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Community and Visitor Relations Manager (Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail)

Reporting to:

Director of Development & Community Engagement        

Mission of Position:

Under the direction of the Director of Development & Community Engagement, the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Inc. (HHFT) seeks a Community & Visitor Relations Manager to coordinate community engagement, grow a network of volunteers, and develop interpretive and public programs in support of HHFT’s mission. At the core of this is forging collaborations with community groups and individuals to help bring to life the many stories of the park and the region – historical, natural, cultural, artistic, and educational –  through interpretation, events, and programming.

The Community & Visitor Relations Manager needs to be a highly organized creative multi-tasker with excellent people skills; a positive, can-do attitude; and a commitment to the environment and outdoor recreation. The Community & Visitor Relations Manager will be responsible for developing, and then managing day-to-day, all front facing visitor programs including hikes and workshops, public events and exhibitions, children’s environmental education opportunities, a robust volunteer network, and the Fjord Trail’s interpretation program on-land, at the visitor center, and digitally. The ability to handle multiple projects at once is essential. The Community & Visitor Relations Manager will work closely with the Director of Development and Community Engagement to set goals for the development of public programming and a volunteer program as HHFT grows and segments of the linear park become operational. The Community & Visitor Relations Manager will craft a comprehensive programming calendar and will collaborate on the promotion of programs, activities and events with the Communications Manager.  The Community & Visitor Relations Manager will also collaborate with the Park Director and the on-land team on appropriate placement and maintenance of interpretive signage and elements and work with the Park Director directly to recruit and manage a corps of on-land volunteers. The position requires initiative, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and excellent organization skills. The professional in this position will hold a key role in the growth and success of the organization, and be comfortable dealing directly with the public.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree and/or a minimum of five years previous non-profit program coordination, communications, community outreach, grassroots organizing and/or related experience required.  Must have strong project management and strategy development skills; written and verbal communications skills; skills in relationship building; the ability to motivate and manage people; and comfort in a fast-paced environment with periodic tight deadlines. Organizational and time management skills are essential.  Must have the ability to forge cooperative agendas in a multi-stakeholder environment with diverse cultures and political contexts.  Must have demonstrated ability to create structure in uncertain social situations to achieve tangible results.  Ability to propose, hone and collaborate with others to develop strategic message to reach numerous constituencies required.  Must have ability to work independently as well as collaborating in team settings.

This position also requires a comfort with public speaking to succeed both as a high functioning member of the internal team during trainings and orientations, and in public settings such as community meetings, visitor programs, board and stakeholder meetings, and special events. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic, nimble, and flexible with the ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities and the clarity to up-level critical community, visitor, and staffing issues as appropriate. Demonstrated experience and/or interest in land conservation, outdoor recreation, and advancing environmental justice issues will be greatly valued.

High proficiency in Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint required. In Design, Photoshop, Illustrator or other graphic design program knowledge is a plus. Experience with Salesforce for contact management highly desired. Special attention to the values of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion are a must.. Must have ability to lift up to 30 lbs. to help set-up for public events.

Principle Responsibilities Include:

The Community & Visitor Relations Manager will need to work both independently and in collaboration with other HHFT staff and outside consultants to advance the mission of HHFT through the local outreach and engagement, development and implementation visitor programming, a robust volunteer program, and an interpretation. 


Community Engagement

  • Work with the Executive Director, Director of Development and Community Engagement, and other staff and consultants to broaden awareness and understanding of the new park.
  • Actively listen to the needs and concerns of the local community members, groups and leaders.  Identifies actions HHFT can take to address them.
  • Respond to requests for information from community members.
  • Help identify and formulate opportunities for the park to offer specific benefits to local residents
  • Plan, organize and execute community meetings and workshops
  • Help identify potential programmatic partners in the surrounding region with an eye on expanding, not duplicating, existing offerings

