What We Can Achieve Together:

The Water Policy Accelerator Program Director will be responsible for managing the operation and scaling the impact of the Water Policy Accelerator, initially within the Nature Conservancy and potentially in the future with external partners. They will be responsible for:

• Designing a strategy: The WPA faces critical strategic questions around the best path towards rapidly scaling impact on state policy. The Program Director will lead the ongoing and iterative process of creating a strategy that identifies new issue area expansion, developing service offerings to meet demand, and balancing the WPA’s need to be responsive to emergent issues while advancing long-term initiatives. They will work collaboratively with conservation and government relations staff to do this.

• Leading the team: The Program Director will directly manage the existing WPA team and be responsible for identifying necessary new hires. They will oversee team operations to ensure operational rigor, efficiency, and high-quality outputs. They will foster a collaborative and positive working environment.

• Developing products & services: The WPA has embraced a product & service approach for delivering value to internal partners. The Program Director will enable the identification, incubation, and development of new products and services with an eye towards scalability and replication.

• Building key partnerships and fostering collaboration: Given the North America Region (NAR) emphasis on leveraging state policy to achieve conservation outcomes, the WPA is a key partner to many in pursuing these goals. The Program Director will be the key liaison and informational point of contact with other TNC programs & teams, and inspire a highly-networked WPA team that can cultivate new projects and opportunities. This will include management of the WPA’s advisors and collaboration with the North America Policy and Government Relations team, state government relation professionals, and the Global Conservation Campaigns team.

Responsibilities & Scope

• Design and lead collaborative, complex, and diversified projects, coordinating the work of other professionals, managing budget, and ensuring accountability.

• Work proactively towards implementing organizational and departmental strategic goals.

• Direct or participate in negotiations for complex, high profile or sensitive agreements.

• Ensure compliance with TNC policies and procedures and external (donor/legal/IRS) requirements; decisions may have organization-wide impact and bind the organization financially or legally.

• Facilitate strategic dialogues with senior-level stakeholders, in order to articulate a vision, synthesize and vet plan of action, identify key issues, develop potential solutions, and implement plans to deliver targeted outcomes.

• Lead new programs/initiatives that will ensure program and organization-wide goals and strategies are achieved.

• Maintain confidentiality of frequently sensitive and emotionally charged information.

• Manage and implement strategic initiatives with broad impact by collaborating with key stakeholders to enhance overall performance in accordance with short and long-term objectives.

• Act independently and resolve complex issues within scope.

• May develop and administer budget, evaluate results, and develop corrective strategies, as needed.

• Supervise one or more administrative or professional staff, including training, professional development, establishing clear directions, setting “stretch” objectives, and overseeing execution of day-to-day work.

• Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain.

• Travel expectations are approximately 25% of the time and may vary from external conferences, team retreats, and strategy planning with state chapters.

• Work hours may vary to coordinate with staff in multiple time zones.

This is a full-time, remote position based at a home office within the US. It is term limited to 2-years; however, an extension may be possible as more funding becomes available.

We’re Looking for You:

The Water Policy Accelerator (WPA) is a newly emerging center of excellence within The Nature Conservancy’s North America Agriculture program and is designed to enable the acceleration of state policy solutions for TNC’s water conservation goals across the United States. The WPA Program Director will be responsible for leading the WPA team, including strategic scaling of the WPA beyond its current scope, new product development, and team operations, growth, performance, and management.

The WPA was created to facilitate the discovery of policy opportunities and the design of new policy at the intersection of water and agriculture. As a partnership between the North America Agriculture Program and the Global Conservation Campaigns Team, the WPA has been able to achieve success in its initial proof-of-concept phase through its coordinated support of state wetlands policy response and forward-looking research into the effectiveness of state nutrient reduction policies. To build upon this success, the WPA is ready and has received leadership approval to scale its capacity and expertise to provide policy research and design for a broader suite of water policy issues.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree and 7 years related experience; or equivalent combination, including 2 years in process management.

• Experience developing and managing multiple cross-functional projects.

• Experience with current and evolving technology and tools related to business process management.

• Experience with organizational change management principles and techniques.

• Experience working with cross-functional teams across multiple organizational levels.

• Experience, coursework, or other training in principles, practices, and procedures of relevant field.

Salary Information:

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $97,000 to $130,000 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.

Who We Are:

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s many reasons to love life inside TNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. In addition to the requirements in our job postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job and consider each applicant’s unique experience. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and stay for the people.”

What We Bring:

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 and Perks here.

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

Our recruiting process includes a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we may 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 equal employment opportunity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization 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 [email protected] with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.