Washington Trails Association has a 50-year legacy of engaging the hiking community. WTA enhances hiking experiences in Washington State by empowering a diverse and growing community of hikers to explore, steward and protect trails and public lands. WTA is the nation’s largest state-based hiking and trail maintenance organization, with 15,000 member households, thousands of volunteers each year, and an online community of more than 100,000. WTA’s annual budget is approximately $5 million.

The Field Operations Senior Manager has operational responsibility for WTA’s field programs to build and maintain trails in partnership with federal, state and local agencies. This person will lead and develop a high-performance field management team to: 1) plan, deliver and evaluate field programming to engage volunteers in trail stewardship; and 2) develop and manage a statewide trail project portfolio aligned with WTA’s mission, vision, and initiatives. This person is also responsible for risk management planning and implementation; and cooperative relationships with federal, state,and nonprofit partners. It is a full-time, exempt position based in Seattle that reports to the Trail Program Director. The Field Operations Senior Manager joins WTA as we celebrate 25 years of volunteer trail maintenance. The position has been newly created to work closely with the Trail Program Director to develop the leadership, systems, and partnerships needed to reach the next level of effectiveness and impact. This is a unique opportunity for a collaborative, results-driven leader who is passionate about building an inclusive community of volunteers and developing a sustainable trail system in Washington. Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

Field Operations

• Lead a high-performing field team with an emphasis on leadership development, performance management and cross-functional collaboration. This includes direct supervision of three Field Managers.
• Develop and oversee a statewide portfolio of trail projects aligned with WTA’s mission, vision, and initiatives.
• Oversee high-quality, inclusive field operations and projects to engage youth and adult volunteers in trail stewardship activities ranging from half-day work parties in urban parks to 8-day backcountry trips in wilderness locations.
• Create and implement systems and protocols that staff and volunteer leaders can use to improve efficiency, consistency, and documentation of field activities and results.
• Implement program evaluation processes that support continuous improvement.
• Oversee use, maintenance, purchase and allocation of vehicle fleet, tools, supplies, and field-related facilities.

Risk Management

• Risk manager for field operations including field support, emergency response, and training.
• Develop and implement field operations policies and procedures that are aligned with WTA’s risk philosophy and goals and with industry best practices.
• Develop and oversee a comprehensive crisis management plan in coordination with Trail Program Director; Director of Community Partnerships and Leadership Development; and other WTA staff.
• Oversee incident reporting, tracking, and review including an annual report of incidents and recommendations.
• Serve as field staff liaison with external medical and legal consultants to review pertinent documents and processes for trail maintenance and outdoor leadership training programs.
• Periodically serve as manager on call throughout the year.

Partnership Development

• Develop and maintain relationships with key program partners, including federal and state agencies and nonprofit trail organizations and user groups.
• Assist Trail Program Director and Development Director to engage current and potential private funders in WTA programs.
• Publicly represent WTA with external constituents.

Program Leadership

• Work closely on program planning, budgeting, management and cross-organization collaboration with Trail
  Program Director.
• Coordinate with the Volunteer Program Manager, Youth Program Manager and Regional Field Managers to leverage the expertise and experiences of field staff to inform program development and innovation.

Desired Skills, Experience and Attributes:

• Demonstrated commitment to WTA’s values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Cultural competency and demonstrated the ability to work with people of diverse races, ages, genders, and abilities.
• Proven track record of nonprofit program management or equivalent with demonstrated success within large and/or remote teams, creating systems and processes and driving implementation of programmatic and operational best practices
• Experience in risk management oversight, planning, and implementation.
• Volunteer management and engagement experience in trail maintenance or related field work.
• Ability to motivate and coach manager-level staff to manage and develop high-performance teams and develop and implement program strategies.
• Demonstrated success securing and managing grants and contracts a plus.
• Strong relationship builder, with demonstrated ability to work across programs and with multiple stakeholders at all organizational levels, internally and externally.
• Demonstrated strong persuasive verbal and written communicator, with the ability to listen, show empathy, and inspire others to support organizational priorities and take action.
• Analytic and decisive decision maker with the ability to prioritize and communicate to staff key objectives and tactics necessary to achieve organizational goals.
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office. Knowledge of Salesforce or other CRM database a plus.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule that includes periodic statewide travel and occasional evening and weekend events and meetings.
• Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification
• Valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle (WTA provides mileage reimbursement).
• A commitment to WTA’s mission to help people be explorers, stewards, and champions of trails and public lands.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $60,000 – $70,000 annually depending on experience. Benefits include medical, dental, vision and long-term disability insurance; retirement plan; transit pass; and holiday, vacation and sick leave.