Call for Applications: Program Assistant
Position Type: Part-time, 10 hours per week
Location: Orange, Vermont (on-site with some remote work possible seasonally)
Reports to: Executive Director
About Sage Mountain
Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary is a 600-acre nonprofit conservation and education center rooted in Vermont wilderness, founded in 1987 by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. For nearly four decades, Sage Mountain has been a living classroom and gathering place – stewarding rare botanical habitat, offering nature-immersive education programs rooted in seasonal rhythms, and operating licensed childcare and afterschool programs serving youth in grades 3–8 with Specialized Care designation. We are a small, dedicated team doing meaningful work at the intersection of land, community, and healing.
Position Overview
The Program Assistant is the connective tissue of Sage Mountain’s daily operations: the warm voice on the phone, the organized hand behind the scenes, and the welcoming presence that makes guests, students, and community members feel at home. This role combines office management, guest relations, and grant administration in a setting unlike any other: a working botanical sanctuary on 600 acres of Central Vermont wilderness. We’re looking for someone who is detail-oriented and dependable, genuinely enjoys supporting a mission-driven team, and brings both warmth and initiative to everything they do.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage phone and email communications with professionalism and warmth
- Greet and support guests and students during summer on-site programs
- Data entry and database management
- Grant management support including tracking deadlines, organizing documentation, and assisting with reporting
- Office management and maintaining organized, clean administrative spaces
- Facility cleaning and housekeeping of shared spaces, including common areas, restrooms, and program spaces
- Schedule coordination for programs, staff, and facility use
- Communication with program participants, donors, and community partners
- Support fundraising campaigns and donor communications
- Other administrative tasks as needed
Qualifications
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Proficiency with office software, email, and database systems including Airtable, Todoist, Google Suite, social media platforms, and willingness to learn new tools
- Warm, welcoming presence with guests and program participants
- Commitment to Sage Mountain’s values of community, conservation, and collective liberation
- A strong sense of personal initiative and the ability to work independently, alongside a genuine enjoyment of collaborative teamwork and openness to direction and guidance from organizational leadership
- Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, clear follow-through on responsibilities, and the ability to prioritize and manage time effectively across a dynamic and multifaceted workload
- Experience with project management or nonprofit administration preferred
- Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for unpaved roads through all Vermont seasons
- Familiarity with herbalism, outdoor education, or youth programming a plus
Compensation & Schedule
- Part-time position, 10 hours per week to start
- Hourly rate starting at $20, commensurate with experience
Community Agreements
All Sage Mountain staff are expected to uphold our community agreements and embody our organizational ethos of community care, conservation stewardship, and collective liberation.
Our Commitment
Sage Mountain provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without discrimination on the basis of age, race, sex, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, military status, political affiliation, or disability.