Colorado Conservation Manager

Overview

About The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society (TWS) is the leading conservation organization working to protect America’s wild places and public lands for the health of local communities, wildlife, and climate. Founded in 1935, and now with more than one million members and supporters, The Wilderness Society has led the effort to permanently protect 111 million acres of wilderness and to ensure the sound management of America’s public lands. TWS is scaling up its work to address the existential threat of climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and deep inequities with access to the benefits of nature. TWS is working to achieve four major collective impact results: protecting 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030, transitioning off fossil fuel development on public lands to well-sited renewable energy, securing equitable access to public lands and their benefits, and building a critical mass of support for conservation of public lands.

The Wilderness Society recognizes the historic and ongoing injustices perpetrated against Indigenous peoples, particularly those perpetrated by traditional conservation organizations and is committed to being more conscientious and inclusive in our work. This includes working directly with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities to support conservation outcomes that respect the priorities and concerns of Tribes to ensure a more just and equitable future.

Position Overview
The Colorado Conservation Manager will play a key role in advancing TWS’ mission of uniting people to protect wild places and our vision to create a future where people and wild nature flourish together, meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing planet. The Manager plays a key role in developing and overseeing implementation of TWS’ projects and initiatives within the state, striving to position TWS as a trusted collaborator with partners and decision makers. In addition, the Manager will ensure TWS’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is part of our work in the state, including having equity embedded into the development and implementation of our state goals. This includes early and effective engagement with partners and, when possible, elevating communities that have been historically marginalized. This position will also cultivate existing relationships and further build a network to educate and influence decision-makers, media outlets, and opinion leaders on TWS’ work and priorities in the state.

The ideal candidate for this position is an experienced leader and strong project manager who works collaboratively and will contribute to seeing that TWS’s work in Colorado is well integrated across all parts of the organization. This person will bring strategic focus in helping to achieve the organization’s priorities in Colorado and ensure we approach our work in a manner that is equitable in terms of who benefits from conservation outcomes and inclusive in terms of the partners we engage.

This position plays an important role in supporting an inclusive organizational culture that is grounded in trust and accountability to shared goals and outcomes. TWS has made diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic priorities for the organization and the Colorado Conservation Manager will integrate these priorities throughout our work in the state. Across our team, we aspire to be campaign oriented, nimble, collaborative, innovative, transparent, and supportive of staff – our greatest asset.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Supports the development and execution of strategic program priorities for the state in furtherance of TWS’ overarching goals and vision, including place-based legislative and administrative conservation designation campaigns and national policy campaigns.
• Implement projects and initiatives in the state in order to position TWS as a trusted collaborator among partners and decision makers.
• Support TWS’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is part of our work in the state, including having equity embedded into the development and implementation of our state goals. This includes early and effective engagement with partners and, when possible, elevating communities that have been historically marginalized.
• Foster existing relationships and further build a network to educate and influence decision-makers, media outlets, and opinion leaders on TWS’ work and priorities in the state.
• Work effectively with Tribal Leaders and communities and a wide range of diverse interests, including but not limited to elected officials, agency staff, lawyers, scientists, members of industry (e.g., timber, mining, etc.), user groups (e.g., recreationalists, ranchers etc.) and grassroots activists.
• In coordination with the Colorado State Director, effectively engage with government relations, research, policy, communications, and fundraising experts at TWS to ensure our work in Colorado is well integrated with organizational priorities and fully utilizes TWS’ expertise and resources.
• Prepare written and visual materials such as fact sheets, blogs, action alerts, and other materials that demonstrate the importance of community-based conservation to the health, economic vitality, and quality of life for the people living in and around Colorado and across TWS’s priority landscapes.
• Assist in the development and implementation of large landscape conservation strategy for the state.
• Travel as needed in support of mission-critical activities (expected to be irregular, but up to 3-5 days per month on average, and may depend on location) to gain first-hand knowledge of public lands, plan and host events and site visits, and develop relationships with partners and key stakeholders throughout the region.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience working on or leading issue advocacy or political campaigns and/or working to advance public policy changes at the local, state or federal level.
• Successful track record of building relationships and collaborating with diverse stakeholders in an inclusive, transparent, and effective manner.
• Solid interpersonal skills that can be applied to complex issues, partnerships and coalitions.
• Strategic thinking skills and demonstrated ability to set goals and priorities, and to craft effective strategies.
• Good time management skills, with the ability to aptly balance short- and long-term demands.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to speak effectively in public with donors, partners, elected officials, and the media.
• Commitment to working with others in accomplishing our goals in an equitable and inclusive manner.
• Comfortable working independently with minimal supervision.
• Experience with public land issues and/or environmental policy preferred, but not required.

In addition to essential job qualifications TWS is looking for candidates who embody the following core competencies for this position:

• Cultural Competency & Inclusion: Demonstrates ability to work collaboratively with individuals that hold differing group identities and consistently integrates deep understanding of key equity concepts into work projects
• Self-Awareness: Ability to receive feedback to determine how to maximize strengths and compensate for weaknesses. Demonstrates awareness of one’s own biases, perceptions and gaps, and actively seeks ways to mitigate
• Collaboration: Consistently works collaboratively to achieve high-quality results and actively seeks the opinions, ideas and expertise of others and values opportunities to work across teams and inspires and motivates others to work collaboratively in pursuit of shared goals.
• Effective Communication: Demonstrated ability to actively listen, to impart thoughts, views, information, and ideas persuasively and respectfully. Adjusts communication style and format based on audience to ensure the key message is received.

The preferred location for this position is Denver, CO. Other areas in Colorado may be considered. The salary range for this position is $70,000 to $80,000 depending on experience and location. To apply please submit resume & cover letter by November 11th.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of experience, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.

The Wilderness Society offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, sick and vacation leave, paid parental leave, a sabbatical program; and a retirement plan. TWS is an equal opportunity employer and actively works to ensure fair treatment of our employees and constituents across culture, socioeconomic status, race, marital or family situation, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, veteran status or sexual orientation.

As an organization, we aspire to being inclusive in the work that we do, and in the kind of organization we are. Internally this means working as a team that listens to different points of view, recognizes the contributions of every employee and empowers each employee to bring their whole selves to work every day. Externally this means ensuring that public lands are inclusive and welcoming, so that our shared wildlands can help people and nature to thrive. We are committed to equity throughout our work, which we define as our commitment to realizing the promise of our public lands and ensuring that all can share in their universal benefits.

To learn more about our commitment, please see wilderness.org/our-c…ociety

Tagged as: advocacy, community organizing, conservation