Colorado Program Manager

The National Parks Conservation Association (NCCA) believes that America's national parks and historical sites embody the American spirit. They are windows to our past, homes to some of our rarest plants and animal species, and places where every American can go to find inspiration, peace, and open space.

But these living, breathing monuments to our nation's history, culture, and landscape need care and support to overcome the many dangers that threaten to destroy them forever. At the National Parks Conservation Association, we work every day to ensure our national parks get that vital care and support.

NPCA plays a crucial role in ensuring that these magnificent lands and landmarks are protected in perpetuity.

Position Overview:

The Program Manager for NPCA's Colorado Field Office expands the capacity of NPCA strategic priorities in Colorado for the Southwest Region. The Southwest is a diverse and complex region. Colorado has many challenges and it offers significant opportunities to catalyze our national parks movement. Colorado has many iconic national park units that are threatened by multiple external forces. As the regional center for many Federal offices and headquarters for several key allies, the Colorado Field office is a foundational center for NPCA's regional and national strategic priorities. It is an important state with significant congressional leaders who have great influence in our park protection work. It is also a state with substantial development capacity.

The Colorado Program Manager serves as the key point of contact for NPCA work in Colorado. Under the direction of the Regional Director, the Program Manager coordinates and implements regional and national program goals including leadership in campaigns to protect our park treasures. This includes advocacy for our clean air work, support for our ongoing Colorado River campaign, and providing state focused coordination for our growing oil and gas campaign. Working closely with Colorado's congressional assets, the Program Manager will advance NPCA's Park Centennial strategies.

Individual park threats require development of close relationships with Park Service staff and local conservation and community allies. Program managers are expected to work closely with allied groups on campaigns that draw attention to park threats and be able to effectively advocate for policy and/or legal action. The program manager will leverage advocacy and campaign work in coordination with the NPCA Development team to grow and expand our membership and donor base. As appropriate and necessary, the Colorado Program Manager will assist the Southwest regional team in additional park protection and related work throughout the region but with particular attention to New Mexico priorities.Minimum Work Schedule: 9-5:30, M-F (37.5 hour/week), occasional weekends and evenings. Significant travel throughout Colorado and occasional regional team meetings and national meetings will be necessary.

Minimum Scope of Position:

• Lead management responsibility for fulfilling goals and objectives of the Colorado program.
• Internal NPCA staff contact with SWRO and other regional program staff, Government Affairs, Communications, and Development staff.
• Position requires substantial external contact with a wide variety of people and interests.
• Maintain an NPCA Field office in Colorado, currently located in Denver. 

Responsibilities:

Essential Functions

Park Protection 20% 

• Identify critical issues that affect the Colorado national parks and develop appropriate short and long-term intervention strategies.
• Conduct research and technical analysis of national park planning documents as needed.
• Cultivate working relationships with NPS staff and other agency and elected officials whose decision-making affects the parks.
• Develop and implement campaign strategies to gain park protection results. 

Community Outreach and Building Allies 15% 

• Build a network of grassroots supporters to help further NPCA's mission. Build a coalition of local support groups in the state and secure relationships with local statewide media to provide a public forum for our issues and opinions.
• Develop working relationships with important local leaders and gain access to major decision-makers in the state.
• Emphasize development of working relationships with mainstream community leaders and build alliances with individuals and constituencies that greatly broaden the base of support for park issues. 

Participate in NPCA's National Campaigns 15%

• Provide support for priority national campaigns.
• This includes close coordination with NPCA campaign teams focused on protecting intrinsic park resources and values from oil and gas development pressures.
• It further requires participation and representation of NPCA priorities in on-going Colorado River initiatives seeking to secure both a sustainable future for this waterway and also advance national park protection among those parks that are defined by the river. 

Development/Fundraising 20%

• Work with Development staff, Southwest Regional Director, and members of the Southwest Regional Council to meet annual fundraising goals for the organization.
• Participate in the cultivation and stewardship of individual donors and assist with coordinating donor events in Colorado.
• Assist with the development of foundation and corporate proposals and funder progress reports. 

Conservation Leadership 10%

• Attend community meetings, conduct informational public forums, seek media opportunities, and provide strategic leadership both within the conservation community and within park gateway communities to protect park and ecosystem values.
• Actively engage in community leadership opportunities that enhance the credibility, visibility and effectiveness of conservationists and achieve park protection goals.
• Provide ongoing support and coordination with members of the Southwest Regional Council. 

Communications 10%

• In cooperation with regional staff and the NPCA media team, develop a communications strategy for public outreach and education purposes. 
• Design and implement media strategies that reflect local culture and that promote park issues, funding needs and regional/national priorities. 
• Contribute to the body of regional publications and provide written content for SWRO Field Report and website.
• Create outreach tools including fact sheets, position statements, articles, testimony, and newsletters to educate elected officials, the public, and grasstop individuals. 

Political Asset Building 10%

• Work with congressional staff and members of Congress to garner necessary support for Colorado park financial, program, and administrative needs.
• Develop and maintain relationships with targeted congressional offices. 
• Serve as a source of information and actively educate members and/or staff about issues related to Colorado national parks and specific policy initiatives that members may sponsor/support in support of park issues. 
• Develop similar relationships with state policy makers and advance their investment and support of park issues in Colorado. 

Additional Duties:  

• This position also participates in developing program goals, objectives, and systems.
• Participates in administrative staff meetings, organization-wide meetings, staff committee meetings, training programs, and attends other meetings and seminars as designated by the supervisor. 
• Assists in evaluation of reports, decisions, and results of department in relation to established goals. 

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications, Competencies, Skills, Education, and Traits:

• Bachelors' degree in a relevant field such as natural resources/environmental science, political science, communications. A graduate degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years experience working in a related field with a proven track record working with a variety of individuals and organizations to build effective coalitions.
• Background and familiarity with conservation, public lands, and national park issues.
• Strong strategic skills to help design and implement effective programs and campaigns.
• Knowledge of and ability to influence the legislative and administrative policy-making processes preferred.
• Proven ability to build relationships with a wide array of people and organizations across political and interest boundaries.
• Excellent writing, verbal and organizational skills, public speaking and presentation abilities.
• Proven ability to self-staff and self- direct with a proven track record of accomplishment and productivity in an individualized workplace environment.
• Background and success in development, preferred.
• Basic computer skills are required (Microsoft Word, Excel) and skills with PowerPoint and database management are a plus.
• Proven creative and strategic thinking skills.

Live, honor, and own the organization's Core Values:

• Commitment to Mission: Our personal passion for and professional commitment to the national parks is essential to our success.
• Empowerment: Staff, members, volunteers and partners must be provided with the tools, skills, facts and inspiration to advocate on behalf of the national parks.
• Teamwork: Effective teamwork, built on a fundamental trust in and respect for each other, is integral to our success and includes sincerely listening to each other, appreciating different opinions, sharing information and responsibility, and integrating our work across departments.
• Accountability: Holding us accountable to each other, our members, and the public, as well as to the excellence, timeliness, and integrity of our work, and the implementation of these core values.
• Innovation: It takes insightful creativity, perseverance, and strategic risk-taking to successfully complete our work.
• Diversity: We believe in and celebrate the diversity of cultural backgrounds, community traditions, and political perspectives at NPCA and in the National Park System. By integrating such diversity into our work, we will most effectively accomplish our mission.
• Physical Effort and Dexterity: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is typically required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; talk or hear. The employee may lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job may include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Employer's Rights:

NPCA reserves the right to revise this position description at any time. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the NPCA and employee and is subject to change by the NPCA as the needs of the NPCA and requirements of the job change. The above is in no way an exhaustive list of the requirements for the position.

To Apply:

Please click below: "Apply Here!" and then follow application instructions.

~ NPCA is committed to diversity among its employees and hiring practices. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. ~