Director, Habitat Markets

With world attention focused on both the environment and the economy, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is where policymakers and business leaders turn for win-win solutions. With programs from Boston to Beijing, this leading green group has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong science, uncommon partnerships, and market-based approaches. You can be part of a vibrant workplace that welcomes diverse perspectives, talents, and contributions, where innovation and a focus on results are a way of life.

About the Land, Water & Wildlife Program:

When it comes to natural resources in this country, we don't have a scarcity problem. We have an inefficiency problem. Current policies and market failures encourage waste and fail to reward environmental innovation, resulting in scarcity and conflict. EDF is uniquely equipped to help fix this problem by accelerating the development of systems that make conservation and efficient land and water management profitable.  We believe that these approaches will be critical to helping the nation meet one of its greatest challenges: how to support a growing population without continuing to overspend our precious natural capital.

Position Overview: 

EDF is seeking a visionary leader to develop and implement its strategy for increasing habitat conservation and restoration through performance and incentive-based approaches. The Director, Habitat Markets will guide EDF's work on both traditional mitigation banking systems as well as more novel recovery credit trading systems such as those recently piloted at Fort Hood in Texas. The Director will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the program, managing a 6-person team and a $2 million budget. This position will also be responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with EDF's key government, industry, and NGO partners.

The successful candidate will have deep experience in building programs to implement transformative conservation initiatives. This position will report to the Senior Director, Working Lands and will work closely with senior program leadership including the Vice President of Land, Water & Wildlife.

Responsibilities:

The Director, Habitat Markets will perform the following and other duties as assigned:

• Lead the development and implementation of EDF's program to develop habitat markets across the country.
• Manage, motivate, and grow a 6-person, geographically dispersed team of science, policy, economics, and communications experts.
• Achieve overall revenue targets for the habitat program, raising, directing and managing a $2 million budget.
• Initiate and negotiate collaboration, partnership, and other agreements with diverse interests, including the media and government representatives.
• Identify and implement partnerships with other members of the environmental community to achieve key programmatic goals.
• Demonstrate strong political skills by building nonpartisan alliances and supporting policy work as needed.
• Provide regular and direct briefings to EDF executive staff, trustees, and funders on program progress and strategic direction.
• Develop and implement cross-program partnerships and joint programs with other EDF programs.
• Negotiate, initiate, implement, and oversee partnerships to develop large-scale ecosystem restoration projects.

Qualifications:

The successful applicant will have the following minimum qualifications:

• 12+ years of relevant, professional experience
• Graduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. business administration, law, policy, conservation science) highly desirable
• Past experience providing visionary, creative leadership to a new or growing program
• Excellent team management experience, including the ability to build a team, motivate team members, and help team members set and achieve goals
• Outstanding strategic thinking, planning, and communication skills
• Excellent program building, negotiation, and deal-making skills
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively and build relationships with diverse partners and decision makers
• Demonstrated knowledge of the industries that EDF seeks to engage, particularly the energy and infrastructure development sectors
• Existing relationships with high-level conservation contacts (partners, community, government, funders, etc.)
• Experience with pragmatic, market-based solutions to conservation problems a plus
• Experience with various U.S. military branches a plus
• Experience with demand-side mitigation players a plus

Compensation: EDF offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience. The preferred location for this position is San Francisco, California.

To Apply:

To be considered for this position, interested candidates must follow this link to submit a resume, cover letter, and salary requirements. CEA Recruiting is assisting EDF with this search. Please direct all applications and inquiries to CEA Recruiting. The position will remain open until filled.  

Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer. EDF's Diversity Mission Statement can be viewed here.

CEA Recruiting works with leading environmental nonprofits, foundations, and businesses to recruit top talent and design effective organizational staffing strategies. For more information, visit CEA.