Seasonal Educator

Date Posted:

December 4, 2025

Priority consideration will be given to applications received by January 4, 2026

Season dates: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 through Friday, November 20, 2026

Position & Program Summary

The Educator contributes to the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust’s long-term goals of conservation and community engagement by helping develop an environmental stewardship mindset in the next generation of leaders. They are responsible for teaching 4^th to 12th grade students about salmon, forest ecology, environmental stewardship, and more through classroom lessons, hands-on field trips, stewardship events, and internships. They also assist with volunteer events, helping community members improve habitat health for salmon and other wildlife by removing weeds or planting trees.

Organizational Overview

The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust works to steward a diverse landscape that stretches 100 miles from the shores of Puget Sound across the Cascade Mountains to Central Washington. Designated as a National Heritage Area in 2019, the Greenway landscape encompasses two million people, 28 cities, three major river systems, two Interstate highways, and 1.5 million acres (900,000 acres publicly owned). Its working lands support forests and farms on both sides of the mountains. Its waterways provide habitat for salmon. Its protected alpine wilderness includes recovery corridors for wolves, grizzly bears, and other species once hunted to regional extinction. Its expansive access to nature, including 1,600 miles of trails, is the heart of Washington’s $20 billion outdoor recreation economy.

Vast natural resources, the nation’s 15th largest metropolitan area, and many competing interests create the potential for conflicts. Navigating these conflicts, with the goal of conserving that precarious balance between natural and built environments, is the founding and enduring purpose of the Greenway Trust.

An early adopter of “collective impact,” the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust was founded on the belief that to grow in harmony with nature instead of consuming it, the full community must be engaged. The goal of conserving this region’s wild and green character brought together the spheres of government, industry, and conservation and community organizations for the first time. Collaboration, compromise, and common good were the rules of engagement. We are proud to say that, three decades later, they still are.

Essential Job Functions

Teaching (approx. 80%)

Facilitate programs that teach 4^th to 12^th grade students about salmon, forest ecosystems, environmental stewardship, green careers, human impacts on watershed health, and similar topics.
- Spring and Fall: Teach the Next Generation Stewards and Forests and Fins curricula toclasses of approximately 20 to 30 students.
- Summer: Co-lead or support high school internship programs, which could include Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS), Clean Water Ambassadors, and/or Burien Green Teens. This involves working closely with staff from the Greenway Trust, school districts, and partner groups to plan, implement, and evaluate lessons and activities.
Manage safety for groups of approximately 25 to 30 students and 2 to 5 adult chaperones in outdoor settings, using sound judgment and applying appropriate risk management decisions.

Program Documentation and Support (approx. 10%)

Assist with program documentation (i.e., enter participant waiver data into Salesforce, take and upload photos, document pre/post assessment scores in Excel).
Assist with updating or creating educational materials, including creating activities for high school student interns and providing feedback on Science Journals and worksheets.

Field Program Events and Support (approx. 5%)

There will likely be opportunities to support other Greenway field programs and events, which could include:

Co-leading volunteer restoration events at the Greenway Trust’s native plant nursery and other sites in King County, occasionally on Saturdays.
Leading interpretive events at Greenway project sites.
Working alongside the Restoration and/or Recreation teams.
Performing outreach and tabling.

Other (approx. 5%)

Cultivate an inclusive environment by maintaining respectful, supportive, and compassionate relationships with coworkers, students, teachers, and field trip chaperones.
Perform other duties as situations require or as assigned by supervisor.

Experience

Please review the complete job description for this posting with additional information on skills, abilities and requirements. At least one year of demonstrated experience with a combination of the following:

Teaching 4^th-12^th grade students, formally or informally.
Mentoring groups of high school students to build technical and social-emotional skills.
Development and implementation of lessons/activities for high school students.
Ecological restoration (including plant ID, native planting, and weed removal).
Event leadership or facilitation of activities for a wide range of audiences and large groups in outdoor settings.

Pay

The pay for this position is $24 per hour.

Benefits

A complete list of benefits for seasonal employees can be found on the Greenway Trust’s Career page. Select benefits include a $250 gear stipend (at the start of the season), paid time off, optional participation in an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Agreement ($200 monthly contributed by the Greenway Trust), and optional participation in a 403(b) retirement plan. Employees completing the entire term (ending November 20) will receive a $500 end of season bonus.

Reports To

Education Program Coordinator

Work Schedule

This full-time, non-exempt position works 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday for most of the season, and occasionally Saturdays. A typical week involves four field days and one office or remote day.

Work Location

This position is based out of the Greenway Trust’s field office in Issaquah. The position is hybrid, with approximately 80% of the time spent in the field. Office work takes place at the Greenway Trust’s Issaquah Field Office (1980 NW Sammamish Rd, Issaquah, WA 98027), the employee’s home, and other meeting locations. Field work takes place at schools and project sites around King County, including Issaquah, Burien, and Snoqualmie Valley.

Physical Requirements

Office work involves sitting or standing for long periods while working on a computer and participating in meetings. Fieldwork includes site visits and event leadership, with physical requirements such as working in all types of weather; walking up to five miles across uneven terrain; transporting event supplies (e.g., backpacks, shovels, potted plants, A-frame signs); and visual and auditory ability to identify and respond to environmental hazards.

Field Gear

The Greenway Trust provides a long- and short-sleeved shirt and a hat at the start of the season, and loans rain gear (overalls and jacket) and required personal protective equipment. The Greenway Trust provides a $250 gear stipend at the start of the season to help employees purchase required personal gear, including closed-toe shoes that are comfortable for walking up to five miles and a backpack.

Where to Apply

Send a cover letter and resume explaining your interest to apply@mtsgreenway.org. Your cover letter should not exceed two pages, and should address the following:

Your experience teaching students between 4th and 12th grade, and your desire to bring that to the Greenway Trust.
An example of your experience connecting historically underrepresented youth with nature.
Your familiarity with Pacific Northwest plants, salmon, and watershed ecology.

We will contact applicants when we reach the priority deadline and anticipate conducting the interview process early to mid-January 2026. Finalists will also be asked to provide three references related to previous experience.

Equal Opportunity Provider

The Greenway Trust is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, ancestry, genetic information, use of a service animal, honorably discharged veteran, military status, political ideology, personal appearance, family responsibilities, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. Each person is evaluated on the basis of personal aptitude and merit.