Trail Ranger Operations Manager

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is looking for a Trail Ranger Operations Manager to help improve and champion world-class trails in the District. In collaboration with the Outreach Manager and led by the Trail Ranger and Outreach Director, the Operations Manager will run the nationally unique DC Trail Ranger Program. We are looking for someone with strong attention to logistical details, who loves collaboration, feedback and being wiling to try something new, and who can dream big and implement a trails program that prioritizes being inclusive, welcoming and supportive to trail users and staff. This position (and program!) includes a lot of different knowledge areas — we are not expecting new staff to know it all at the beginning, and the skills and strengths of everyone on the team will shape the particulars of how the program is run.

The Trail Ranger Operations Manager is expected to begin January 11th, 2022. Pay will be $54,000 – $60,000 salaried with benefits. Fulfillment and year-over-year continuity of these positions is subject to funding.

The Team

The WABA Trail Ranger Team will be an eight person team: we will have a Trail Ranger and  Outreach Director, an Outreach Manager, an Operations Manager and five DC Trail Ranger field staff. Day-to-day management of the program will be done by the Operations and Outreach Managers with overall strategy and regional coordination by the Director. Team culture heavily values collaboration and mutual respect, with weekly all-staff team meetings and many decisions made or led by field staff. Individual Trail Rangers will report directly to either the Operations or Outreach Manager.

Job Responsibilities:

Implement the DC Trail Ranger Program: In collaboration with the Trail Ranger Outreach Manager, you’ll run the Trail Ranger program, including directly supervising two full-time Trail Ranger staff with a lense towards managing for diversity, equity and inclusion. You’ll also do some Trail Rangers shifts, and be responsible for completing program reporting and invoicing. 

Manage the Trail Ranger Program’s field operations and protocols: Your role will focus on program operations, including shift scheduling, managing tool and fleet bike maintenance, and issue reporting. You’ll also manage and determine DC Trail Ranger protocols for staff safety, risk mitigation, trail conditions, and the ecological health of the District. 

Trail maintenance coordination: You’ll work with the Trail Rangers to track the big-picture maintenance conditions of DC trails, ensure the program is compliant with District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) maintenance standards, and be the primary point of contact for complicated and/or multi-agency projects. This includes collaborating with the DDOT on trail projects and annual trail condition audits. You’ll also help develop WABA’s networks and relationships with other non-profit organizations, businesses, elected public officials, governmental agencies, and community leaders in the trail corridors.

This position will be based from WABA’s Adams Morgan office.

Qualifications

You should apply if you meet at least 70% of the following required and 1+ of the useful criteria (Ie We would love to consider you as a candidate and don’t expect staff to know everything on day one! Give us your best pitch of how your professional and/or personal experience fits the job qualifications and the role in your cover letter):

Required:

• One to three years experience in operations management, including shift scheduling, stock management, invoicing, database tracking (could include: food and retail service, small business management, maintenance operations, and more)
• One or more years of staff management experience, including mentoring, developing, and evaluating employees.
• Experience with grant program management and reporting.
• Financial program management, including monitoring, reporting, tracking expenditures, invoicing, and projections.  
• Enthusiastic, sincere interpersonal and communications skills, both informal and written, including active listening and learning. 
• The ability to organize time wisely and balance many projects in a relaxed, fun environment.
• A flexible schedule and willingness to work some outside of traditional business hours (i.e. mornings before 9 AM, evenings after 5 PM, and weekends).
• A proven track record for being dependable, timely, and communicative.
• Proven track record for working collaboratively within a team
• A commitment to respect, include, and be kind to all.
• Creative problem-solving skills and capacity to innovate.
• 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 willingness to continually learn more about trails, neighborhood history and the many different cultural competencies necessary for working in the DC region.
• A strong commitment to WABA’s mission, vision, and diversity, inclusion and equity goals.
• 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 experience and skills:

• Lived experience with our program trails, and the nearby neighbors and neighborhoods, especially near Marvin Gaye and Oxon Run trails.
• Street smarts. By which we mean knowledge to make nuanced decisions and support field staff as is necessary in a field program including recognizing hate language in graffiti, what might be at play in perceived threats to trail users and/or which options are safest for engaging angry members of the public. 
• Working fluency in Spanish, ASL and/or Amharic.
• Experience working in or managing a multi-lingual, including mixed Deaf and hearing, work environment. 
• Experience with a field-based operations team, especially on bicycles. 
• Experience with Google Suite (Gmail, Chat, Drive, Sheets, Docs) and Salesforce.
• Working knowledge of bicycle maintenance, up to including flat repair, shifting adjustments, hydraulic brake maintenance, and regular maintenance tasks needed for a bike fleet (complicated maintenance will be performed by a local bicycle shop). 
• Trained or formal experience with mid-Atlantic ecology, and invasive and native plant identification. 
• Experience with paved multi-use trail or park maintenance operations. 
• Experience with urban watershed restoration and management. 
• Previous experience as a DC Trail Ranger. 
• District residency is preferred. 

Support

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

• Nine years of Trail Ranger program institutional knowledge, tools and protocols.  
• WABA’s Programs team is already on the ground all across the District.
• Existing operations relationships to DDOT, other District and regional entities, including the 60+ members of the Capital Trails Coalition. 
• An inclusive, collaborative professional team environment.
• We’re setup as an intersectional outreach program that recognizes the multitudes of identities and promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity for employees and the public.

Benefits

• This is a full time salaried exempt position with one-to-one compensatory time in exchange for any additional hours worked.
• The expected salary range is $54,000 – $60,000. 
• 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. 
• 8 weeks paid parental leave and up to 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. 

COVID-19 Operational Staff Safety Plan:

WABA expects that some COVID-19 precautions will be necessary for the 2022 season and potentially beyond. The health of staff and trail users is a top priority. 

• Properly worn quality masks may be required on the job, except for distanced water and snack breaks. Masks will be provided when necessary. 
• The majority of Trail Ranger work will be performed outside. 

Apply

Send a cover letter and resume to jobs@waba.org with “Trail Ranger Operations Manager” in the subject line. Please make sure your application illustrates how you meet the qualifications for the job and what additional skills you would bring to the program.  Applications are due by December 8th, 2021 and we expect the positions to start e January 11th, 2022. 

No phone calls please.

EEO Statement:

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.