Position Type:

Full-time employment, 40 hours per week. Exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Description:

The Senior Manager of Adult Education is responsible for establishing program priorities, managing personnel and resources, developing new initiatives, and ensuring that educational programs are aligned with the Garden's mission and strategic goals. Reporting to the Senior Director of Adult Education & Conservation, this position oversees the planning, coordination, evaluation, and continued development of a diverse portfolio of educational programs, including classes, workshops, lectures, tours, community programs, and outreach initiatives. The Senior Manager directly supervises the Education Specialist and Outreach Manager, ensuring that education programs are effectively coordinated, mission-aligned, responsive to community needs, and delivered at a high standard for a variety of audiences. The ideal candidate is an experienced and creative leader with a strong background in program development, project coordination, and community engagement. This position requires the ability to manage multiple programs and priorities, develop and implement new educational initiatives, support and develop staff, cultivate instructors and community partners, and monitor program participation, revenue, and effectiveness. Experience teaching adults or other audiences and a background in horticulture, environmental education, conservation, botany, or a related field are strongly preferred.

Essential Functions:

• Supervise, direct, and evaluate the Education Specialist and Outreach Manager, establishing clear priorities, goals, workflows, and performance expectations across education programs.
• Exercise independent judgment in personnel, programmatic, operational, and budgetary matters within established organizational policies and delegated authority.
• Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate a diverse portfolio of adult education and outreach programs, including classes, workshops, lectures, tours, and special programs.
• Identify, recruit and manage instructors, speakers, educators, community partners, vendors, and other program collaborators to support high-quality educational experiences.
• Develop and execute new educational programs and initiatives that advance the Garden's mission and strategic goals, including program content and interpretive materials.
• Oversee program operations, including scheduling, registration, staffing, materials, facilities, and other logistical needs.
• Manage departmental program budgets, contracts, purchasing, and allocation of staff and program resources
• Monitor financial performance and make recommendations regarding resource allocation and program priorities.
• Develop program content and interpretive materials aligned with the Garden's mission and strategic goals.
• Monitor participation, revenue, expenses, evaluations, and other performance measures; use data and participant feedback to identify trends and improve programming.
• Ensure programs meet Garden standards for educational quality, accessibility, safety, and organizational policies.
• Collaborate with the Marketing team to promote adult education programs through print, digital, and social media channels.
• Collaborate with internal departments to support educational consistency and visitor engagement across all programs and throughout the Garden.
• Support the development of community partnerships and outreach strategies that expand the Garden's educational reach and strengthen community engagement.
• Contribute directly to educational programming through teaching, facilitation, tours, lectures, and/or other public-facing experiences as appropriate.
• Represent Norfolk Botanical Garden at professional conferences, community events, partner meetings, and other external engagements.
• Develop and deliver training for Garden staff and volunteers to support consistent, high-quality educational experiences.
• Collaborate with internal teams to build strong working relationships, strengthen cross-departmental communication, and support consistent educational experiences throughout the Garden.
• Analyze program participation, feedback, and other relevant data to identify trends, evaluate educational needs, and inform future programming and outreach strategies.
• Assist with Garden wide special events and perform other duties as required.

Essential Physical Functions:

• Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions, including heat, cold, and rain.
• Ability to walk, stand, bend, stoop, and lift educational materials up to 30 pounds as needed.
• Comfortable working at a desk with computers and administrative tasks for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate effectively with staff, participants, instructors, volunteers, and community partners in person and through electronic communication.
• Ability to operate golf carts or similar vehicles for event and program logistics.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in education, environmental studies, horticulture, museum studies, nonprofit management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of demonstrated experience in personnel management, program management, public garden/museum education, and/or related fields.
• Experience recruiting, developing, implementing, and evaluating educational and/or community programs.
• Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage budgets, contracts, data, multiple projects simultaneously, and to meet deadlines.
• Experience supervising a team and working with volunteers, instructors, and community partners.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite, and experience with Altru highly desirable.
• Must have valid driver's license and ability to report to alternate locations as needed for outreach events and community engagement.
• Able to work a varied schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays as programming requires.
• Passion for the environment, sustainability, community engagement, and lifelong learning.

Benefits:

• Health insurance including an HSA or copay option (NBG pays 70% of individual premium and 65% of dependent/family premium)
• 403(b) retirement plan with discretionary 4% match
• Company sponsored life-insurance coverage.
• Group rates on voluntary benefits such as dental, supplemental medical expense insurance, FSA, DCA, vision, STD, LTD, accident and critical illness.
• Paid vacation, sick leave and holidays.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Staff discounts on programming & gift shop. NBG logo wear for work provided.
• EAP services for all employees.

Reports To:

SeniorDirector of Adult Education & Conservation Supervises:

Education Specialist, Outreach Manager Equal Employer Opportunity (EEO) statement: NBG is committed to the principles and ideals of equal employment opportunity. It is, and shall continue to be, the policy and practice throughout NBG to foster equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for applicants, employees, and volunteers without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marital status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, status as a veteran, or other protected status, if qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Pay:

$55,000.00 - $63,000.00 per year

Benefits:

403(b) Dental insurance Employee assistance program Employee discount Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Retirement plan Tuition reimbursement Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person