Employment

Keeping water clean, safe, and healthy is the heart of our mission.

We work to protect and restore our water and natural environment in central New Jersey through conservation, advocacy, science, and education. We hope you’ll join us!

Current Job Openings

Director of Education

Job Title: Director of Education
Location: The Watershed Institute, Pennington, NJ
Job Type: Full-Time, in person
Reports To: Chief of Strategy & Program
Application Deadline: November 24, 2025

About The Watershed Institute:

The Watershed Institute is dedicated to keeping central New Jersey’s water clean, safe, and healthy. Through a combination of conservation, advocacy, science, and education, we work to protect and restore our environment and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Position Summary:

The Director of Education leads The Watershed Institute’s education program to advance our water protection mission with audiences that span preschool through lifelong learners. The position reports to the Chief of Strategy & Program and oversees a team of full-time and part-time educators who design, implement and evaluate a wide range of education programs for schools, community groups, families, and the public. This role combines program development, team leadership, and direct instruction to help foster environmental literacy and inspire action to protect and restore watersheds and waterways throughout the region.

The Director of Education also works closely with The Watershed Institute’s advancement and leadership teams to help market our education programs, build partnerships with schools and other institutions, and develop financial support for the education program.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Development & Management

Provide leadership and mentoring to The Watershed Institute’s experienced team of educators who provide programming to schools and community groups, professional development for teachers, summer camp, and programs to connect learners of all ages to the “joy of nature”.

Collaborate with the Advancement team and the Chief of Strategy and Program to identify and secure grant funding.

Develop and implement a strategy and business plan to scale The Watershed Institute’s innovative STEM programming that engages students with local waterways and leads to action to protect them.

Collaborate with The Watershed Institute’s Science, Policy and Conservation teams to integrate their work into educational programming.

Build upon The Watershed Institute’s progress in integrating justice, equity, diversity and inclusion into education programming. Coordinate with partner schools, teachers, and community groups to tailor programming to diverse audiences.
Develop appropriate metrics to demonstrate program impact and alignment with state and national education standards (e.g., NJSLS, MWEE) as well as assess program impact.

Instruction & Facilitation

Expand advanced middle and high school level programming including offerings for chemistry, biology, engineering, and programs informed by The Watershed Institute’s 30+ year data set sourced from the StreamWatch water monitoring program.
Serve as lead educator for key programs as needed.

Administrative & Team Leadership and Grant Management

Collaborate, mentor and enhance the experience of The Watershed Institute’s education staff of 8 full and part-time employees. Responsible for hiring, coaching, and evaluating.

Lead budgeting, scheduling, and reporting related to education programs.

Maintain program data for assessment and grant reporting.

Collaborate with the marketing team to promote educational offerings.

Community Engagement

Represent The Watershed Institute at community events and public programs.

Build relationships with schools, civic organizations, and other partners to expand educational reach.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in environmental education, science education, environmental science, biology, or related field.

Minimum 5 years of experience in environmental or outdoor education, with experience in program coordination or leadership.

Management experience including hiring, coaching, and evaluating.

Facility with advanced high school level science content.

Knowledge of New Jersey ecosystems and familiarity with NJSLS and other education frameworks.

Strong organizational and communication skills.

Comfortable working outdoors in a variety of weather conditions.

Experience working with diverse communities and promoting inclusive educational practices.

Ability to work on occasional evenings and weekends.

Valid driver’s license and ability to travel locally.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in curriculum development and teacher training.

Facility working with large data sets

Spanish or other second language proficiency is a plus.

CPR/First Aid certification.

Compensation & Benefits:

Salary range: $80,000 – $95,000, commensurate with experience.

Comprehensive benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement plan, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.

How to Apply:

Submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references to [email protected]. Please include “Education Director Application” in the subject line.

The Watershed Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Major Gifts Officer

Major Gifts Officer 

Location: The Watershed Institute – Pennington, NJ  
Job Type: Full-Time | Hybrid (3 days in person)  
Reports To: Senior Director of Advancement 

About Us

The Watershed Institute is dedicated to keeping central New Jersey’s water clean, safe, and healthy. Through a combination of conservation, advocacy, science, and education, we work to protect and restore our environment and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. 

Position Overview  

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will manage a portfolio of approximately 75 major gift donors and planned giving prospects. The MGO will be responsible for identifying strategic opportunities and developing and implementing initiatives to identify, cultivate, and solicit high-net-worth donors and planned giving prospects to ensure an ongoing, strong base of perpetual financial support to build a strong portfolio of prospects and successfully engage them through the moves management process.

