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Description
Employer: Southern Sierra
Position: Project Director
Position Summary
The Southern Sierra Project Director is responsible for The Nature Conservancy's work in the southern Sierra Nevada and Central Valley. This position will build The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) presence in the region and maintain relationships through regular communications with State and Federal agencies, local government and other NGOs and through selected involvement in ongoing activities within the project area.
The Project Director will join an internal team made up of real estate, external affairs, science and planning members and will lead implementation of conservation strategies in the region. The Project Director will also work closely with science and planning team members to complete Conservation Area Plans (CAPs) that will focus in particular on developing new implementation strategies for the montane portion of the region.
TNC is currently engaged in the following activities in the region at varying levels:
• Working in partnership with Sequoia Riverlands Trust (SRT) in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada to complete priority land acquisitions and restoration activities.
• Developing the Southern Sierra Partnership to formalize the relationship between TNC, SRT and California Audubon.
• Supporting establishment of a San Joaquin River project to augment restoration efforts already planned for the river corridor and associated floodplain.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The Project Director directs some or all aspects of protection, science, stewardship, and community relations for a region. The Project Director serves as the principle contact to government agencies, other conservation organizations, foundations and the academic community. This may include one or more of the following functions:
• Establishes the Conservancy as a major conservation partner in a region
• Defines conservation priorities in the region
• Leads and manages team which supports and improves conservation efforts
• Builds strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field
• Develops key partnerships with public & private organizations in order to identify and resolve technical issues and to widely communicate solutions and best practices
• Develops innovative scientific methods, analyses, tools, and frameworks to address the natural system needs
• Engages local community support for local conservation efforts
• Negotiates complex and innovative solutions with government agencies and landowners to conserve and protect natural communities
• Develops and implements conservation strategies
CALIFORNIA ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
• Assists in the development of plans for achieving TNC's objectives in the Sequoia Foothills.
• Seeks to achieve TNC's land protection and ecosystem restoration objectives using a broad set of conservation tools, including property acquisition (fee or easement) by TNC or one of TNC's partners, collaboration with outside entities (ranchers, farmers, and other landowners; local governments and water districts, state and federal agencies, academic institutions; and other NGOs) and other members of TNC's Central Valley/Mountains team, and participation in major collaborations with external stakeholders.
• Works to identify and abate threats to TNC's identified priority sites, working with local governments, state and federal agencies, and other interested parties
• Works to elevate TNC's visibility in the Sequoia Foothills and to get other entities to understand and embrace TNC's science-based ecological protection priorities, through participation in regional-scale planning and collaborative decision-making processes as appropriate;
• Works to develop, promote and/or implement appropriate land management and restoration actions for priority sites and assists in carrying out TNC's land management and stewardship obligations with respect to the property interests of TNC (and in some cases TNC's partners) in the Sequoia Foothills, including easement monitoring and leasing activities.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
• BA/BS degree and 5-7 years experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated experience influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and regions
• Developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives
• Motivating team members, setting goals, and leading efforts
• Delivering practical, adaptable products and services to customers
• Knowledge of politics and society with respect to environmental affairs
• Managing time and diverse activities under deadlines while delivering quality results
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages
• Demonstrated experience in fundraising
• Successful experience in developing, directing and managing complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads, and finances.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience, including the ability to motivate, lead, set objectives and manage performance.
• Successful experience in partnership development (partners, community, government, etc); political savvy.
• Proven interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.
COMPLEXITY/PROBLEM SOLVING:
• Diagnoses complex problems and identifies creative solutions
• Interprets guidelines, evaluates information, and modifies processes to adapt to changing circumstances
• Manages and prioritizes tasks from multiple sources
• Designs, implements, and directs complex and diverse projects, encompassing multiple programs and coordinating the work of other professionals, inside and outside the organization. Incorporates cross-disciplinary knowledge to support program objectives
• Negotiates complex agreements, sometimes in political environments
• Develops and implements creative ideas to improve overall performance in conservation strategies
• Formulates, evaluates, and decides broad organizational policies and long-term programs
DISCRETION/LATITUDE/DECISION-MAKING:
• Ensures program accountability and legal compliance
• Assesses decisions' potential impact on colleagues' work, public image, scientific credibility and financial and legal standings
• Makes decisions based on incomplete or ambiguous information and accepts associated risks
• Makes independent strategic decisions frequently based on analysis, experience and judgment
• Makes strategic decisions based on analysis, experience and judgment.
RESPONSIBILITY/OVERSIGHT – FINANCIAL AND SUPERVISORY:
• Manage multi-disciplinary administrative and professional staff, with responsibility for performance management, training and career development. Establish clear directions and set stretch objectives.
• Responsible for operating within budget guidelines to ensure sound financial performance. Develop and administer departmental budget and has authority to modify budget based on changing circumstances.
• Establish and maintain optimal standards of performance for the department or program while controlling costs and administering budgets.
• Responsible for ensuring that public and private funds are raised to meet program needs.
• Develops long-term strategies and achieves strategic goals and objectives
• Builds cooperation from outside parties to accomplish program goals
COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:
• Builds cooperative relationships and collaborates with diverse groups, including land owners, conservation partners, government officials, donors, board members, and the general public, to recruit support for the Conservancy and publicize Conservancy efforts
• Commands attention, changes tactics midstream as necessary, and manages group processes during presentations or discussions
• May speak with and in front of varied audiences on scientific topics and the Conservancy's mission
• Ability to establish excellent working relationships with outside partners, state/local/federal agencies, land managers, private landowners and the academic community.
• Work effectively in high-tension situations and maintain composure under pressure. Diffuses high-tension situations comfortably
• Work and communicate effectively with a diverse group of people, including scientists, preserve staff, and others, providing and obtaining needed information
• Ability to articulate lessons learned regarding conservation initiative successes and failures
• Ability to simplify and explain complex scientific data to general audiences
WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:
The Program Director I may work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances. These conditions may:
• require occasional physical exertion and/or muscular strain
• present occasional possibility of injury
• require long hours in isolated settings
This position may also:
• require frequent travel
• require evening and weekend hours
TO APPLY:
Submit cover letter and resume to resumes@tnc.org. Please include job title in subject line of email. No phone calls please.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employe
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