Montana, USA

Nebraska, USA

North Dakota, USA

South Dakota, USA

Wyoming, USA

Location is flexible within the Northern Great Plains (MT, NE, ND, SD, WY)

#LI-REMOTE

The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world's toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One of TNC's primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we'll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply - we'd love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, "you'll join for the mission, and you'll stay for the people."

Grasslands are the least protected and most threatened habitat type on earth. The Northern Great Plains with its more than 76 million acres of grassland habitat across five states and two Canadian provinces represents the largest and most intact expanse of grassland habitat in North America. This region is home to diverse wildlife, 20 different Indigenous tribes, and family-based agricultural operations that take pride in grassland stewardship. Unfortunately, many of these grasslands are under continuing pressure of conversion to cropland, woody and invasive plant encroachment, energy development, and a changing climate.

Conserving these globally significant grasslands have long been a priority of TNC, and today we are prioritizing our resources to protect this iconic and ecologically significant landscape by creating a cross-boundary, collaborative initiative - called the Northern Great Plains Initiative - to scale and accelerate our grassland work. To maximize our collective actions, we will channel the knowledge, capacity, diverse partnerships, and relationships within TNC Business Units (state chapters of Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nature United in Alberta and Saskatchewan), TNC's North American Regenerative Grazing Lands program (RGL), federal, state, and Tribal Nation agencies, and the many conservation partners and indigenous and rancher-led organizations.

The Northern Great Plains Initiative Director (Director), who reports to the Great Plains Grasslands Strategy Director, will lead the execution of the Northern Great Plains Initiative (NGPI), which centers on TNC's 2030 grasslands goals. This role is critical for achieving the scale of outcomes that are beyond the reach of individual TNC Business Units. Serving as a player/coach, the Director will foster the NGPI through a "team of teams" approach that builds a shared vision and collaborative team structure, providing vision and strategic leadership. More specifically, as the Director, you will lead the development, oversight, and accountability for cohesive regional strategies in collaboration with Business Units and RGL and provide leadership on the coordination of staff and resources. You will develop and execute practical applications of scientific concepts, and encourage innovation for conservation specifically land protection. You will be expected to embrace an interdisciplinary and systems wide approach that includes science, policy, and conservation, and that unleashes the full potential of TNC's highly matrixed expertise across the Northern Great Plains and the larger organization.

As the Director, you will be the spokesperson and key point of contact, both internally and externally, and serve as an experienced advisor, thought leader, and skilled advocate that maintains and strengthens partnerships in the Northern Great Plains - and in appropriate spheres at the national level. You will play a pivotal role in developing complex and innovative solutions; cultivating strategic relationships with NGOs, public agencies, and other key decision-makers; collaboratively developing and advocating for government policy; informing and delivering strategic communications and marketing; supporting and directing science staff to better inform our conservation work; and supporting public and private fundraising, including donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship.

You will also foster design and implementation of strategies that elevates equity in all aspects of our work as we know that inclusive conservation approaches and attention to the distribution of benefits are important for achieving NGPI goals. Importantly, the Director will serve as the lead implementor of these strategies. While leading this initiative, you will ensure that TNC integrates support and advocacy for priorities, needs, and outcomes identified by Tribal Nations and indigenous communities. As part of this support and advocacy, you will supervise the Northern Great Plains Tribal Partnership Director, TNC's primary liaison with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities in North Dakota and South Dakota.

Are you looking for a career to help people and nature? Guided by science, TNC creates innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that people and nature can thrive together.

By joining our Northern Great Plains grasslands team, you will become part of a group that is a force for nature, a force for people, and a force for our planet. Our team consists of a dedicated group who are leading the conservation effort on multiple fronts and who expertly bring strategy and action together. As part of the team, you will serve in a player/coach capacity, and be able to think strategically within a complex system (decentralized and geographically dispersed) and make decisions while considering multiple perspectives and effectively evaluating risk and opportunity.

• Minimum of BA/BS degree and 10 years' experience in conservation practice or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience designing, implementing, and directing a major, complex program or project of strategic importance, including managing finances, supervising multidisciplinary professionals and teams, and coordinating the work of partners with overall accountability for outcomes.
• Experience working with current trends and practices in discipline(s) and geographic regions relevant to this position.
• Supervisory experience, including recruiting, setting objectives, managing performance and supporting mentorship and professional development.
• Experience in partnership development with a diverse range of individuals and organizations including nonprofit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience networking with high level conservation contacts.
• Experience negotiating in complex, multi-stakeholder situations.
• Experience influencing, developing, and implementing conservation at the state or national level.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience conceiving and implementing strategic and creative initiatives.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of conservation issues across the Northern Great Plains.
• Experience and familiarity with rangeland agriculture.
• Experience negotiating and executing real estate transactions, including fee title acquisitions and conservation easements.
• Experience working with Tribal nations and indigenous communities.
• Experience influencing, developing, and implementing conservation strategy and plans.
• Experience with on-the-ground delivery of conservation practices.
• Experience with partnership development (e.g., NGOs, community groups, and government agencies).
• Experience with impact investments, conservation finance, and/or innovation process models.
• Experience leading complex projects that involve coordination across multiple states and regions, managing finances, supervising multidisciplinary professionals, and coordinating the work of multiple teams and/or initiatives.
• Experience integrating equity into the design and implementation of programs and/or projects.
• Multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience.

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!

TNC offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We're proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports of the health and well-being of the people we employ.

This position requires a valid driver's license and compliance with TNC's Auto Safety Program.

Employees may not drive Conservancy-owned/leased vehicles, rental cars, or personal vehicles on behalf of the Conservancy if considered "high risk drivers." To learn more about the Auto Safety Program, visit https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/careers/recruitment/ under the FAQ section.

Employment in this position will be contingent upon completion of a Vehicle Use Agreement, which may include a review of the prospective employee's motor vehicle record.

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $95,000-$121,000 for annual base salary. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate's actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate's location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.

To apply for job ID 56480, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

Our recruiting process is a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role, so we highly encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.

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 culture. 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 orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.

Do you have military experience? Visit our U.S. Military Skills Translator to match your military experience with our current job openings!

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC's value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we're registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we're unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.