We’re hiring: Outreach Director

Do you enjoy connecting people and communities to bicycling and the outdoors? Can you cultivate a thriving, efficient team? Do you love setting a persuasive and driving vision?

We’re hiring an Outreach Director to lead our outreach and education programs, strategy, and staff.

About the Team

WABA’s programs focus on building networks and engaging people with WABA’s vision of a region with a just and sustainable transportation system where walking, biking, and transit are the best ways to get around. Our approach acknowledges that identity, neighborhoods, lived experience and other factors shape everyone’s experience with public space and bicycling, and therefore outreach must be specific, responsive to needs, and culturally competent.

Our programs include our education programming for adults, youth and families, two of WABA’s and the District of Columbia’s flagship programs– the DC Trail Rangers and the DC Bike Ambassadors– and our regional outreach program with a focus on WABA’s priority constituencies. We have 12 dedicated, full-time staff members, in addition to supportive volunteers and a cohort of instructors.

Job Responsibilities 

The Outreach Director oversees WABA’s outreach and education programs, strategy, and staff. The Director provides organizational and strategic leadership, helping to build broad public support for bicycling and to bring about positive changes for our region.

  • Lead the creation, implementation, and refinement of an outreach strategy that is creative, innovative, and inclusive, and in line with WABA’s strategic plan and focused on our priority constituencies, 
  • Ensure close collaboration between WABA’s outreach and advocacy programs and campaigns. 
  • Oversee the technical and financial delivery of grants and contracts, including our DC Trail Ranger program and our bicycle education and outreach programs. 
  • Support the expansion of WABA’s networks and relationships with other non-profit organizations, businesses, elected public officials, governmental agencies and community leaders, especially in WABA’s priority constituencies.  
  • Supervise WABA’s Programs team with a lens towards managing for diversity, equity, and inclusion, helping to grow and expand staff’s professional skills and experience.
  • Direct program risk management reporting, evaluation and training to ensure safe programs and develop cohesive program standards and processes.
  • As a member of WABA’s senior management team, engage on strategic decision making, organizational management, collective problem solving, cross-team collaboration, risk and financial management, and priority-setting.
  • Develop and implement new programs and initiatives in line with the Strategic Plan and contribute to fundraising and development efforts to expand programming areas and constituencies, in partnership with the Development Team.
  • Represent WABA at public speaking engagements, conferences, and coalitions to advance our outreach partnerships and opportunities. 

Qualifications 

Core skills and experience (these are essential to performing the job):

  • At least seven years of experience, including:
    • At least five years of program management experience, including developing, managing and analyzing program and organizational budgets;
    • Creating and implementing high-level programmatic and strategic goals for a team;
    • At least three years of demonstrated team management and leadership experience.
  • A proven track record for being dependable, timely, and communicative, and working collaboratively within a team.
  • Excellent writing, presentation and public speaking skills, including excellent communication skills in informal settings and across lines of difference.
  • An understanding of how race, gender, and other factors shape conversations and experiences, and how climate and transportation justice are connected to a trails program. 
  • The ability to organize time wisely and balance many projects.
  • Creative problem-solving skills and capacity to innovate.
  • An authentic passion for WABA’s mission and vision and enthusiasm for our organizational values.
  • Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be eligible for an exemption as defined by the District of Columbia Mayor’s Order 2021-099, Section III. 

Useful skills and experience (these are great to have, but not required):

If you have this experience or these skills, let us know. You don’t need them to be considered for the position, but you should be eager to learn them:  

  • Experience engaging and navigating government agencies, including local municipal and county governments and the National Park Service. 
  • Experience with field-based operations programs. 
  • Working fluency in Spanish, ASL and/or Amharic.
  • Experience with the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework. 
  • Experience with Google Suite (Gmail, Chat, Drive, Sheets, Docs) and Salesforce.
  • The ability to ride a bike, with a willingness to ride in mixed city traffic and off-street trails, and a commitment to being a safe and exemplary bicyclist if and when you ride.
  • Experience in physical, athletics, or outdoor education, instruction, or teaching.
  • Current driver’s license, clean driving record, and the willingness to occasionally— and very safely— drive and parallel park a 19.5-foot cargo van. WABA will work to accommodate great candidates who cannot meet this requirement.

Working at WABA

Location

This position will be based in WABA’s Adams Morgan office. The Outreach Director role is classified as Hybrid Flex– working primarily remotely, but requiring routine in-person and in-office work. Specific in-person days are determined by the employee and their manager based on priorities and program needs. Employees may be required to work additional days in the office or in the field to support specific projects or activities.

Support 

There’s a lot of work to do! Here’s what’s available to help get it done:

  • A collaborative and dedicated professional team to support your onboarding, and mutual success and growth.
  • Decades of leadership in the promotion of bicycling and an established, successful program with over 10 years of experience across the region.
  • A network of 15,000 members and donors across the Washington, DC region.
  • Existing networks and relationships with non-profit organizations, businesses, elected public officials, governmental agencies and community leaders.

The Outreach Director reports to the Deputy Director, and manages the Education and Outreach Manager, two Trail Ranger managers, and the Culture and Engagement Manager.

Compensation & Benefits 

This is a full time salaried exempt position with compensatory time in exchange for additional weekend and evening hours worked. The salary starts between $69,700 and $78,000. Other benefits include:

  • 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance premiums.
  • Vacation, sick and personal leave, including:
    • Accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation starting in your first year, with additional hours after two, five, and ten years of service.
    • Accrue up to 160 hours annually of paid sick time starting in your first year.
    • WABA supports and promotes the health of its staff. You may use accrued sick time for unscheduled leave when not feeling well (mind or body), as well as for scheduled medical appointments.
    • Paid time off for holidays following the federal holiday calendar.
    • One-to-one compensatory time in exchange for any additional hours worked. 
  • Eight (8) weeks paid parental leave and up to eight (8) weeks of additional parental leave from the DC Paid Family Leave act (based on eligibility).
  • Immediate access to WABA’s 403(b) retirement program, with up to a 5% employer match after one-year of service.
  • Optional commuter transit benefit (pre tax deduction)
  • Optional voluntary benefits including life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability.
  • A fun and relaxed workplace environment.
  • Passionate, supportive colleagues who are dedicated to working together for our mission and seeing the impact of our work. 

How to Apply

Send a cover letter and resume to jobs@waba.org with “Outreach Director” in the subject line.

No phone calls please.

Position available immediately. Applications accepted until January 22, 2023. The interview process will be remote and require a device suitable for video conferencing. Expected start date is on or around February 15, 2023.

WABA is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, arrest record or criminal convictions, political affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, sex, or age.

About WABA

WABA empowers people to ride bikes, build connections, and transform places. We envision a just and sustainable transportation system where walking, biking, and transit are the best ways to get around.

To make our vision a reality, we ground our work in five key values:

  • Joy: We celebrate people and share the joy of bicycling.
  • Boldness: We think big and transform passion into action.
  • Integrity: We earn trust through consistency, honesty, and transparency.
  • Justice: We put justice at the heart of our work.
  • Stewardship: We care for people and the environment, conserve resources, and evolve thoughtfully.

Page last updated by Pedro Dana on January 4, 2023.