Senior Program Manager of Community Science, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy - San Francisco - Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange

Description

Senior Program Manager of Community Science, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Position/Title/Fund: Senior Program Manager, Community Science

Salary: $85,000 to $90,000 annually

Description: Since 1981, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy) has served as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS), collaborating with the Presidio Trust, partners, donors, and the community to support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The GGNRA stretches across three Bay Area counties north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge and includes iconic places such as Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, Alcatraz Island, Crissy Field, Mori Point, Lands End, and the Presidio of San Francisco.

The Parks Conservancy engages at the intersection of national park sites, local communities, social justice, and climate resilience. Collaborating with partners, our staff are dedicated to enhancing public awareness and providing volunteer and educational opportunities in the parks. We are park builders, caretakers, ambassadors and educators, all working to connect people to parks in support of our vision Parks for All Forever. Join us.

The Conservation and Community Science Department (CCS) supports the ecological and climate-adaptive work of the Parks Conservancy, the National Park Service, and our One Tam partners. Together, we strategically fill gaps in our ecosystem knowledge and coordinate conservation actions at a landscape scale, while creating opportunities to connect people, parks, and partners.

The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) is one of our suite of community science programs and is operated by the Parks Conservancy and the NPS. Staff and 100+ volunteers work together to study the birds of prey migrating through the Marin Headlands each fall. GGRO has two core program areas—raptor banding and Hawkwatch—contributing over 10,000 hours of volunteer service hours to the GGNRA each year.

Position Description:

The Senior Program Manager provides leadership and ensures operational excellence for the GGRO programs and related activities. The major focus of this role is day-to-day leadership of field operations, staff and volunteer safety, and regulatory compliance. This role maintains required banding station permits, oversees data stewardship from collection to accession, oversees training and certification of apprentices, and works with the CCS team to share GGRO's data and stories with diverse audiences. The Senior Program Manager works with other staff to coordinate and train 100+ volunteers contributing to the community science work of the Parks Conservancy. The position requires fieldwork in the Marin Headlands and some evening and weekend commitments, especially during the autumn migration season.

The Senior Program Manager works under the strategic guidance of the Associate Director, supervises the Program Manager, and collaborates closely with National Park Service and Parks Conservancy staff.

This position primarily reports to facilities in the Marin Headlands. Work is performed in an office and outdoors. This position is eligible for hybrid telework (i.e., a mix of in-person and telework). However, to meet the essential requirements of this position—particularly during the fall raptor migration season—this position will need to be on-site multiple days per week.

Responsibilities:

1. Program Operations and Permit Compliance

• Leads the annual cycle of GGRO's raptor banding and Hawkwatch programs, ensuring smooth seasonal planning, execution, and wrap-up.
• Oversees and supervises field operations, including banding sites & equipment, captive bird facility, and vehicles, ensuring safety, maintenance, and regulatory compliance.
• Secures all required relevant banding station permits (i.e., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Lab and California Department of Fish & Wildlife Scientific Collecting Permit) and other research permits associated with GGRO programs.
• Monitors all field activities and takes appropriate action in response to any wildlife injuries or mortalities associated with permitted work.
• Coordinates and implements GGRO activities in collaboration with National Park Service and Parks Conservancy staff to ensure consistency with organizational policies.

2. Data Stewardship and Science Communication

• Oversees data collection, management, quality control, and analysis throughout the annual research cycle for all GGRO programs.
• Collaborates with CCS team to prepare annual data summaries and reports for all GGRO programs and submit them to the relevant permitting agencies in a timely manner.
• Collaborates with CCS team to develop and share science communication products for volunteers, partners, and the public through a variety of modalities (e.g., digital content, lectures, tabling).
• Co-manages the GGRO teaching collection and library, including hundreds of bird skins & artifacts.

3. Volunteer Management

• Co-leads recruitment, coordination, and supervision of 100+ GGRO volunteers through the NPS Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program.
• Oversees and works with staff to develop and deliver annual volunteer training and safety programs.
• Provides ongoing communication, guidance, and feedback to ensure high-quality data collection and a positive volunteer experience consistent with NPS and Parks Conservancy policies.
• Works with other community science staff to foster an inclusive, welcoming environment to engage local communities in non-institutional ways that demystify science, expand what it means to do science, and spark curiosity.

4. Supervision

• Supervises Program Manager
• Provide daily operational leadership to staff, interns, and volunteers, ensuring effective program delivery throughout the annual cycle.
• In collaboration with the Associate Director, hires, trains, and supervises staff and interns, providing mentorship and performance feedback to support professional development and safe, effective GGRO operations.

Refer to the full position description for information on qualifications and benefits.