Director, California Land Program

A LITTLE ABOUT US

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 and transformational solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale, and providing food and water sustainably.  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 all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.

To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

Director of California Land Program

The Land Program in The Nature Conservancy of California advances a portfolio of strategic initiatives aimed at conserving and restoring terrestrial ecosystems so they can sustain biodiversity in the face of climate change and provide a suite of ecosystem services that benefit society. The Program develops and demonstrates science-based solutions to major environmental challenges in California and aims to “scale up” successful models through policy change or dissemination to effect conservation more broadly.

Responsibilities:

The Land Program Director is responsible for the management of the California Chapter’s 500,000+ acres of conservation interests, including iconic nature preserves such as TNC’s Santa Cruz Island Preserve and the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve. They provide overall direction of the Chapter’s land protection efforts with investments in the hundreds of millions of dollars and lead a team of 50+ conservation professionals driving this work.

In addition, the Land Program Director is responsible for leading three main program areas:

1. Land protection via acquisition or easement of the private lands and waters that are most important for building out a network of public, private and tribal conservation areas that will connect and fully represent California’s diverse ecosystem types. Doing this at the scale needed will require new funding and investment models.
2. Accelerating restoration of priority landscapes by eliminating the key stressors causing degradation and restoring the key species, natural communities and ecological processes that sustain diversity, enhance resilience, and maximize co-benefits such as carbon retention and groundwater recharge.
3. Advancing best practices in efficient and effective land management by using TNC’s extensive and dispersed conservation estate as a platform for experimentation and conservation constituency building. Through this network of land holdings across the state, the Program strives to understand and predict climate-driven changes in natural systems and to develop practices to keep pace with them, such as by assisting the migration of species outside of their historic ranges.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree and 12 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience designing, implementing, and directing complex or multiple projects of strategic importance, including managing finances, supervising multidisciplinary professionals and coordinating the work of partners while meeting deadlines.   
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.    
• Experience networking with high-level conservation contacts.
• Experience conceiving and implementing strategic and creative initiatives.
• Experience in negotiation success.
• Valid driver’s license.

Watch two of our videos, “Our Planet’s Determining Decade” and “2021 Conservation Highlights” to see how The Nature Conservancy in California is rising to the greatest conservation challenges of our time.  

Read more about the Land Program in California on nature.org/California including descriptions of our protection, restoration and stewardship strategies and our keystone preserves.

Explore the many great reasons to join our team, including our comprehensive benefits package. Learn more about who we are and our benefits here.

Note: If you have questions about this position, please contact Amber Mello, Lead of Talent Acquisition, at amber.mello@tnc.org or connect on LinkedIn.

Please click on "Apply on Company Website" below to see full job posting and apply with resume and cover letter. (JOB ID:  51485) 

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, gender identities, military or veteran status or other status protected by law. The Nature Conservancy is also a “big tent” organization. We believe that all people benefit from conservation and that the cause should be inclusive of everyone regardless of their political persuasion. We work hard to make conservation a non-partisan issue through partnerships with stakeholders, elected officials, and industries that span the political spectrum.