Volunteer Engagement Manager

Posted:                     Open to internal and external applicants   

Reports to:               Vice President of jobshiringnearme.org Engagement and Learning

Status:                      Full-time, salaried, benefitted position

Hours of work:        Standard Monday–Friday workweek, 8am–5pm. Occasional need for weekend or after-hours work to meet team’s needs.

Date needed:           December 2024

Posting expires:     Open until filled, priority given to applications received by October 11th. 

Position description:  

The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Volunteer Engagement Manager to join the jobshiringnearme.org Engagement and Learning (CEAL) department. As the Volunteer Engagement Manager at the Seattle Aquarium, you will spearhead a dynamic and multifaceted volunteer program that serves as a cornerstone of our community engagement and conservation efforts. In this role, you will orchestrate the integration of youth and adult volunteer initiatives into the fabric of the Aquarium’s mission – Inspiring jobshiringnearme.org of Our Marine Environment, propelling strategic growth and sustainability of our programs such as growing into our new Ocean Pavilion and global conservation work. This position offers a unique opportunity to mold educational and inclusive programming that not only meets current needs but anticipates the ecological stewardship necessary for future conservation challenges. 

You will act as a critical bridge, connecting diverse teams such as Visitor Engagement, Community Engagement, Dive Operations, Animal Care, Public Programs, and Events, to craft a holistic volunteer experience that fosters equity, creativity, and joy in conservation. Additionally, you will lead a diverse team of staff, ensuring that they are well trained, well supported, and aligned with our goals while enhancing their capabilities in volunteer engagement. 

Key functions: 

Collaboration & Community

• Amplify a community-centered and person-first approach to volunteer management, encouraging collaborative and mutually beneficial internal and external partnerships that extend beyond the Aquarium.
• Work closely with core teams such as Visitor Engagement, Community Engagement, Dive Operations, Animal Care, and Events to streamline and improve experiences and opportunities for volunteers and staff who oversee their work.
• Enhance youth volunteer experiences through the Youth Ocean Advocates program, High School and Middle School Marine Science Clubs, and emergent growth opportunities by securing funding, strategic planning, and storytelling.
• Foster and steward programmatic design and structural integration of youth and adult program pathways, evaluation, and growth.   

Learning & Development

• Support and resource training and development programs led by the volunteer team.
• Champion lifelong learning and critical thinking within the volunteer community through structured educational resources and leadership development opportunities.
• Advance robust opportunities to embed cultural diversity, environmental justice, traditional ecological knowledge, and diverse approaches in volunteer programs and education.  
• Foster a reflective and growth-oriented environment, facilitating regular performance reviews, coaching, and feedback sessions to support professional development for staff.

Administrative and Financial Management

• Oversee the budget for volunteer and youth programs, ensuring strategic resource allocation, transparency, and financial sustainability.
• Conduct detailed reporting on volunteer demographics, retention data, program performance, providing insights and data to senior management to aid in decision-making. 
• Manage administrative duties, including scheduling, communications, and record-keeping, to ensure program efficiency and compliance with organizational policies.
• Actively pursue grant opportunities with program leads to fund innovative volunteer initiatives, managing the grant lifecycle from application to reporting.

Equity & Justice

• Establish and maintain equitable practices within workplace culture, particularly focusing on inclusivity and representation across all programs. Utilize, amplify, and develop the expertise of the staff. 
• Utilize a climate justice lens and our S.A.L.I.S.H. Values to guide direct actions and ensure accountability, integrating these principles into all volunteer activities and program evaluations.

Accessibility & Safety

• Develop accessible programming that accommodates volunteers from all backgrounds, focusing on varied commitment levels, valuing neurodiversity and disabilities to continuously improve accessibility for all at the aquarium.
• Ensure a safe environment for volunteers by addressing physical, mental, and emotional safety, promoting a culture of empathy and understanding between staff and volunteers.
• Foster healthy, transparent, and accessible youth-adult relationships and partnerships. 
• Advance and support the growth of multilingual accessibility for volunteers and guests in training and engagements serving as an advocate for linguistic diversity.  

Fun & Engagement

• Infuse elements of play, creativity, and joy into volunteer activities, creating a lively and engaging atmosphere that fosters personal connections and team spirit.
• Organize social activities, recognition, and community-building events that encourage active participation and foster a sense of belonging among volunteers.
• Integrate cultural and socially diverse perspectives into learning, engagement, and events to enhance joy and belonging for all volunteers. 
• Other duties as assigned as appropriate for the level of position.

