Salmon Project Director

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.

The Nature Conservancy of California has established a new salmon program dedicated to protecting and restoring priority salmon runs by removing critical bottlenecks across their lifecycle. The Conservancy has launched a new salmon program with the following objectives:

1. Leverage existing Conservancy projects to demonstrate solutions to challenging salmon-related problems;
2. Identify the most ecologically important salmon populations;
3. Assess the type and severity of threats at each stage in the life cycle of these salmon populations to focus our work in the places where critical bottlenecks occur and where we can demonstrate new approaches to wild salmon conservation; and
4. Develop protection and restoration practices-as well as public policy and private sector opportunities-to address the threats we have identified at individual locations across much broader geographic areas.

Position Overview:

The Conservancy seeks a seasoned conservation practitioner to lead key strategies under the program and to coordinate execution of the program across the Conservancy's programs and departments. The Salmon Project Director will have primary responsibility for facilitating the implementation, monitoring, and adaptation of the California salmon strategic plan across the organizations programs and departments under the direction of the North and Central Coast Regional Director. 

S/he will work with a core salmon team representing science, policy, and project staff to carry out statewide strategies and to engage staff across the state and Pacific Region to carry out place-based projects in line with the strategic plan.

Responsibilities:

The Salmon Project Director will perform the following and other duties as assigned:

• Identify and articulate solutions that the Conservancy is demonstrating at existing project sites.
• Compile, communicate, and disseminate best practices and lessons learned.
• Develop and implement state and federal policy solutions, and industry, partner, and agency engagement.
• Support philanthropy and senior managers in fundraising.
• Prioritize and develop new site-level engagements.
• Survey support needs from the field and explore and implement measures to fulfill needs.
• Lead on one or more strategies of the strategic plan, potentially including ocean engagements, key policy initiatives, and key partner, agency, or industry engagements.
• Monitor and update the salmon strategic plan and financial plan.
• Work with science and project teams to develop decision support analyses and to track progress and results.
• Work with external affairs team to research, develop, and track policy and agency engagement strategies.
• Support marketing and senior managers in media and membership outreach.
• Represent the Conservancy at relevant conferences and workshops.
• Conduct workshops and trainings regarding the science on salmon lifecycle engagement, decision support analyses, and best practices for Conservancy staff and partners.
• Provide oral and written updates to senior executives and trustees as needed.
• Liaise with the Conservancy Pacific marine and terrestrial programs and share lessons learned.

Qualifications:

The successful applicant will have the following minimum qualifications:

• BA/BS degree and 10 years experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated success in directing a major fisheries-related program of strategic conservation importance through policy and place-based action
• Experience in successfully managing team members 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 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 develop focused conservation priorities
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in salmon, water, and marine conservation policy and practice
• Experience in supporting fundraisers in developing fundraising plans and in identifying donor prospects and in donor cultivation
• Experience developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives and experience conceiving and implementing strategic initiatives
• Ability to manage time and diverse activities under deadlines while delivering quality results
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with and through others in a decentralized and geographically dispersed organization
• Proven interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills

Compensation: The position will be located in San Francisco, California. The Nature Conservancy offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience.

Working Conditions/Physical Effort:

The Salmon 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, and
• require long hours in isolated settings.

This position may also:

• require frequent travel domestically and/or internationally, and
• require evening and weekend hours.

To Apply:

This position will remain open until filled. To be considered for this position, interested candidates must follow this link to submit a resume, cover letter, and salary requirements.  

The Nature Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer.