National Forest Foundation

Compensation

Full Description

Description National Forest Foundation (NFF) is pleased to offer an exempt, full-time position that will provide programmatic leadership to successfully plan, develop, implement, and manage a portfolio of restoration and forest resilience projects. The Southern Appalachian Forests Program Manager will facilitate collaborative efforts, manage complex funding mechanisms, supervise program staff, and collaboratively work with NFF’s technical advisory teams and the U.S. Forest Service. About the NFF: As the official national partner to the US Forest Service (USFS), the National Forest Foundation was chartered by Congress in 1993. Today, the NFF advances forest resiliency, healthy watersheds and wildlife habitat, and recreation for all by working with communities and organizations across the country. The Foundation has grown significantly in the last few years in programmatic impact, revenue, support, and organizational capacity. NFF leads with impact, deploying roughly 90% of its expenses towards projects and programs across the country’s 193-million-acre National Forest System. NFF is forward-thinking and innovative, with ambitious strategies and goals to advance and prepare forests for a new economy. Position Function: The Southern Appalachian Forests Program Manager reports directly to the Southern Region Director. This position provides facilitation, project management, and program development support for collaborative forest stewardship and conservation efforts in the southern Appalachians. The incumbent will provide leadership in convening and facilitating a collaborative process, while focusing on project management and implementation. The incumbent is responsible for hiring, supervising, and mentoring direct reports, planning for project implementation, and overseeing and supporting complex contracts. The Manager will navigate complex partnership relationships and have demonstrated experience building programs consistent with strategic priorities, oftentimes working independently. Position Duties and Responsibilities: The Southern Appalachian Forests Program Manager is responsible for the following duties: • Work with the U.S. Forest Service to manage and track large-scale funding agreements associated with forest restoration and recreation improvement projects. • Support and supervise up to four staff by helping develop their scopes of work, provide networking and fundraising support, and professional development guidance. • Lead collaborative development of field team strategies and work plans. • Work directly with contractors, consultants, nonprofit organizations, agency partners, and/or private landowners to coordinate the on-the-ground implementation of stewardship projects. • Oversee the advertising, negotiation, and awarding of contracts for services related to project implementation. • Manage program and project budgets and reporting associated with agreements and contracts with federal, state, local governments, and contractor services. • Provide collaborative conservation expertise and facilitation support for priority regional initiatives. • Draft and revise meeting agendas and facilitation-related meeting materials. • Expand existing partnerships with local National Forest Service partners. Education and Qualifications: NFF expects the Southern Appalachian Forests Program Manager to possess the following educational and experiential qualifications: • Minimum of an undergraduate degree in conservation, forestry, planning, landscape design, environmental science or related field, or equivalent experience. • At least 4 years of experience leading restoration or conservation programs, project planning, and/or coordinating project implementation, preferably on federal lands. • Field forestry and/or reforestation experience, planning, and overseeing forest management actions on federal lands, preferred. • Experience in planning and overseeing recreation infrastructure projects. • Experience leading project planning, accomplishment, and budget tracking, and project operations management that involve multiple implementation partners, contractors, contracts for services, and funding sources. • Experience supervising and managing project-level staff. • Demonstrated success coordinating multiple projects simultaneously. • Experience facilitating, building consensus, and securing agreements in collaborative processes that involve the U.S. Forest Service or other land management agencies. • Experience developing and implementing public outreach and engagement strategies and plans. • Commitment to the mission of the NFF and familiarity with the U.S. Forest Service purpose and National Forest lands management. • An understanding of southern Appalachian natural resource issues. • Strong communication, project management, interpersonal, organizational, and administrative skills. • Strong writing skills and public speaking experience. • Must be authorized to work in the United States. Abilities and Skills: NFF expects the Southern Appalachian Forests Program Manager to possess the following proven abilities and skills: • Ability to work with a wide range of people with differing and sometimes conflicting opinions, and to always maintain neutrality. • Ability and willingness to travel regularly, work in outdoor conditions, and maintain a flexible work schedule, including participation in weekend and evening events. • Ability to work well and be flexible in a team-oriented environment. • Ability to represent the NFF clearly and professionally through excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills. • A strong attention to detail, with skill in working in a timely and well-organized fashion. • Experience with GPS and GIS used for mapping and geospatial data analysis, preferred. • A valid U.S. Driver’s License and clean driving record, as frequent travel to remote work sites is required. Location: The location for this position is flexible throughout western North Carolina, eastern TN, and southwest Virginia. This position is a remote/work-from-home position and requires reliable internet access and a dedicated workspace. Compensation: NFF offers a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects our total rewards strategy. The starting salary range for this position is $83,800 to $101,275, with the ability to grow to $118,750 based on performance outcomes over time and assessed annually. Benefits: NFF is proud to offer our staff: Health And Wellness • Medical and dental insurance paid at 75% by the organization for you and any dependents. • Vision insurance paid 50% by the organization for you and any dependents. • Health savings account (HSA) with employer contributions between $1,878-$3,750 per year, predicated on coverage type. • Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA). • Employee assistance program (EAP) at no cost. Financial Wellbeing • 403(b) retirement plan with a 5% employer match after one (1) year of service. • Short-term and long-term disability insurance at no cost. • Basic life and AD&D insurance at no cost, with voluntary life insurance options. • Whole life insurance at a discounted rate Flexibility And Time Off • Employees start with 35 days of annual leave, sick leave, personal leave and holidays (annual leave accrual rates increase with years of service) • Family & medical leave for up to sixteen (16) weeks with up to four (4) weeks paid. Personal Development • Training & Development Programs • Professional development reimbursement for up to $1,000 per year. Journey Of a Lifetime • The opportunity to support an incredible mission and travel to / work in spectacular locations. To Apply: Applications must include both a cover letter and resume. Incomplete packages will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting will close on March 4, or earlier if filled. Please visit our careers site to apply online. The National Forest Foundation is an equal opportunity employer – meaning we provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law. Further, we prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, and termination. We strive to foster a work environment where every individual is respected, valued, and treated fairly. This statement reflects our unwavering dedication to fairness, respect, and equality in employment practices and sets the foundation for a positive work environment.