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Pajaro And Mt. Hamilton Project Director Job Details

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Job Ref:  39512
Employer:  Nature Conservancy.
State/Province:  California
Type of Employment:  Full Time
Environmental Categories:  Conservation
Job Description: 
OFFICE LOCATION

San Francisco, California (CA) or San Jose, California (CA)
ABOUT US

The Nature Conservancy is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in all 50 states and more than 33 countries. Founded in 1951, the mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.

BACKGROUND

The Central Coast of California is a globally significant Mediterranean habitat area encompassing 13 million acres of oak woodlands, annual and native grasses, coastal wetlands, estuaries, riparian areas and a variety of other habitats.  The North Central Coast, running from the Gabilan Mountains north through the Santa Cruz Mountains and east through the Hamilton range is no exception to this representation of diversity.  It hosts a broad range of biologically-rich terrestrial and aquatic habitats; some special-status species found there includesteelhead trout, tule elk, Bay Checkerspot butterfly, giant kangaroo rat, San Joaquin kit fox, the California condor, and blunt-nosed leopard lizard,.  

The North Central Coast also faces a broad array of threats to its biodiversity, including residential and commercial development, expansion of transportation and energy infrastructure, conversion of habitat to row crops and vineyards, and water diversion and depletion.  The Conservancy seeks to build from its decades-long history in land protection in the area to strike a balance between farming, growth and development, and habitat protection and restoration.   The area is well-poised to strike this balance, boasting leading institutions and centers of innovation in science, education, agriculture, industry, conservation and government that can be mobilized to support conservation for lasting impact in the ecoregion, across the state of California and beyond.

TNC
POSITION SUMMARY

The Pajaro and Mt. Hamilton Project Director will provide leadership in implementing a land protection vision and plan for the Northern Central Coast ecoregion of California specifically the Pajaro River watershed and TNC’s Mt. Hamilton project area.

TNC
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Pajaro and Mt. Hamilton Project Director will report to the Senior Central Coast Project Director and will work closely with ecoregional ecologists and other project staff in the North and South Central Coast Region. The Project Director may have management responsibility for one or more staff members in the ecoregion, depending on the qualifications of the successful candidate.  S/he will lead strategic land protection and restoration initiatives through local policy and partner engagement, direct land and water protection, and engagement with agricultural interests to foster farming and ranching practices that are compatible with priority habitat needs.  Priority habitat-related issues will include wildlife connectivity and floodplain and watershed management.  Key geographies of focus for the Project Director will be the Pajaro River watershed and the Mount Hamilton range, which encompasses parts of eight counties and includes the southern San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. 

S/he will assemble and lead teams of Conservancy science, project, policy and other staff to review and update visions and plans for focal geographies, engage stakeholders, funders and policymakers, execute on conservation strategies and monitor and assess progress.  The Project Director will also track key threats and opportunities in the ecoregion, such as those related to water management, land use planning, food safety practices in the agricultural industry, renewable energy development, transportation infrastructure, vineyard expansion, endangered species mitigation, and climate change, and will adapt land protection strategies with these issues in mind.  S/he will work with the Senior Central Coast Project Director to leverage land protection projects in the ecoregion to have impact on the Conservancy’s broader statewide goals and priority initiatives to protect biodiversity, such as mainstreaming compatible agricultural practices, demonstrating nature-based climate adaptation, protecting watersheds for salmon and steelhead, and protecting migratory bird habitat. 

TNC
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Develop and execute a long-range, strategic land and water protection and restoration vision for vulnerable core habitats, landscapes, and wildlife corridors in the north Central Coast.
  • Raise the Conservancy’s profile with a broad base of constituencies, including non-traditional and conservative communities in priority geographies.
  • Assemble and lead multi-disciplinary teams to achieve results.
  • Advance high level internal and external partnerships with leaders in corporations, the agricultural community, agencies, conservation organizations, academic and research institutions and local politics.
  • Establish Conservancy interests as priorities and engaging in local processes, such as watershed and floodplain management plans.
  • Foster changes in corporate and agricultural industry practices that provide for both continued economic benefit to local communities and industry interests while protecting and restoring ecosystems and habitats that provide benefits to wildlife and to people.
  • Assess, organize and prioritize land protection opportunities, strategies, and actions.
  • Plan and execute land protection through real estate transactions and by merging real estate plans with policy and collaboration with working landscape partners, such as farmers and ranchers.
  • Collaborate with science colleagues to develop high level scientific engagements that further the strategic land protection vision and goals for the area.
  • Collaborate with philanthropy and marketing staff to develop and execute on a fundraising and marketing plan for land protection strategies.
  • Work with finance to develop and manage budgets that support the strategic direction of the program.
  • Demonstrated success in directing a program of strategic conservation importance through place-based action, including industry and agricultural engagement, agency and policy engagement and land transactions.
  • Demonstrated experience in working collaboratively with the agricultural and/or ranching community to achieve conservation results.
  • Experience in successfully leading, managing and serving on teams to set and achieve realistic, but ambitious results.
  • Proven skill in engaging partners in government, industry, science and the NGO community and in developing and cultivating high-level conservation contacts.
  • Demonstrated success in marketing and building support for conservation projects across a wide range of audiences, including trustees, donors, agencies, colleagues, partners and senior staff.
  • Experience in collaborating with scientists and other conservation practitioners to complete assessments and develop focused conservation priorities.
  • Knowledge of relevant current trends and practices in land protection, agriculture, floodplain and watershed management, conservation policy, conservation finance and land use.
  • Experience in supporting fundraisers in developing fundraising plans, identifying donor prospects, and in donor cultivation.
  • Managing time, diverse activities, and multiple projects while delivering quality results on time.
  • Demonstrated leadership and visionary qualities and able to work effectively with and through others in a decentralized and geographically dispersed organization.
  • Proven effectiveness with interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
  • BA/BS degree and 7 years experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Experience with certain aspects of fundraising: identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
  • Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including managing finances and coordinating the work of other professionals and partners.   
  • Experience in partnership development (partners, community, government, etc.).

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

The Pajaro and Mt. Hamilton Project Director 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 domestically and/or internationally
  • require evening and weekend hours

BENEFITS

The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, excellent benefits, flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.

TNC
HOW TO APPLY

To apply to position number 39512 , submit resume and cover letter as one document.

All applications must be submitted in the system prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 1, 2011 .

Failure to complete all of the required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration. The information entered in the education and work experience sections are auto screened by the system based on the basic qualifications of the position.

You must click submit to apply for the position. Click save if you want to be able to return to your application and submit it later. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited.
EOE STATEMENT

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
11/02/2011

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