Programming and Communications Coordinator

The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy (HPPC) is a small 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and advocate for the green spaces and waterfront of Long Island City, Queens, and to ensure the parks remain an indispensable asset to the community.

The Conservancy works in Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunter’s Point South, providing volunteers for park upkeep, funding occasional park maintenance projects, and hosting over 120 free events in the parks each year. We also manage a boathouse and environmental center. Free events include movie nights, fitness classes, environmental education and art classes, and a 6 week-long program of free children’s activities.

Position Overview

The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy is looking to hire a second full-time employee as Programming and Communications Coordinator to help with the Conservancy’s programmatic and communication efforts and allow us to significantly increase our activities at the Queens Landing Boathouse and Environmental Center, which opened in late 2023.

As this is a growing organization, the time spent on specific activities, and the activities themselves, are subject to change, and will shift depending upon the season.

Job Responsibilities – Note: “Summer” refers to April – September, “Winter” is October - March

• Environmental education programs (25%)
  • Help develop boathouse curriculum for field trips/afterschool programs/college partnerships
  • Assist in developing new programs
  • Support work on partnership with outside orgs to develop and promote our new center
• Park Programming & Stewardship (35% summer, 20% winter)
  • On-site program management - set up equipment, track attendance, interface with programming partners, talk to attendees
  • Help maintain website calendar and manage updates for rain delays etc
  • Help develop programs to increase populations served
  • Assist with quarterly large events
  • Assist with volunteer gardening groups
  • Help expand volunteer engagement with new residents and other targeted groups
  • Support park stewardship projects (documenting issues in parks to potentially fund, helping identify problem areas that need more staff/HPPC attention, and supporting advocacy around these issues
• Communications & digital engagement (25%)
  • Social media
    • Develop a regular schedule, keep track of updates to Instagram algorithm, share programs, highlights from the parks, boathouse info, etc year-round, and track engagement
  • Assist with a short-form environmental education video series
  • Write blog posts to post to our website
  • Draft weekly newsletter to ~14,000 subscribers
  • Draft signage, digital flyers, and outreach materials for programs and events
  • Add park programs to NYC parks websites, local event calendars, etc
• Fundraising (15% winter)
  • Develop and maintain database of local businesses to use for sponsorship asks etc
  • Support as needed for individual giving campaigns, collecting data for grants, and researching foundations
• Admin (15%)
  • Assist with filing permits and required reports to city agencies
  • Track metrics related to programming, digital engagement, etc to allow for more informed business development decisions
  • Take minutes at board meetings
  • Help manage day-to-day running of boathouse
  • Help with other admin tasks as they arise

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• 1-2 years of experience working in parks, public programming, community engagement, or environmental education
• Ability to multi-task and work on several projects at the same time
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of projects
• Comfort speaking in front of groups of people, interacting with strangers as well as partners, community leaders, government officials, etc.
• Comfort interacting with members of the public in a friendly and professional manner
• Strong writing and communication skills
• A willingness to learn and teach oneself new skills
• Experience with social media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Constant Contact)
• Must be able to lift 35 lbs

Additional Desired Qualifications:

• Graphic design experience (particularly with Adobe Suite, or experience using Canva)
• Experience editing short-form videos
• Experience with Long Island City or other Western Queens communities
• Experience planning large-scale events

Compensation and Schedule

This is a full-time, salaried position. The salary range for this position is $51,000 to $56,000, commensurate with skills and experience.

HPPC offers new full-time employees 10 days paid vacation, 5 sick/personal days, 12 paid holidays, and a match for a retirement plan.

In the summer, the Programming and Communications Coordinator will be required to work Saturday mornings and three evenings/week to cover programs for most of the season, and to cover 6 weeks of Sunday programs. They will also need to be flexible to cover approximately 5-10 large annual events on weekends, and to occasionally cover evening and weekend programs during the winter season.

HPPC employees work at Hunter’s Point South Park, Gantry Plaza State Park, and from the Queens Landing Boathouse at 57-28 2nd St Unit 105, Long Island City, NY 11101. This position requires attendance at programs and events, but allows work from home on days there are no park activities.

Hunters Point Parks Conservancy is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion. It is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, political orientation or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local law.