Canopy is seeking a Director of Community Education and Green Pathways to lead the strategy and implementation of its community education, workforce development, and capacity-building programs. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role oversees an integrated continuum of programs spanning early childhood through adult education, youth leadership and paid internships, and community training—advancing green career pathways and building lasting capacity to sustain a healthy urban forest. The Director manages a team of educators and program staff and oversees in-school lessons, Teen Urban Foresters internships, the Junior Forester Leadership Program, community Tree Walks and Climate Steward courses, special events, and internship and fellowship pathways.
About Canopy:
Canopy believes lasting climate action begins at the local level—in homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Through partnerships with residents and community leaders, the organization plants and cares for trees that bring life, shade, and hope to communities. Beyond tree planting, Canopy empowers youth and community members through hands-on environmental education, creates pathways to green careers through workforce development opportunities, and cultivates urban forests that strengthen connection and belonging. Rooted in collaboration, Canopy unites neighbors, inspires students to help shape a sustainable future, and advances resilience, equity, and opportunity—growing healthier, greener, and more just communities for generations to come.
Responsibilities
Program and Staff Management
Recruit, hire, onboard, and train all new education program staff, as needed.
Support education staff in creating program goals and performance plans, aligning programs with requirements while balancing staff autonomy and creative control.
Perform yearly performance reviews of education staff.
Co-run quarterly Education Committee meetings with Education Committee co-chair.
Plan and facilitate department-wide check-ins regularly.
Attend education staff programs and events and provide post-program feedback.
Perform administrative tasks like quarterly checks of tracking documents, QC of Salesforce entries, tracking and meeting grant and contract deliverables, organizing Google Drive documents, and QC of education staff timesheets.
Foster relationships and represent Canopy with new and existing partners.
Oversee a team of education volunteers, in partnership with the Community and Volunteer Engagement Manager and education staff.
Facilitate effective interdepartmental communication with other program teams.
Work with Canopy’s HR consultants to ensure that all youth-facing programs are in compliance with state and school district legal requirements, including volunteer clearance protocols and child labor law.
Serve as a pathways mentor to Canopy’s fellows and intern
Direct all programs listed above, including evaluating success and improvement needs and adjusting as needed.
Strategy
Work with Canopy staff and Leadership Team to develop the direction, strategy, goals, priorities, and expansion of Canopy’s education programs, when appropriate.
Ensure that the Education Programs are offered in all service area communities, and that their content and speakers reflect Canopy’s priorities and values.
In partnership with the Executive Director and Deputy Director, participate in strategic conversations and presentations to strengthen partnerships and pursue funding opportunities for education programs.
Develop new partnerships and programs to support Canopy’s mission and JEDI priorities.
Grants and Contracting
Seek and prepare grant proposals, budgets, and reports in partnership with the Deputy Director and the Executive Director.
Oversee education-related contracts and MOUs.
Support the Senior Operations Manager with invoices for education contracts and grants.
Miscellaneous
Participate in Canopy’s Leadership Team.
Assist the Community Forestry Program and provide general organizational support.
Qualifications
At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience in environmental education, urban forestry, workforce development, community-based environmental programs, or a closely related field.
At least 3 years of experience supervising and developing staff, including performance management and coaching
Demonstrated experience designing and implementing education, training, or workforce pathway programs serving youth and/or adults.
Experience building partnerships with schools, community organizations, public agencies, or workforce intermediaries.
Strong understanding of equity-centered program design and experience working in or alongside untapped communities.
Experience managing grants, contracts, and program deliverables, including tracking metrics and reporting outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to think strategically while also managing operational details.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience contributing to grant proposals, reports, or public presentations.
Excellent communication skills as evidenced by an earnest desire and proven ability to listen to, connect with, and communicate information to people of various backgrounds.
Passionate about the environment, trees, environmental justice, and promoting representation and inclusion in the environmental field.
Highly organized and adept at prioritizing and executing tasks.
Respect for and the willingness to learn about different cultures.
Live Scan
Preferred Qualifications
Experience developing curriculum aligned with workforce-relevant skills, certifications, or industry standards.
Experience managing paid internship or youth employment programs.
Familiarity with green workforce development systems, career pathways frameworks, or environmental justice initiatives.
Experience working with CRM or data systems (e.g., Salesforce) to track program outcomes.
Bilingual in Spanish
Lived experience or experience working with untapped communities
COmpensation and Benefits
Annual salary: starting at $90,000 per year
Health benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance
Retirement: 401k, with a future possibility of offering employer-matching contributions
Sick leave: 12 days (96 hours) per year with a maximum accrual of 6 days per year
Vacation time: 12 days (96 hours) per year with a maximum accrual of 18 days per year. Accrual rates increase after two years with Canopy
Paid holidays: The following are official holidays for all Canopy employees:
New Year's Day
Christmas Day
Compensatory day for Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday*
President's Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day after Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve Day
Winter break, including the work days falling between December 25 and January 1 and up to a full two weeks, dates at the discretion of the Executive Director
Floating holiday to be used during your birthday/work anniversary month
Opportunities for advancement: In the past, multiple Canopy staff have “grown in place” by being promoted into vacated positions.
Professional development: Canopy values professional growth and offers a selection of paid trainings each year to all staff (previously: JEDI, Unconscious Bias) and has funds for individual staff to attend conferences, workshops, and other PD opportunities.
To Apply
Please email your responses (and how you found out about this job) to the following questions (1 to 2 paragraphs per question) to jobs@canopy.org:
What drew you to this position?
What are your top two values and how do you see them relating to this position?
At Canopy, we prioritize working with untapped communities. What does community mean to you and what would your approach be to working with untapped communities? (You may share a specific example or a general approach).
Emailing your resume (list of applicable experience) is optional. If you don’t have a resume and would like one, there is free resume creation available through JobTrain. Please email JobSeekerServices@JobTrainWorks.org.
