We’re hiring: Trails Coalition Manager

Do you love connecting people to the outdoors, and to their own power? Can you organize a roomful of excited people to make a plan and get it done? 

WABA is looking for a Trails Coalition Manager to help us turn 800 miles of planned trails into pavement that people can walk and bike on. You’ll work with a host of grassroots advocates from across the region, and you’ll hold a leadership role in the Capital Trails Coalition, a robust group of partner organizations and government agencies working together to turn our vision of a connected trails network into a reality.  

The Trails Coalition Manager is a high-profile representative of both WABA and the Capital Trails Coalition to the public and media, and you will work closely with the Advocacy Director, the Executive Director, the Coalition Steering Committee and other key organizational staff to achieve WABA’s advocacy goals.  

The Team

The WABA Advocacy team is six staff: the Advocacy Director, four organizers, and the Trails Coalition Manager. Together with a network of volunteers and allies, we fight for (and win!) better places to bike: a network of connected, equitably distributed, low stress bike lanes and trails.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Build action teams to move each trail project forward: Capital Trails Coalition members have formed teams that are building campaigns to support each of the Coalition’s priority trail projects. You’ll help each of these groups develop a campaign strategy, recruit, and act. You’ll also track campaign and project progress across all of the Coalitions projects.    
  • Support the Capital Trails Coalition and its Steering Committee: You’ll help coordinate Coalition and committee meetings, oversee Coalition member recruitment and onboarding, facilitate work planning and benchmarking, and serve as the organizational representative to the media. You’ll also organize the annual Capital Trails Symposium.
  • Serve as the lead on Trail Advocacy at WABA: You’ll become WABA’s resident trail expert, and use that expertise to deepen WABA’s relationships with other nonprofits, businesses, elected public officials, governmental agencies and community leaders. You’ll contribute to the organization’s fundraising efforts and be responsible for the trails advocacy portion of our budget.

Qualifications

The Trails Coalition Manager will have: 

  • 2-3 years of relevant experience in coalition building or grassroots organizing;
  • The ability to communicate clearly and respectfully with a range of external stakeholders and internal teams;
  • Strong group facilitation skills, including but not limited to conflict resolution and consensus-building;
  • Strong project management and organization skills;
  • Experience working in diverse communities and on diverse teams of staff and volunteers; and
  • The ability to write clearly and persuasively. 

Additional qualifications and experience that are helpful but not required:

  • Understanding of regional planning and agency structures and decision-making processes;
  • Experience working in multiple sectors (nonprofit, agency, or private sector);
  • Experience navigating government agencies (including but not limited to National Park Service, departments of transportation, and metropolitan planning organizations);
  • Demonstrated management experience including leading a team, strategic planning and/or capacity building;
  • Knowledge of trails infrastructure and policies; 
  • Language proficiency in Spanish, ASL, or another non-English language; 
  • Experience advocating for change in a complex environment;
  • Comfort using Google suite and Salesforce; and
  • Experience planning events.

Support

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

  • The expertise, institutional knowledge, and networks of Trails Coalition members (60+ organizations) and the Capital Trails Coalition Steering Committee;
  • A network of thousands of engaged community advocates across the region;
  • WABA’s Advocacy Team with deep expertise;
  • WABA’s Communications Team to help get the right messages to the right people; and
  • WABA’s Programs team on the ground connecting with people across the region.

Benefits

  • Full-time salaried exempt position with generous comp time in exchange for overtime.
  • Expected salary range is $50,000 to $52,000.
  • 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance premiums.
  • Generous vacation, sick and personal leave.
  • Committed colleagues and a fun working environment.
  • 403(b) retirement program, with 5% employer match after one-year of service.
  • Optional voluntary insurance including accident, life, short & long term disability. 

Employment Details

The position is based in the WABA office in Adams Morgan, Washington DC. All employees are expected to work some evenings and weekends with flex time in exchange. The position requires some regional travel for meetings. 

About the Washington Area Bicyclist Association

Making bicycling better through advocacy and education, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) promotes biking as a healthy, low-cost, and environmentally-friendly form of transportation and recreation. With more than 5,000 members region-wide, WABA serves bicyclists throughout the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, including the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia.

Apply

Send a compelling cover letter and resume to jobs@test.waba.org with “Trails Coalition Manager” in the subject line.

No phone calls please.

Position available immediately. Applicants are encouraged to apply by Friday, February 21th, 2020.

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.

Page last updated by Greg Billing on February 11, 2020.