The Maryland/DC chapter Deputy Executive Director is under the direction of and works closely with the Executive Director and provides strategic leadership and substantive management for the conservation agenda of the chapter. They oversee all aspects of the chapter’s conservation strategies that include: healthy cities, regenerative agriculture, resilient coasts, resilient forests and climate mitigation to ensure that conservation impacts support the climate and biodiversity 2030 global outcomes of The Conservancy. In addition to overseeing the main project areas and teams, they also supervise the government relations and policy group and the decision scientist.  They will be responsible for building strong internal and external Conservancy partnerships to ensure conservation strategies support local and regional efforts including work to protect, conserve and restore the Chesapeake Bay and Appalachian focal areas. The preferred location for this position is Maryland or DC.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Works in a large and complex operating unit (OU) where the size of the program has evolved to the point that the OU Director has delegated significant responsibility to one or more Associate Directors.  In this assistant or associate role, the individual directs and manages a significant segment of the Conservancy’s program and assures its capacity to effectively protect priority conservation sites in the OU or to provide program resources. May focus their work in one or more areas of the program, such as Conservation, Public Fundraising, External Affairs, etc., but has responsibility beyond that for program management and success. They must cultivate cooperative working partnerships with the OU director and other staff, chapter board, volunteers, citizens, corporations, educational institutions, government and private agencies and other conservation partners. 

Duties may include some or all of the following: 

• Developing and implementing short-and long-range conservation objectives
• Raising public and private capital and operating funds 
• Providing leadership and management to field office staff working to accomplish OU objectives
• Leading strategic planning process

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Extensive management experience including ability to motivate, lead, set objectives, and manage performance of a large multi-disciplinary team.  Keeps staff informed and expresses appreciation.  
• Proven managerial talent in budgeting, staffing, and performance management.  Delegates responsibility and authority to staff and clearly defines expectations.
• Ability to foster an environment of creativity and professional growth.
• Well organized and self-directed.  
• Proven technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment, and strong operational focus.  Demonstrated operational, implementation and detail-oriented perspective.
• Expert knowledge of current and evolving trends in conservation, government relations, fund raising and non-profit management.

COMPLEXITY/PROBLEM SOLVING:

• Proposes and implements procedures to enhance overall performance in accordance with short and long-term objectives.
• Negotiates complex high profile or sensitive agreements.  
• Highly diversified work involves participation in the formulation and evaluation of broad policies and/or long-term programs, or making decisions, which may have broad organizational impact.
• Directs major program of strategic importance to the Conservancy through management of multi-disciplinary teams.
• Practices analytical, strategic and systematic thinking.

DISCRETION/LATITUDE/DECISION-MAKING:

• Decisions are made independently with little or no opportunity for management collaboration or oversight.  Work is checked through consultation and agreement with others rather than by directives of superiors.
• Decisions may affect organization’s public image.  Errors in judgement could have wide scope and lasting effect.
• Decisions have maximum financial and/or legal impact on the organization.
• Able to assume executive director’s duties in their absence

RESPONSIBILITY/OVERSIGHT – FINANCIAL AND SUPERVISORY:

• Manages risk responsibly; assesses consequences of decisions prior to action
• Broad management and leadership responsibility.  Recruit, retain, and manage high quality and effective staff.    
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit major donors in support of program activities.  
• Significant responsibility for financial management of program, including setting financial goals, analyzing results, and taking corrective actions.
• Ensures that programmatic commitments, financial standards, and legal requirements are met.

COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:

• Must have ability to persuasively convey the mission & conservation priorities of TNC to diverse groups including major donors, corporate executives, board members, senior officials, partners and others who are critical to the organization’s overall prosperity. 
• Commands attention, can change tactics midstream, and manage group processes during presentations or discussions.
• Cultivates and develops constructive and effective relationships inside and outside the Conservancy.  
• Communicates professionally with a wide variety of people of diverse cultural professional and economic backgrounds for the purpose of developing, negotiating and/or implementing programs and projects.    
• Presents and represents the program and TNC’s vision in compelling, engaging manner to internal and external audiences as lead spokesperson; practices the Conservancy’s core values and respects differences in others.
• Delivers effective and persuasive speeches and presentations on controversial or complex topics to employee groups, managers at all levels, board members, and outside organizations.
• Exercises sensitivity to working in an advisory role with partner organizations.
• Directs, prepares, presents and/or participates in negotiations of project proposals with governmental, bilateral and/or multilateral agencies.  
• Works well under pressure.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Willingness to travel to organization-wide meetings and to project site offices.
• Flexibility to work long hours during deadline periods.
• Work requires only minor physical exertion and/or physical strain.  Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements.