The Nature Conservancy
Director of Conservation Collaboration
The Nature Conservancy
Job Summary
TNC’s Shared Conservation Agenda (SCA) is an inspiring vision for the world. The SCA requires an organizational evolution in which increased collaboration, coordination, and collective effort will be essential. This evolution will require new skills, engaged staff, diverse voices, and clear and transparent ways of working together. The North America Region’s Conservation Collaboration team works to achieve the Conservancy’s organizational goals by providing programmatic support, coordination, and facilitation within the Region and by helping to integrate the Region and the rest of the organization. The Director of Conservation Collaboration oversees the Conservation Collaboration Team and supports the Division Directors in improving the management of the conservation portfolio across the North America Region’s Divisions and Business Units. Working closely with the Regional Managing Director and the Chief Conservation Office, they provide strategic leadership; support for the Conservancy’s conservation planning work; and guidance to ensure successful implementation, management, and measurement of the work needed to achieve our organizational goals.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The Director of Conservation Collaboration facilitates the development, implementation, and active management of the Region’s conservation portfolio business plans and strategies. They advise Divisions and Business Units on active strategy management and serve as a key liaison with the Chief Conservation Office. This position will help ensure effective collaboration across functions, Business Units, and between the Region and the Chief Conservation Office regarding all aspects of conservation planning, goal setting, strategy management, and metrics and monitoring. They work to capture and share knowledge, guidance, and expertise on effective strategy management. They help ensure coordination with TNC communications, marketing and philanthropy staff on issues related to the SCA, priority projects, and related issues and help ensure that TNC’s internal and external communications accurately reflect our conservation goals. They will disseminate best practices, provides training and analyses to best implement organizational measures of success. The Director will work with their global colleagues to define the organization’s conservation priorities. They will lead and manage a team which supports and improves conservation efforts throughout the Region. They play a leading role in public and private fundraising programs for the Region’s conservation priorities.
Job Responsibilities
RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE
- Develops and oversees strategic initiatives in the North America Region.
- Facilitates the development, execution, and integration of strategies and focal place efforts at the regional level and between the Divisions.
- Ensures the Region quantitatively and qualitatively assesses our conservation progress, generates a set of management actions aimed at improving performance over time, and shares learnings across Divisions and Business Units.
- Serves on the North America Region leadership team and assesses potential impact of decisions on colleagues’ work and the organization’s public image and financial and legal standings.
- Determines timing and deploys Senior Advisors to address the greatest needs of the Region accordingly.
- Working with the Division Directors, oversees the development of cross-Division networks and communities of practice.
- Direct management and leadership responsibility for 7 staff members and overall responsibility for financial management of the Conservation Collaboration team, including setting financial goals, analyzing results and taking corrective actions.
- Makes independent strategic decisions frequently based on analysis, experience, and context.
- May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.
- May require frequent travel domestically and/or internationally and evening and weekend hours.
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- BA/BS degree and 15 years’ experience in environmental, conservation or other relevant discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Demonstrated ability to apply systems thinking to complex projects and challenging partnerships.
- Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
- Demonstrated ability to design, implement, direct, and partner on complex or multiple projects of strategic importance, including managing finances, supervising multidisciplinary professionals and coordinating the work of various partners while meeting deadlines.
- Supervisory experience, including leading, setting objectives, and managing performance.
- Demonstrated social and emotional intelligence by successfully engaging and motivating others to support a new path forward, building energy and involvement to sustain results over time.
- Experience exploring the political and complex process of introducing change and motivating others, dealing with resistance and the emotional elements of change, and extending change over time and sustaining it.
- Experience working with current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and regions.
- Extensive networking skills and track record of success in developing relationships and coalitions with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
- Experience working with methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives.
- Demonstrated ability in negotiating and influencing, finding intersections when implementing conservation policy and plans at the division and/or global/international level.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
- Master’s degree.
- Experience conceiving and implementing strategic and creative initiatives involving multiple countries.
- Experience developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
- Experience delivering practical, adaptable products and services to customers.
- Knowledge of politics and society with respect to environmental affairs.
- Communicating clearly via written, spoken and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
- Demonstrated leadership and visionary qualities and ability to work effectively with and through others in a decentralized and geographically dispersed organization.
- Politically savvy
- Exposure to various cultures, geographies, nationalities, ethnicities and points of view, appreciating the basis of each person’s worldview.
- Exposure to various economic sectors in order to appreciate the vastness of experience and expertise of others outside their field of interest, such as financial, health, manufacturing, technology, government, bioscience, education, etc.
- Demonstrated respect for committing to local, on-the-ground involvement with people, communities and cultures, with awareness and sensitivity to their economic realities.
- Active listening skills, including awareness of body language and physical-mental-emotional linkages. Curiosity for the motivations of all parties, seeking intersections among differing perspectives and viewpoints.
- Capacity to advocate successfully using science and data, communicate with authenticity and credibility and exert influence by being a role model for people, programs and ethics. Ability to engage others through dynamic, empathetic and articulate presentations and dialogue, conveying contagious enthusiasm that engenders a shared vision for the future.
- Ability to communicate love of nature and passion for conservation in an inspiring, motivating and positive way.
Additional Information
Benefits
Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change and conserving healthy oceans, freshwater, and lands at unprecedented scale. One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including 20 in the North America Region, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. We achieve this through the dedicated efforts of our 4,000 diverse staff worldwide, with 2,500 staff in the North America. In North America, we have a long history of strong volunteer leadership with a Board of Trustees advising each of our 50 Business Units – 1,300 volunteer leaders all told. We are striving to develop a workforce and boards as diverse as the places where we work, and we have a deep commitment to diversity. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.
TNC offers competitive compensation, 401k or savings-plan matching for eligible employees, excellent benefits, flexible work policies, and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.
How to Apply
Please apply to Job #49417 at www.nature.org/careers and submit required cover letter and resume using the upload buttons. The deadline to apply is 11:59 PM EST March 12, 2012. Click “submit” to apply for the position or “save for later” to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited. Failure to complete required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration. If you experience technical issues, please refer to our applicant user guide or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.
Details
- Date Posted: February 17, 2021
- Type: Full-Time
- Job Function: Other
- Service Area: Environment