Conservation Director

~ WildEarth Guardians is a conservation organization working to protect and restore the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers and health of the American West. ~ 

Founded as Forest Guardians in 1989, the original mission of the grassroots effort was to fight a logging project on northern New Mexico's Elk Mountain. As the evidence of environmental threats continued, the efforts of the Guardians expanded.

In addition to fighting logging projects, the organization began to take on public lands livestock grazing industry. Seeing the devastation that cattle wreak on the southwest's precious waterways, the organization launched a campaign to out-compete public lands ranchers for leases. Once we obtained the leases, we fenced out the cattle, removed non-native invasive vegetation, and planted native cottonwood and willow trees that allow waterways to thrive and wildlife habitat to be reborn.

Position Overview

We're looking for someone who's up for the challenge of leading a team of smart, creative, passionate and hard-working leaders of one of the best environmental organizations around. We love what we do and we need you to help make what we do and who we are even better. The Conservation Director is the strategic heart of WildEarth Guardians and is essential to meeting our mission of protecting and restoring the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.

The Conservation Director is responsible for overseeing our litigation and conservation programs to ensure campaigns are strategic, synergized, and successfully executed. The Conservation Director supervises our four senior Program Directors and works closely with the Senior Attorney and development and communications staff. The Conservation Director is supervised by the Executive Director.

Our main offices are located in Santa Fe, Denver, and Missoula. Our preferred locations for this position are Denver or Santa Fe, but we will consider exceptional applicants in other western locations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee, support, design, develop and help implement cutting-edge legal and political strategies for WildEarth Guardians' priority campaigns.
• Supervise, support, evaluate, and strategize with the four Program Directors.
• Build and maintain close relationships with other environmental organizations, key congressional staff, donors, local communities, citizen activists, and the media.
• Author print and electronic outreach including op-eds, mass emails, social media posting, and blogging.
• Support fundraising efforts for all of the organization's priority campaigns.
• Support the Executive Director.

Qualifications

Essential qualifications include:

• Bachelor's degree in any conservation related field. Advanced degree or equivalent additional experience preferred.
• Passion for protecting environmental and cultural values, and natural heritage of the American West; a demonstrated commitment to conservation advocacy; biocentric.
• Sense of humor.
• A minimum of 4 years of experience in western lands, water or wildlife litigation and program development.
• Demonstrated leadership and management experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability as a strategic thinker who has experience in successfully implementing short and longer term conservation advocacy campaigns.
• Smart worker with integrity and grit.
• Strong organization skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Creative problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Comfort with and enthusiasm for working in a fast-paced campaigning environment, including juggling multiple priorities.
• A healthy sense of outrage.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Additional desirable qualifications include:

• Knowledge of politics, conservation and quality of life issues in the American West.
• Formal training in grassroots organizing and campaigning.

Special Job Requirements:

• Extensive travel around the West to satellite offices and to Washington, DC. Expect flexible work hours, including some weekend and evening hours.

Compensation: Salary is competitive and DOE plus vacation, sick leave, health and dental insurance, family leave policy, retirement benefits, sabbatical policy, and exceptional work environment.

To Apply

Please click below: "Apply Now Online!" to email your cover letter, resume, references, and writing sample in a single pdf, which must be received by January 30, 2017.

~ WildEarth Guardians is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to having a diverse and inclusive staff. ~