Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Project Manager

About the role

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Oregon works to create a world where people and nature thrive. The Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Project Manager will support priority forest restoration and conservation projects in two primary geographies – the Rogue Basin of Southwest Oregon and the Upper Klamath Basin of Southcentral Oregon – collaborating with a range of key partners on this work.

Responsibilities

• Support and help execute the RFC strategy across Southern Oregon focused primarily on the Rogue and Upper Klamath Basins, including implementation of the Rogue Basin Strategy in collaboration with the Rogue Forest Partners, Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative, and Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network in Southwest Oregon, and the Klamath Lake Forest Health Partnership and the 20-year Master Stewardship Agreement between The Klamath Tribes, the Fremont-Winema National Forest, Sustainable Northwest, and TNC in Southcentral Oregon.
• Advance the Oregon Dry Forests and Fire Program and the Western Dry Forests program in Oregon through ongoing local partnerships and projects and collaboration and sharing lessons learned between priority dry forest geographies in Central and Northeast Oregon and other TNC forest and fire programs across the Western U.S.
• Apply sound financial management skills, including developing and managing budgets, identifying and securing varied funding, grant administration, and developing, negotiating, and overseeing contracts with vendors and restoration service providers in support of TNC and partner projects.
• Represent TNC externally, serving as a local liaison to a wide range of partner organizations including state and federal land management agencies, Tribal natural resource departments and other Indigenous-led organizations, community groups, private forest and fire contractors, NGO and non-profit organizations, and other partners.
• Effectively communicate progress and outcomes to wide range of audiences ranging from community partners and elected officials to land management agency staff and technical experts to build cross-organizational support and foster collaboration.
• Plan, convene, and lead meetings, workshops, trainings, field trips, community engagement and outreach events, and other forums in collaboration with partners to build shared understanding.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Work both independently and as member of multidisciplinary teams, some led by TNC and some by partner organizations, collaborative groups, or partnerships across Southern Oregon.
• May involve frequent travel within Oregon and occasionally out of state, totaling roughly 25-30% of time.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree and 5 years of relevant experience in environmental science, ecology, conservation, natural resource management, forest or fire management, environmental law or policy, or related field.
• Experience leading complex, cross-organizational projects.
• Experience communicating technical or scientific information with varied audiences in written, spoken, and graphical form.
• Experience building partnerships and working collaboratively with varied teams and partner organizations, including Tribes, non-profit partners, government agencies, elected officials and/or community groups.
• Training related to the histories, cultures, and sovereignty of Tribal nations.
• Experience using common software applications including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and ArcGIS.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate degree and 2-3 years of experience in environmental science, conservation, natural resource management, forest or fire management, landscape or disturbance ecology, environmental law or policy, or related field.
• Demonstrated understanding of the current science, policies, and practices guiding ecological restoration of dry forests in the interior Western U.S.
• Experience working with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities on natural and cultural resource management.
• Experience working with community-based forest restoration partnerships, collaborative groups, or other cross-organizational natural resource management efforts.
• Possesses strong interpersonal skills and political savvy.
• Experience with contract development, administration, and oversight, particularly in the realm of implementing on-the-ground natural resource management and conservation projects.
• Experience applying scientific and technical information to guide conservation decision making and on-the-ground activities.
• Experience coordinating people and resources to complete projects on time and with attention to detail.
• Ability to think critically, problem solve, and work through challenges on complex, multidisciplinary projects.
• Experience with ecologically based wildland fire (prescribed fire and/or wildfire) management.

Skills

• Strong project management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to integrate science and on-the-ground restoration knowledge in an applied forest and fire management context.

Benefits

• Competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits.