Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The College of the Environment addresses today’s environmental issues and prepares tomorrow’s interdisciplinary problem solvers. We accomplish this mission by integrating outstanding educational programs, faculty-student collaboration, applied research, and professional and community service.    

Sustainability Pathways offers community-engaged educational programs to provide access to high impact learning in rural communities of North Central Washington. Aligned with WWU’s strategic goals in supporting student success with state-wide impact, we are building inclusive access via multiple programs that also bring capacity to regional sustainability initiatives.  

This position will also contribute to an essential community engagement and communications role in sharing Sustainability Pathways stories with the public, program partners, and local youth by developing and providing program media that communicates the goals of the programs, identifies opportunities to participate, and gathers input on program development. It will also support coordination of weekly sustainability service field trips highlighting areas such as food systems and ecological restoration with community partners. Finally, this position will support key operational aspects of the program, including scheduling, events, housing, transportation, and equipment maintenance.

The State HR classification for this position is Natural Resource Specialist 2.

• Excellent communication skills (oral, written, facilitation, & presentation)
• Strong interest in developing and applying leadership skills while supporting leadership development in students
• Highly organized and prepared to manage dynamic responsibilities
• Strong situational awareness and attention to detail
• Ability to work collaboratively and support organizational partnerships
• Growth mindset and readiness to work independently at times and as a team as well
• Demonstrated risk management experience and current first aid certification(s)
• Ability to carry up to 30lbs, walk long distances on varied terrain, and work in a variety of field conditions and weather for up to 8 hours at a time (with breaks)
• Skills and knowledge related to environmental science, restoration, wildlife biology, and botany
• Project management experience

• Completed a summer practicum for the Climate Leadership Certificate or Sustainability Pathways programs
• Be a WWU alumni or local resident with exceptional place-based and sustainability education experience
• Master’s Degree in related field
• Teaching experience in field settings with high school and post-secondary audiences

Note: This position is not eligible for benefits.

Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at student.life@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.