Required skills and experience: 

 The Aquarium actively seeks to advance practices that broaden participation in marine and environmental conservation professions, making them more inclusive of the full diversity of our communities and responsive to their needs and perspectives. Candidates passionate about anti-racism, social justice, environmental justice, and other intersections will be an asset to our work. The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant cultural, traditional practices, community programs, jobs, internships, volunteer experience, and/or formal or informal education.

• Educational and Professional Background: At least 5 years of experience with leading large volunteer teams and robust program and budget management skills within a dynamic organization, strongly emphasizing strategic planning, program development, and community engagement. 
• Leadership and Inclusivity: Demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams and foster an inclusive environment. A commitment to promoting equity, accessibility, and intersectionality, with proven skills in cross-departmental collaboration and partnership building.
• Strategic and Financial Acumen: Experience with budget management and seeking funding, capable of overseeing budget preparation and managing grant processes. Confidence in leading and inspiring teams coordinating growing projects and programs. 
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Excellent communication and organizational skills, capable of motivating and inspiring a large team of volunteers. Ability to adapt communication and teaching styles to meet varying needs, including at times communicating with large groups. Multilingual and multicultural communication skills and experience are preferred.
• Commitment to Equity and Access: Committed to center opportunities for marginalized communities from leadership roles in conservation, persistently striving to make our volunteer programs more inclusive and reflective of the community’s full diversity is a requirement for this role. Experience supporting and/or advocating for the marginalized and vulnerable.
• Volunteerism Passion and Expertise: A deep passion for volunteer service and community engagement, with a track record of advancing volunteer programs that support an organization’s mission and goals.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the Aquarium’s Mission and Values, including Regenerative and Equity work.

Working conditions:

• Most work is performed onsite in a typical office setting with frequent interruptions. Other work areas include outdoor environments with the occasional need for travel.  Opportunity for working from home but it must be balanced with the need of being onsite to support the team and volunteers. Typically, 2 remote days a week.  
• Some exposure to elements, as employees are located in a campus environment with multiple buildings, outdoor and semi-covered areas.  Staff move between Aquarium buildings in all types of weather to participate in meetings.
• Occasional need to work outside typical hours in support of programs and events that occur in the evenings or weekends.  Most often this is scheduled in advance.  

Salary and benefits: $73,000-$73,000 annually Dependent on experience. Please include salary expectations in your materials. Full-time staff are eligible for the Seattle Aquarium’s comprehensive benefits package to include medical, vision, dental, an employer-funded health reimbursement account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b retirement fund with employer match, access to a subsidized ORCA pass, a Seattle Aquarium Family Plus membership and generous paid time off.

How to apply: The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don’t feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.

Interested candidates should upload a résumé to our online application to be considered. Application review will begin immediately.  

SeattleAquarium.org/careers 

Please let us know if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for this job by emailing us at [email protected].  

Note: If offered the position, candidates must pass a background check. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second chance employer.  

 About the Seattle Aquarium: 

The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world’s one ocean. Our passionate staff increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing an inspiring visitor experience, engaging daytime and evening events, conservation education programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, community outreach to marginalized populations, research that advances understanding of animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild, advocacy and policy work, an award-winning volunteer program, high-impact marketing and communications, and more.  

 Our values, developed in conjunction with our staff, include commitments to adopting and promoting sustainable practices, creating awe-inspiring experiences, constantly learning and improving, fostering an inclusive community, maintaining scientific credibility through evidence-based practices and honoring our unique place by using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.  

 Proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, we’re among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. by attendance, and we welcome over 850,000 people each year. Guided by our mission of Inspiring jobshiringnearme.org of Our Marine Environment, we’re working to substantially increase our conservation impact by expanding our campus with a new building, the Ocean Pavilion. Learn more at SeattleAquarium.org. 

Timeline:

We anticipate the following recruiting schedule for those candidates who are selected for consideration. The following dates are preliminary and subject to change. We will work with candidates to set interview dates. If hired, relocation assistance is not available. 

• Application deadline: November 2024
• Priority given to applications received by October 11th 
• Interviews completed by early November.
• Start date: December 2024