Key Responsibilities

Designs and implements innovative strategies to identify, cultivate, and solicit high-net worth donors and planned giving prospects for major gifts ($5K and above);

Works with the Senior Director of Advancement to develop an acquisition strategy for the next generation of donors;

Performs prospect management activities such as identifying and rating individual major gifts and planned giving prospects. Obtains information concerning financial capability, special interests, giving history, and current connections to The Watershed Institute and other charities;

Effectively prepares meeting materials, stewardship reports, and major gift solicitations, including, but not limited to, high-quality solicitation materials, proposals, and investment decks;

Manages communication and donor interactions with programmatic leadership;

Make direct, face-to-face solicitations (e.g. provide portfolio development support, strategic counsel, and help with donor communications);

Analyzes prospect research with a keen understanding of moves management to steward donors toward major gifts;

Utilize database movemanagement to track and manage donor/prospect portfolio and monitor individual results toward fundraising goal; adhere to timely reporting of results to ensure accuracy of the fundraising pipeline and year-end projection forecasts;

Provides stewardship over existing and future individual major gift and planned giving donors;

Maintains current, accurate files for all individual donors;

Ensures compliance with The Watershed Institute policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.

Qualifications and Skills

A Bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited college or university;

At least 5 years of experience in fundraising, with 2-3 years of specific expertise in cultivating individual gifts–Capital Campaign experience is a plus;

Quantifiable experience conducting major fundraising activities at the half-million dollar level and above as well as capital and annual giving campaigns;

Excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills;

Volunteer management skills;

Strong planning skills and the ability to multitask;

Outstanding human relations and managerial skills;

Demonstrative initiative with the ability to work with minimal supervision;

A working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and other fundraising databases within the Salesforce Suite.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range $ 70,000 – $85,000 annually based on experience;

Professional development opportunities in a collaborative and mission-driven work environment;

On-site shared housing is available for rent;

Benefits including health, dental and vison insurance, a 403b, and a generous time off policy.

How to Apply

Submit your resume, cover letter and references to [email protected]. Please include “Major Gifts Officer” in the subject line.

The Watershed Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Event Coordinator

Job Title: Events Coordinator 
Location: The Watershed Institute, Pennington, NJ 
Job Type: Part-Time, in person, 20-24 hours per week 
Reports To: Senior Director of Advancement 
Application Deadline: January 30, 2026

About The Watershed Institute: 

The Watershed Institute is dedicated to keeping New Jersey’s water clean, safe, and healthy. Through a combination of  conservation, advocacy, science, and education, we work to protect and restore our environment and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. 

Position Summary: 

The Events  Coordinator oversees all Watershed Signature events as well as rental events as needed.  

Key Responsibilities:

Manage all aspects of event planning from conception to post event;

Work collaboratively with departments to produce small and large-scale events including galas and other fundraising events, community events, conferences, and gatherings;

Serve as point person for all rental inquiries including meeting with clients, promoting the venue, and working with vendors; 
On-site management of rental events that reoccur every year. There are currently 10 scheduled for 2026;

Coordinate and collaborate with Watershed departments to establish needs for events and serve as liaison among departments throughout the planning process; 
Manage needed volunteers for high-end special events; 
Plan and facilitate logistics for all events, including contract negotiations, venue preparation, catering, entertainment, equipment, décor; 
Oversee guest experiences from conception through post-event, managing on-site preparations, production, and event breakdown, ensuring consistent, high-level service throughout all phases; 
Nurture and build relationships with vendors to craft and implement creative and logistical aspects of all events; 
Troubleshoot and manage any challenges and opportunities that arise before, during and after an event. Ensure all post event facilities are completed; 
And other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

Proven success as an event planner or coordinator

Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Experience in maintaining and building enriching vendor relationships

Excellent organizational skills, including multitasking, time management, and meticulous attention to detail

Ability to work, adjust, and make swift decisions under pressure

Flexibility to work nights, and holidays

Ability to collaborate with diverse needs, personalities, and work styles with optimism and a solution discovery mindset

Be comfortable with technology and be able to manage and use different software platforms for events.

Compensation & Benefits: 

Salary range: $24–26 per hour, commensurate with experience. 

A collaborative and mission-driven work environment

How to Apply: 

Submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references to [email protected]. Please include “Events Coordinator” in the subject line. 

The Watershed Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Employment

Keeping water clean, safe, and healthy is the heart of our mission.

Current Job Openings

About The Watershed Institute:

Position Summary:

Key Responsibilities:

Program Development & Management

Instruction & Facilitation

Administrative & Team Leadership and Grant Management

Community Engagement

Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

Compensation & Benefits:

How to Apply:

The Watershed Institute

Subscribe to our newsletter

Newsletter

Quicklinks