New Job Opening at ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlan- Voices for the Lake Project Manager

The following is a job posting for ECHO:

Position Title: Voices for the Lake (VFL) Project Manager

Reports To: ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain (ECHO), which serves as the “backbone” organization for the project, conducted in partnership with the Center for Earth Ministry, All Souls Interfaith Gathering (CEM).

FLSA Status: Exempt Position Length: Two year, grant funded position

Date Last Approved/Revised: February 2015

Summary: ECHO’s mission is to educate and delight people about the Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunity for stewardship of the Lake Champlain Basin. ECHO is a dynamic learning and teaching community committed to engaging diverse public audiences in dialogue; providing experiential, relevant, and lifelong educational experiences to guests; and inspiring environmental stewardship of the Lake Champlain Basin. ECHO is partnering with the Center for Earth Ministry, All Souls Interfaith Gathering, to create a unique, full-time position that will work closely with a consultant to manage a multi-stakeholder process to create action plans that will improve Lake Champlain’s water quality.

Objective: The Lake Project Manager will oversee a consultant-designed system to engage a broad audience of stakeholders invested in the health of Lake Champlain. The project manager will direct the design, facilitation, and evaluation of this multi-stakeholder process to identify strategic methods to improve the water quality of Lake Champlain and implement the action plans to achieve water quality goals.

Duties & Responsibilities:

  • Engage stakeholders/leaders from diverse sectors (agriculture, education, citizen advocacy, science, government, faith, etc.) and geographic regions (Vermont, New York and Quebec) to: identify shared water quality goals for Lake Champlain; identify high-impact leverage areas for achieving goal; supporting cross-sector work teams to create and sequence measurable, time-specific action plans; evaluate and adapt as needed.
  • Serve as primary liaison with consultant and steering committee to plan systems mapping timeline/process, schedule meetings, implement and coordinate follow-up, and provide on-going communications with stakeholders engaged in the process.
  • Schedule and plan stakeholder meetings/retreats with neutral facilitation/setting conducive to creative thinking, full participant engagement and collective problem-solving reflective of the unique partnership at the intersection of faith-based earth stewardship and science-based education.
  • Support the VFL steering committee with on-going project planning, fundraising and evaluation; and provide regular reports to the boards of CEM and ECHO.
  • Coordinate communication, outreach and networking among participating and related organizations, and the general public, to advance water quality goals and expand outreach/impact of this project.
  • Meet financial objectives by overseeing expenditures to stay within budget; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions when necessary. Contribute to team effort by accomplishing general duties as needed.
  • Other duties may be assigned as required. This job description is not intended to be a complete statement of the position; it is intended merely to be a guide to the general work to be performed.

Education and/or Experience:

  • Bachelor Degree preferred.
  • 3-5 years of project and/or grant management experience.

Skills & Qualifications:

  • Excellent organization and project management skills to delegate, motivate, and manage diverse stakeholders.
  • Budget management.
  • Demonstrated understanding of water quality issues. Working knowledge of the multiple stakeholders engaged in Lake Champlain conservation and protection.
  • Strong communications and interpersonal skills with ability to build mutual trust.
  • Attention to detail and familiarity with deadline-oriented environment.
  • Commitment to a systems-based approach to lake stewardship.
  • Eagerness to work at the intersection of science and faith to create transformative change.

Work Environment: The work environment described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Work is performed partially in a regular office setting on the premises CEM. In addition, regular travel around the state and to the ECHO building will be expected in order to hold meetings, convene with stakeholders, and discuss strategies to improve lake health.

Salary: Commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits and professional growth opportunities.

Application Process: ECHO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes resumes from individuals who will contribute to our diversity. Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@echovermont.org with VFL Project Manager in the subject line of the email.

Application Deadline: Friday, March 27th

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