Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement

The Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and provides strategic and operational leadership for the organization’s education, youth development, cultural celebrations, community engagement, volunteer, summer camp, and children’s theatre programs. This high-profile role serves as a key organizational leader and subject matter expert in early childhood education and Fairyland’s Youth Development Arc for children ages 1–18. 

Reporting to the CEO, the Senior Director develops and implements a comprehensive strategy that expands Fairyland’s impact in the community, strengthens relationships with schools and community-based organizations, and creates meaningful opportunities for children, families, educators, volunteers, and community partners to engage with Fairyland. 

The ideal candidate is a creative and strategic leader with deep experience in educational programming and youth development, a strong understanding of early childhood education, and a demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships across diverse communities. They bring an entrepreneurial mindset to program development, a commitment to equity and accessibility, and the ability to translate vision into effective, measurable programs and experiences.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Education & Community Engagement (60%)

• Oversee the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of curricula, programs, and learning experiences for children, families, schools, educators, and community members 
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for Fairyland’s education and community engagement portfolio, including summer camp, theatre education and performances, educational programs, cultural celebrations and events, volunteer engagement, and community partnerships
• Ensure all educational programming reflects Fairyland’s program vision, Youth Development Arc, educational philosophy, and organizational values 
• Lead the development, planning, and execution of cultural celebrations and community events that authentically reflect the diverse cultures, traditions, and experiences of Fairyland’s community, while ensuring programming is engaging, inclusive, age-appropriate, and aligned with Fairyland’s mission and values. 
• Collaborate with the Family Events Planning team to identify, recruit, and contract performers and artists for Fairyland events and programming, ensuring performance offerings are high-quality, age-appropriate, culturally responsive, and aligned with Fairyland’s commitment to diverse representation and a broad range of artistic experiences
• Establish appropriate measurement and evaluation practices to assess program quality, participation, impact, and outcomes, and use findings to inform strategic decisions
• Ensure programs are accessible, inclusive, culturally responsive, and responsive to the needs of underserved and historically underrepresented communities 
• Develop and maintain meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with schools, community-based organizations, cultural organizations, youth-serving agencies, and other community partners 
• Create intentional engagement strategies that expand Fairyland’s reach among underserved communities and increase participation from populations historically underrepresented in the park’s programs 
• Develop and implement strategies to increase awareness of Fairyland’s educational programs and services among schools and community organizations. 
• Oversee the financial management of department budgets including community engagement, camp, and children’s theatre
• Collaborate with the Philanthropy Team to develop high impact proposals for current, expanded, and innovative new programs, as well as partner on the creation and tracking of critical financial and performance metrics 
• Partner closely with the Marketing & Communications team to develop accurate, timely, and compelling content related to educational, cultural, community engagement, camp, and theatre programming 
• Oversee the recruitment, onboarding, training, deployment, recognition, and retention of volunteers connected to programs, projects, and events 
• Partner with departments across Fairyland to identify short- and long-term volunteer opportunities that support organizational priorities 
• Maintain effective volunteer management systems and ensure accurate tracking of volunteer participation and engagement; generate and analyze volunteer participation reports and use data to inform recruitment, en