Education Operations Manager

Education Operations Manager Merck Forest & Farmland Center | Rupert, Vermont Reports to: Director of Education and Engagement Status: Full-time, exempt. Seasonal hybrid schedule possible (about 40 hours/week on average, ... Read More

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Education Operations Manager

Merck Forest & Farmland Center | Rupert, Vermont

Each year, thousands of students, from PreK through graduate school, come to Merck Forest to learn by doing: sugaring, planting, building, and more. Those experiences shape how they understand land and their place in it.

This role makes that learning run well. You’ll lead school field trips and summer camp, and own the systems behind all Education programs: registration, scheduling, rosters, staffing, and evaluation. You’ll deliver an organized and smoothly run day for teachers, help families feel cared for, and set up educators so they can focus on the kids and activities.

What you’ll do

Lead field trips and summer camp

• Plan, deliver, evaluate, and improve both programs.
• Run summer camp registration, which opens each February, and enrollment.
• Build lasting relationships with schools, teachers, and families.
• Hire, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate summer camp staff.
• Guide field educators on field trip days: assignments, expectations, coaching, and feedback. Share significant performance concerns with the Director.
• Join programs periodically to stay close to what participants and staff experience.
• Recommend changes to scheduling, capacity, or program design that improve quality, safety, or accessibility.
• Work with Communications on promotion.

Own Education’s systems and workflows

• Manage the tools the Education team uses for registration, rosters, scheduling, staff assignments, waivers, participant information, attendance, evaluation, and reporting.
• Set clear, consistent workflows within the framework of the Program Operating Manual and the Director’s guidance.
• Keep data accurate and handoffs reliable among Education, Visitor Services, Communications, and Business and Systems.
• Document core workflows so another capable colleague could run them.
• Fix recurring administrative problems and help roll out new tools when approved.

Keep programs safe and ready

• Ensure programs follow MFFC safety requirements, safeguarding practices, and Emergency Response Plans.
• Ensure emergency contacts, waivers, and rosters are complete and accessible.
• Report and review incidents. Raise significant concerns promptly.

Learn and improve

• Gather participation data, participant feedback, and staff observations.
• Help the team use what you learn to strengthen programs and systems.
• Give the Director reliable information for planning, budgeting, and reporting.

Your year at Merck Forest

You’ll own systems used specifically for Education operations. Organization-wide tools, such as our CRM, financial systems, and communications platforms, belong to other staff you will work with to support your efforts.

What you bring

Required

• Experience in education, program management or operations, camps, environmental education, or a related field.
• Experience coordinating programs involving many participants, staff, schedules, and systems.
• Strong organizational skills and comfort learning and improving digital tools.
• Strong communication skills and experience supervising or mentoring staff.
• A commitment to participant safety and excellent learning experiences.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Wilderness First Aid certification, or willingness to earn it within six months.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Formal supervisory experience.
• Experience with field trips and summer camp.
• Experience with registration, CRM, scheduling, or program-management systems, and with improving workflows.
• Familiarity with experiential education, conservation, farms, forests, or working lands.

What you’ll get

• A role with ownership: you help shape how education runs.
• A seasonal rhythm that separates delivery from improvement. You’ll have time to do both well.
• Daily work on a landscape that is itself the classroom: forest, farm, sugarbush, and 35 miles of trails.
• A team and Director who value strong systems as part of great teaching.
• Salary, health insurance, employer-paid disability, life insurance, a SIMPLE IRA with 3% employer match, and paid time off.

How to apply

Tell us what draws you to this work and why you’d be successful by sending a cover letter, resume, and references to work@merckforest.org.
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