Senior Director, Eastern Forests

For more than 70 years The Wilderness Society has been at the forefront of the nationwide movement to protect wilderness while inspiring Americans to care for our wild places. The organization has consistently played a leadership role throughout the mountains of the eastern United States in realizing this mission, focusing on protecting the forests and other wild places critical to the health and well being of the people of the East.

The Senior Director for Eastern Forests will play a vital role in shaping the future work of The Wilderness Society in the East, helping to ensure the organization is fully prepared to meet new challenges. To do so, the Senior Director is responsible for leading and inspiring a team of highly skilled, experienced, and motivated staff in the conception, planning, development, implementation and measurement of campaigns aimed at achieving the permanent protection of wild lands. Through this effort, the Senior Director will take a lead role in positioning The Wilderness Society as a highly effective and respected national organization in the East - one with strong regional presence and a reputation for effective advocacy and public education through sound science and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Vice President for Regional Conservation and the Senior Vice President for Conservation to develop a vision of eastern forest protection for the next 10 years, a plan for reaching that vision, and the means to ensure success.
• Work with the Vice President for Regional Conservation, the Senior Vice President for Conservation, and other organization leaders to develop and implement major national and regional objectives and tasks, and provide creative and long range planning to develop new programs consistent with the goals in TWS' annual and 10 year strategic plans as well as with the vision for eastern land conservation.
• Establish a vibrant, creative Eastern Forest team that fosters strong internal communication, coordination, and integration.
• Play a leadership role in building new capacity through significant investment of time in foundation and major donor fund-raising work.
• Develop strong working relationships with all vice presidents and the departments they lead.
• Supervise a staff of seven, including day-to-day management oversight and guidance regarding personnel, administrative, budgetary, and programmatic matters.
• Manage a budget of one million dollars and engage effectively in the annual TWS planning and budget process.
• Serve as the public face of the organization as needed with elected officials, partners, funders, media, etc.
• Build strong and effective relationships with members of the Governing Council.

Qualifications

• Five to ten years experience working in public land conservation advocacy.
• Five to ten years experience managing staff and programs related to land conservation.
• Experience working on land conservation at both the regional and national levels and an understanding of the intersection between the two.
• Deep knowledge of the Wilderness Act, National Forest Management Act, and other major environmental laws and policies governing the management of public lands.
• Experience working on relationships between private and public lands, private land conservation mechanisms, and engaging private people and institutions in cooperative conservation ventures.
• Thorough and realistic understanding of both the federal legislative and administrative processes as they relate to public land conservation and experience working with federal land management agencies and Congress.
• Demonstrated success leading and inspiring staff, including a strong record of staff retention, ability to cultivate and advance staff, team-building skills, and capacity to inspire staff loyalty.
• Demonstrated ability in strategic planning, including the ability to articulate a long-term conservation vision, generate support for that vision, set priorities, and balance short and long-term demands as well as regional and national demands.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising, including preparing proposals, developing and maintaining contacts with funders, and good judgment on balancing grantee and funders' priorities.
• Ability to understand and communicate clearly regarding complex conservation science principles as well as legal and regulatory issues relevant to land conservation.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.

Personal Characteristics

• The ideal candidate possesses a strong personal commitment to protecting America's wild lands and the ecological, social, cultural and economic values they provide.
• Capacity to operate effectively with a multitude of audiences ranging from grassroots activists and local partner groups to major donors and bipartisan elected officials.
• Ability to multi-task and manage a complex array of personnel, programmatic and organizational challenges.
• Excellent strategic instincts and long-term vision.
• Leadership qualities.
• Inclination and ability to work in teams.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Trustworthiness and discretion.
• Good sense of humor.

The Wilderness Society is an equal opportunity employer and diversity is a core value. The Wilderness Society offers a competitive compensation and benefits package.

Please Submit resume, cover letter to:

Senior Director Eastern Forest Search
The Wilderness Society
1615 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
E-mail: staffing@tws.org

No telephone calls please.