WY Director of Conservation Programs

About the role

The Wyoming Director of Conservation Programs oversees all aspects of a significant program area encompassing a large, complex geography. They serve as the principle contact to government agencies, other conservation organizations, foundations, and the academic community. They may play a leading role in donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship for the program. The Director of Conservation Programs disseminates best practices, provides training, and analyzes to best implement organizational measures of success, and develops key partnerships with public and private organizations to identify and resolve technical issues and widely communicate solutions, innovative scientific methods, analysis, tools, and frameworks to address natural system needs. They establish the Conservancy as a major conservation partner within the area of responsibility, define conservation priorities in Wyoming, lead and manage teams that support and improve conservation efforts, and build strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field. They engage local community support for local conservation efforts, negotiate complex and innovative solutions with government agencies and landowners to conserve and protect natural communities, and develop and implement conservation strategies.

Responsibilities & Scope

• Serve as a key member of the Wyoming BU’s Senior Leadership Team.
• Create, execute, and evaluate impact of Wyoming BU’s conservation program portfolio, ensuring strategies and tactics are aligned and effective enough to meet WUSCAN Division Priorities and 2030 Outcomes.
• Align and mentor staff to achieve programmatic goals.
• Direct mid-course corrections and decisions to transition out of work that is least impactful or can be successfully executed by others.
• Ensure that the BU meets division expectations and deadlines pertaining to annual conservation portfolio review and division priority strategy reviews.
• Serve as a natural partner and assist on donor engagement events; create and develop funding proposals for individual donors and foundations in collaboration with Development Team colleagues.
• Serve as point person for all HUB metric development and reporting to Division Conservation Portfolio Director and NAR partners. Ensure that BU teams meet division expectations regarding Hub reporting deadlines.
• Act as staff liaison to Wyoming Trustee Strategic Program Review Committee (SPaRC) and participate/engage Trustees to provide insights, ideas, and resources to support TNC work.
• Recruits, retains, and manages high quality and effective multi-disciplinary staff with responsibility for performance management, training, and career development.
• Broad management and leadership responsibility for 10+ staff members, both internal and external to the organization.
• Develops long-term strategies and achieves strategic goals and objectives.
• Makes independent strategic decisions frequently based on analysis, ambiguous information, experience, and judgment.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.
• May require frequent travel domestically and/or internationally and evening and weekend hours.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree and 10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience directing a major program or project of strategic importance, including management/supervision of multi-disciplinary teams and meeting deadlines.
• Experience working with current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and geographic regions.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives, and managing performance.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups, and/or government agencies.
• Experience negotiating.
• Experience influencing, developing, and implementing conservation policy and plans at the state or country level.
• Experience with financial management of a large program.

Desired Qualifications

• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• 10-12 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives and experience conceiving and implementing strategic initiatives.
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
• Politically savvy.

Salary Information

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $112,000.00 - $118,710.00. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate's location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges.