Adult learning, Adult education

Job Posting: Adult Education Manager
Organization: Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association
Location: Vancouver, BC
Date posted: February 2026

Organization Overview

The Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA) and Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (Park Board) are joint operating partners of VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory. The VBGA is a charitable organization that offers membership, education, volunteering, and fundraising programs to support the Gardens, and fulfills our mission of inspiring generations to conserve, protect, and enhance the natural world. To learn more about our organization, visit our website.

Position Overview

The Adult Education Program Manager provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all adult & teacher education programs at VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Education, this role focuses on delivery of current programs, expanding program reach, ensuring financial sustainability, and fostering community engagement through high-quality botanical and environmental education.

What We Offer

• Permanent, full-time position.
• Annual salary; $55,000-65,000 commensurate with experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package
• RRSP matching program
• 4 weeks paid vacation, in addition to paid time off Dec 25th- Jan 1st
• Office located within 55-acre botanical garden
• Supportive work culture
• Reimbursement for all approved work-related expenses, including mileage, supplies, and other work-related costs.

Work Environment

• 35 hours a week
• Primarily onsite with some flexibility for remote work
• Weekend and evening work required
• Free onsite parking available

Responsibilities

• Organizational Direction: Develop and implement strategic goals to advance the VBGA’s mission through innovative adult and teacher programming.
• Leadership & Team Supervision: Provide supervision & oversight of the Teacher Programs Specialist; work closely to coordinate with the Education Programs Assistant. Manage recruitment, hiring, training, and performance processes.
• Program Development: Lead the end-to-end design, scheduling, and evaluation of adult learner courses, workshops, and tours covering the core themes of gardening & design, botanical arts, people & plants, ecology & botany.
• Relationship Management: Build a vibrant community of contracted instructors, educators and partner organizations by recruiting top-tier talent and fostering strong relationships to achieve shared goals.
• Operational Excellence: Develop and maintain a year-round master schedule; manage classroom logistics, instructor assignments, and cross-departmental coordination, as well as oversee registration databases, optimize room use, and lead data-driven reporting.
• Volunteer Engagement: Oversee volunteer Education Hosts, including training and appreciation events.
• Integrated Team Support: Support broader educational initiatives (youth programs, field trips, Indigenous-led programs, library services, etc.) as needed, to ensure cohesive educational strategy.
• Financial Oversight: Manage the Adult Education budget including planning, execution of revenue tracking, and monthly reporting.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Collaborate across Marketing, Development, Membership, and with community partners to produce high-quality communications, support grant and donor engagement, align programming with Member interests, and cultivate partnerships that advance VBGA’s strategic goals.
• Representation: Represent the VBGA through outreach & programming events.

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Degree in Education, Science, Environmental Science, Botany, Recreation, Museum Studies, or related fields.
• Professional Experience: 3-5+ years of program management experience in non-profit, educational, recreational, or botanical settings, with a strong foundation in adult learning principles (inquiry-based and experiential) and an understanding of BC Curriculum, teachers & school communities.
• Expertise & Proven Interest: Deep-seated passion and a proven track record in horticulture, botany, ecology, and/or related fields, whether academic or practical experience & training.
• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a flexible work environment, including occasional evenings or weekends for core programs, special events and workshops.

Skills & Competencies

• Collaborative Leadership: A collaborative, values driven leader skilled at navigating interdepartmental workflows while independently driving projects. Committed to embedding Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility (IDEA) and Truth & Reconciliation principles into all programs and partnerships.
• Inclusive Team Mentor: Exemplify a supportive, human-first approach to team leadership, empowering staff and dedicated volunteers to thrive.
• Creative Program Curator: Scout and build relationships with a diverse "faculty" of guest experts to deliver world-class instruction that keeps our adult programs at the cutting edge of botanical education.
• Dynamic Learning Facilitator: Ability to translate botanical and environmental concepts into high-value, immersive learning experiences that bring the Garden’s stories to life, cultivating an inclusive space where diverse adult learners feel empowered to grow.
• Detail-Oriented Strategist: Exceptional attention to detail with a proven ability to prioritize effectively across complex workflows, maintaining intricate schedules within firm deadlines.
• Impact Reporting & Communications: Skilled in translating educational goals into compelling narratives for Annual Reports and donor-engagement storytelling.
• Synchronous Online Support (Zoom): Ability to run logistics, manage breakout rooms, polls, chat, and troubleshoot in real time.
• Technical Proficiency: Proficient in virtual program delivery, registration/CRM systems, and a range of digital tools including Zoom, Microsoft Office, Canva, Mailchimp, and basic technical equipment to support accessible programming, registration management, communications, and promotions.

Please submit your resume and cover letter to VBGA Recruitment: hiring@vandusen.org

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The application deadline is March 1st, 2026.

We appreciate the interest of all applicants. However, only those considered for the position will be contacted.

The VBGA is committed to employment equity and diversity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including people of any sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; Indigenous peoples; visible minorities and racialized people; and people with disabilities.

The Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA) acknowledges that VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory are located on the unceded Ancestral shared lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are honoured to be on the lands where these Nations have lived since time immemorial, and where they continue to steward these territories in respectful relationship with the land, waters, and all living beings.  

Our work of promoting environmental sustainability and stewardship are deeply enriched by Indigenous knowledge, values, and perspectives.