Volunteer Program

  • Build volunteer program to help achieve organizational goals, including to serve as community ambassadors for the park.
  • Actively recruit volunteers on a schedule that scales with outreach and engagement needs and the growth of  the park
  • Coordinate with other staff to identify opportunities for volunteers to engage with HHFT (public meetings, events, gardening, trail maintenance, photography, activities/education) based on the volunteer’s skill set and background
  • Conduct regular volunteer trainings, maintain regular communication with volunteers, and coordinate volunteer appreciation or perks program to sustain interest and enthusiasm
  • Create bi-annual volunteer program reports that share key metrics for evaluation

Public Programming

Advance a suite of Fjord-specific programmatic offerings with an eye on creating unique programming specific to the park, rather that replicating programs provided by others within the region

  • Schedule, promote and produce a series of public activities and events annually that advance the HHFT mission and help tell the identified “stories of interpretation,” scaling up as the park becomes operational
  • Coordinate public programming needs with Park Director and Communications Manager
  • Mange all aspects of program execution – from vendors to materials and event logistic plans – to ensure seamless and positive visitor experiences
  • Create bi-annual programming reports that share key metrics for evaluation

                        Visitor Experience Data Collection and Visitor Service Staff Training

  • Provide NYNJTC Trail Stewards with training, talking points and other relevant materials to strengthen their ability to act as FT ambassadors
  • Use tools like visitor surveys, listening sessions and focus groups, to gather data on potential visitor interests and priorities, eventually including visitor experience data once segments of the trail are operational.  Present findings and make recommendations for improvement of experience with leadership team
  • Collaborate with the Park Director to develop orientation curricula and training materials for all new staff who will interface with visitors as HHFT strives to provide best in class visitor experience
  • Collaborate with the Communications Manager to ensure that website and collateral materials enhance the quality of visitor experience before visitors set foot on the trail
  • Create bi-annual visitor experience data and training program reports that share key metrics for evaluation

Interpretation

  • Work with the Executive Director, Director of Development and Community Engagement, and other staff and consultants to craft a clear and focused strategic interpretation plan for the linear park with integrated on-land, visitor center, and digital elements
  • Advance the implementation of the interpretive program to maximize value to the project and expression of mission as the park develops in multiple phases
  • Once installed, track performance and use of the interpretive elements to ensure adjustments can be made as needed to ensure highest performance for visitors.

Other Functions

  • Conduct grant writing as needed to support the project
  • Staff special events (a shared responsibility of all staff)*
  • Collaborate with Communications Manager and graphic designer and/or other vendors on signage and branded materials that are particularly intrinsic to Community & Visitor Relations functions
  • Other activities as assigned by the Executive Director, Director of Development & Community Engagement, and Park Director

*Some activities and events will fall on weekends and evenings — note that compensatory time will be arranged for time worked on events that do not fall within regular working hours.

Compensation:          

Full Time, Salary range $65k – $75k commensurate with experience, with competitive benefits

Background:              

The Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail will be a new 7.5 mile riverfront linear park in the Highlands region of the Hudson River Valley.  Set to begin construction later this year, this job is an opportunity to join the growing team that will ultimately build, manage, and program the new linear park.  The Fjord Trail, in its design and future programming, will emphasize accessibility to a variety of outdoor experiences for all ages and abilities to enjoy – from rugged hikes to shoreline promenades to immersive forest and marsh meanders. Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Inc. is an independently operating non-profit subsidiary of Scenic Hudson, Inc.

Contact:                     

Send resume and a brief writing sample to: jobs@scenichudson.org. Further information can be found on our websites: www.scenichudson.org and also www.hhft.org. No phone calls please.

Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail and Scenic Hudson define Environmental Justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people regardless of their ability, culture, education, gender, heritage, income, or race in efforts, decisions, and actions that impact their environment, health and livelihoods.

Hudson Highland Fjord Trial and Scenic Hudson are Equal Opportunity Employers promoting and celebrating excellence and cultural diversity. We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, representation, and inclusion, and strive to serve all people in the Hudson Valley by evaluating all our projects, strategic initiatives, and outcomes through that lens.