Director of Urban Conservation Initiatives

TITLE: Director, Urban Conservation

LINE OF BUSINESS/DIVISION: Conservation Services/Urban Parks and Water

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

REPORTS TO: Vice President, Climate & Water Sustainability

NUMBER OF POSITIONS REPORTING TO THIS POSITION: 3

LOCATION: Hybrid, must be in the Arlington, VA or Chapel Hill, NC area

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Urban Conservation will lead The Conservation Fund's Parks with Purpose Program and related initiatives. The Parks with Purpose program is focused on historically underserved urban neighborhoods and communities of color and works in partnerships with residents and local, community-based organizations. The Program uses the medium of community-accessible parks, trails, nature areas and other greenspaces to serve authentic community needs and aspirations. The process of acquiring, developing and using community greenspaces is executed with community guidance. The Program seeks to integrate economic, health, environmental learning and other social elements with environmental benefits, such as climate resilience, water management and native habitat restoration, and build the capacity of community-based organizations to better serve their neighborhoods' residents. The current Program is active in five Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities and is expanding into new locations.

The Director of Urban Conservation will manage up to 3 full-time program staff plus external consultants. The Director will also coordinate Program projects with other Fund divisions and departments including Conservation Acquisitions, Finance, Development, Marketing and Communications, Legal and other Conservation Services Division programs.

The position reports to the Vice President for Climate and Water Sustainability in the Fund’s

Conservation Services Division.

RESPONSIBLITIES & SCOPE

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Lead the review and updates to the Parks with Purpose Program's strategic plan.
• Develop and implement annual business plans, including funding for programs and projects.
• Build cooperative relationships with diverse groups at all levels, including conservation partners, government agencies, national funders and general public.
• Develop grant agreements with community partner organizations to build their capacity to serve relevant communities. Work with the Program team to monitor partners’ work and progress; and evaluate the Program's progress in achieving goals for greenspace acquisition and development, community engagement and capacity‐building.
• Oversee the development of the Program's Urban Conservation Fellows program to help develop a new cohort of urban conservation leaders and further assist in building the capacity of community-serving organizations.
• With Program and Fund staff, plan and implement peer exchanges and other opportunities to exchange insight and knowledge and build broader networks of urban conservation practitioners.
• Maintain relationships with funders, advocate for community-centered conservation in vulnerable and historically underserved communities in relevant forums and media.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Liberal Arts or Planning.
• Minimum of 5 years of direct experience in urban conservation, community development, local or regional conservation planning, or local government programming.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in supervisory and program management.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Teams, SharePoint, and Excel); familiarity with a variety of digital platforms for social media and web application; and basic understanding of online video communications programs such as Zoom and WebEx.
• Demonstrated program and project management capabilities, including experience in successfully managing staff, interns, or volunteers and in operating successful collaborative teams.
• Demonstrated affinity for integrating environmental and climate protection, economic advancement and a commitment to social justice in order to achieve greater equity and respect for all.
• Well-developed organizational skills and ability manage and prioritize multiple tasks.
• Communicate clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English. Mastery of spoken and written English.
• Ability to utilize and master telecommunication technologies.
• Ability to utilize personal computer effectively for variety of applications including online research; document writing and editing; internal and external video chat; email communications; and data analytics.

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Verbal proficiency in Spanish.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work is performed primarily in an office setting.
• Estimated travel – 25–30%

COMPENSATION and BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $90,000-$114,000. The position is eligible for opportunities to earn performance-based bonus compensation. The Fund offers a highly competitive package of benefits including employer contributions for health care, paid holidays, vacation and personal/sick leave, retirement plan and more. 

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time, with or without notice.

***Please submit cover letter and resume with application***

Apply at https://www.conservationfund.org/careers

To learn more about The Conservation Fund, visit https://www.conservationfund.org.

Frequently cited statistics show that women and people from underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they think they meet 100% of the criteria. If you meet many but not all the criteria and feel you may be a good fit for the role, The Conservation Fund encourages you to apply.

The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit corporation, is an Equal Opportunity Employer that fully and actively supports equal access for all people regardless of Race, Color, Religion, Gender, Age, National Origin, Veteran Status, Disability, Genetic Information or Testing, Family and Medical Leave status, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression. The Fund prohibits retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint, or otherwise oppose discrimination.