This position can be located in any of the states located in the Great Plains Division region. They include Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

#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."

The Freshwater Conservation Director establishes the Conservancy as a major conservation partner within the area of responsibility; defines conservation priorities and long-term conservation strategies; builds strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field; and develops key partnerships with public and private organizations to identify and resolve technical issues and to widely communicate solutions and best practices. By applying a broad understanding of freshwater strategies, the Director develops innovative scientific methods, analyses, tools, and frameworks to address the natural system needs; engage local community support for local efforts and build broader and more effectual constituency for conservation; and negotiate complex and innovative solutions with government agencies, landowners, and partners to conserve and protect freshwater resources and the communities they support. They also assist Great Plains Business Units and related programs in establishing the enabling conditions necessary for advancement of division strategies and help with identifying, advancing, and scaling successful initiatives across the Division and North America. The Director informs and oversees development of strategic conservation and policy recommendations to maximize contributions towards TNC's 2030 goals. They ensure effective communication and build relationships with Great Plains BUs and with the North America Region. They manage the annual planning and portfolio management cycle for the Resilient and Connected Freshwater sub-portfolio (strategy, portfolio, and budget review), identifying key milestones and measures and reports of success for the year.

The Director works with dedicated support from Business Units and Programs within the Great Plains Division and across Whole Systems/Divisions to:

1) Establish annual programmatic work plans based on resources and funding. Provide high-level oversight and integration of the portfolio of priority freshwater strategies and identify opportunities to scale these strategies across the Division.
2) Identify, evaluate, and prepare cross strategy and/or cross geography public grant opportunities.
3) Develop and monitor the Freshwater budget.
4) Incorporate scientific methods, analyses, tools, and frameworks to achieve desired outcomes.
5) Address division-wide gaps in support impacting strategy implementation (e.g. deployment of short-term resource needs).
6) Evaluate the freshwater program holistically across all division geographies and bodies of work and makes portfolio recommendations to leadership on portfolio refinements.
7) Monitor the sub- portfolio's contributions toward the 2030 goals.

The Director works with the philanthropy team to support donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship for the program and plays a lead role in public and private fundraising for the program. The Director is responsible for working collaboratively with high level TNC staff and high-level state and external partners to increase and leverage partner capacity and accelerate strategy implementation.

They serve as a liaison to TNC North America and Global on efforts involving the alignment of TNC's freshwater work to meet the organization's 2030 goals.

This position can be located in any of the states located in the Great Plains Division region. They include Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• This position requires cross-boundary work and relationships throughout the Great Plains Division and states in adjacent divisions.
• May supervise staff at remote locations.
• Establishes and maintains optimal performance standards within budget.
• Writes proposals for grant/contract funding for project and program support.
• Frequently makes independent strategic decisions based on analysis, ambiguous information and context.
• Negotiates complex agreements with multiple disparate partners in complicated and potentially discordant social, political, and ecological environments.
• Shares science and lessons learned and promotes our organization and conservation within the Conservancy and to a broad range of others including non-government and government organizations and agencies, legislators, corporations, local communities, and the general public.
• Frequent travels domestically and possibly internationally and works some evening and weekend hours.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Other duties as assigned.

• BA/BS degree and 7 years' experience in conservation practice or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation
• Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including managing finances and coordinating the work of other professionals and partners.
• 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 negotiating.
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means including persuade, and influence with the appropriate level of detail, tone, and opportunities for feedback.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 8-12 years' experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience specifically related to water quantity/environmental flows projects
• Demonstrated experience influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans.
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and region.
• Ability to develop practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives or related field.
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
• Politically savvy.

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 $94,900 - $127,800 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 56253, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/ by 11:59 PM EST on February 24, 2025. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

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.