Director, IDEA

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is dedicated to sustaining, restoring and enhancing the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations.

NFWF builds partnerships between leading U.S. corporations and the federal agencies, nonprofits and individuals who drive conservation efforts across the United States.

We leverage public funds to raise private dollars, and award those funds to projects that will do the most good across a wide range of landscapes.

This position will further the mission of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through excellent operation, development, and growth of the Foundation’s Impact-Directed Environmental Accounts (IDEA) Department, including its business operations, revenue objectives, and strategic position.  

The IDEA Department develops and manages funds for conservation and mitigation of natural resources that are directed to the Foundation from various legal and regulatory proceedings.  These funds arise from a variety of sources including community service payments in criminal environmental prosecutions; natural resource damages; other types of required environmental restitution; fees and payments for environmental mitigation; payments associated with regulatory permitting for activities that will result in environmental impacts; “financial assurance” payments required to ensure performance of conservation/environmental work obligations; and similar types of funds.  

Additionally, IDEA funds are derived from voluntary payments in which the payor desires or is required to maintain significant control over the distribution of funds, in collaboration with one or more regulatory agencies.  The fundamental goals of the IDEA Department are to, in consultation and collaboration with the Foundation’s Executive Team, aggressively grow funds under management; support the work of the Foundation’s governmental partners in their efforts to conduct environmental enforcement and regulatory permitting; facilitate excellent and cost-effective conservation and environmental restoration; and generate significant operational revenue for the Foundation. The Director must assist the Senior Vice President in assuring these goals are achieved.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist the Senior Vice President in implementation of strategic objectives for the IDEA Department, including the achievement of business goals and revenue goals (both operating revenue for the Foundation and conservation funds for environmental benefit).
• Assist the Senior Vice President in developing new IDEA accounts, including by building relationships with key governmental entities, monitoring relevant judicial and regulatory proceedings, and making presentations to targeted audiences.
• Assist the Senior Vice President in servicing IDEA accounts under management, including, but not limited to, ensuring that funds are administered in strict accordance with governing legal documents; executing processes to identify suitable conservation projects eligible for funding; conducting due diligence on potential projects and project implementers; drafting and reviewing contracts between the Foundation and project implementers; and overseeing the disbursement of funds to project implementers as and when work is completed.
• Support the IDEA Department’s efforts with respect to land acquisition projects, including working with project implementers to properly frame acquisition transactions; reviewing key due diligence documents such as deeds, titles, title insurance reports, surveys, appraisals, conservation easements, purchase-and-sale agreements; and supervising the work of outside legal counsel in conducting due diligence and shepherding land acquisition transactions to closing.
• Support the IDEA Department’s “Financial Assurance” business operations, including by managing letters of credit, surety bonds, trusts, and other financial instruments posted by permittees to ensure their performance of specified conservation/environmental work.
• Assist the Senior Vice President in assuring accurate and timely reporting of programmatic activities and progress toward achievement of objectives to the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer and/or Board of Directors and make recommendations for modifications to objectives as deemed necessary and prudent.
• Assist the Senior Vice President in providing strong leadership, guidance and supervision to the IDEA team to assure positive outcomes for the Department and development of the team’s skills, experience and performance.        
• Work with the Senior Vice President and the Foundation’s Chief Financial Officer, as well as other NFWF staff, to develop and monitor the IDEA Department’s revenue and expense budgets.
• Work with the Senior Vice President and other NFWF staff to prepare annual financial and programmatic reports for partners as contractually required.
• Assist the Senior Vice President in representing the Foundation in a wide variety of business, governmental and community situations – creating strategic opportunities for the IDEA Department, the Foundation as a whole, and its other constituent departments, work teams and objectives.

SECONDARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES  

• • Respond to internal and external inquiries about IDEA services, departmental objectives, and clients while preserving required and appropriate confidentiality.
  • Provide information and training as necessary to other Foundation staff regarding the activities, objectives and procedures of the IDEA Department.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS)  

• Juris Doctor required with 8+ years’ legal practice in field(s) of environmental, conservation, nonprofit, corporate, and/or real estate law.  
• Additional degree or experience in business, finance, real estate, or related fields preferred.
• Experience working with federal natural resource and/or environmental agencies is required (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Bureau of Land Management; NOAA Fisheries; Department of Justice ENRD, etc.).  Experience working with the U.S. Congress and/or state agencies on natural resources and/or environmental issues is a plus.
• Working knowledge of federal and state environmental laws and related programs, including specific knowledge or and/or experience with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act (particularly wetlands permitting and the regulatory role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), and the Oil Pollution Act.  Experience working with environmental mitigation programs is a plus.  
• Able to lead negotiations in potentially conflict-laden and complex situations with clients and prospective clients to secure their participation with IDEA.
• Ability to influence and persuade to achieve desired outcomes.
• Able to participate with Chief Financial Officer and Finance staff in development of financial and investment structures for IDEA accounts, in consultation (as appropriate) with outside investment advisers.
• Able to envision and develop novel and creative responses to complex and potentially conflictual situations.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Flexibility in a rapidly changing environment.
• Able to resolve conflict effectively, hold information in confidence, and cooperate with colleagues and clients who may have other perspectives.
• Ability and willingness to travel for work purposes, often with limited advance notice.
• Computer proficiency, including word processing, email, digital work platforms such as MS Teams, spreadsheets, etc.

COMPENSATION  

Commensurate with experience.

LOCATION  

Washington, DC