The Associate Director of Conservation provides technical and program support to Conservancy field operations in Aotearoa New Zealand. They serve as the principle contact to government agencies, other conservation organizations, foundations and the academic community on specific programs or initiatives. They establish TNC as a major conservation partner within the areas of responsibility, define conservation priorities in the areas of responsibility, lead and manage a team which supports and improves conservation efforts, and build strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field. The ADoC develops key partnerships with public & private organizations in order to identify and resolve technical issues and to widely communicate solutions and best practices, develops innovative scientific methods, analyses, tools, and frameworks to address the natural system needs, and engages local community support for local conservation efforts. They negotiate complex and innovative solutions with government agencies and landowners to conserve and protect natural communities and develop and implement conservation strategies.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Programmatic scope requires cross-boundary work and relationships.
- Supervises staff at remote locations.
- Establishes and maintains optimal performance standards within budget.
- Writes requests for proposal (RFPs) for grant/contract funding for program.
- Frequently makes independently strategic decision based on analysis, ambiguous information and context.
- Negotiates complex agreements, in a political environment.
- May be responsible for leading or co-leading a whole system program or initiative.
- Frequent travel domestically and/or internationally, and occasionally evening and weekend hours.
- May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.