which include leading groups of children and adults in walking, hiking, and other physical activities, in all weather conditions throughout the four seasons. 

• Equipment: General office equipment, audio-visual equipment, microscopes, specialized field monitoring equipment, two-way radio, Arboretum van. 

For full consideration, please submit a resume and cover letter.

The expected hiring range for this nonexempt position is annualized at $55,500-$63,630 based on experience that will be evaluated during the candidate selection process. We believe in the importance of pay equity and consider the internal equity of our current team members as a part of the final offer. This position is also eligible for a competitive benefits package 

The Morton Arboretum is a champion for diversity, supporting a culture of inclusion that attracts, inspires, and engages people to achieve success. The Arboretum is committed to hire and develop employees based on job-related qualifications irrespective of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or veteran status. To increase diversity in professions related to the public garden realm, we encourage applications from underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans.  

The Morton Arboretum is dedicated to complying with our obligations as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All applicants are guaranteed equal consideration for employment.