The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire seeks an accomplished conservation leader and proven manager to serve as Director of Conservation Strategy. The Director serves as the chapter’s chief conservation officer and is responsible for leading, directing, coordinating and overseeing conservation strategy and initiatives.

The Director of Conservation Strategy leads a team of highly skilled professionals to develop and deliver conservation initiatives that advance TNC’s vision of creating a resilient and sustainable future for people and nature, with a focus on conserving priority landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes within the context of TNC’s New Hampshire Chapter, Northeast Division, and Global priorities. They provide conservation vision and leadership; facilitate development of high-level strategy; foster consideration of diversity and equity in conservation practice; evaluate program effectiveness; resource and empower staff; trouble-shoot barriers; manage nimbly and adaptively; and communicate and coordinate to ensure results. The Director serves as a key liaison with state, federal, NGO and science partners, and works collaboratively with colleagues across TNC’s Northeast Division, North America Region and other programs.

The Director of Conservation Strategy is a member of the chapter’s leadership team and is supervised by the New Hampshire Chapter State Director.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Director of Conservation Strategy partners with the State Director and other staff to build a positive, collaborative, equitable, integrated, and disciplined approach to achieve conservation impact at a scale and pace that matters. They direct and manage the chapter’s conservation program, assuring its capacity to advance conservation priorities. They have primary responsibility for establishing the overall conservation priorities of the chapter and will oversee the development and implementation of specific strategies and initiatives designed to achieve those priorities. The Director supervises the conservation team and will have overall responsibility for developing and/or coordinating strategy, implementing work plans, evaluating outcomes and adjusting priorities to ensure successful short-range, intermediate and long-lasting results. They will be responsible for financial management of the conservation program including developing and overseeing program and project budgets. They work with the State Director and other members of the NH Chapter leadership team to coordinate on cross-cutting work priorities across multiple functions within the NH program and TNC’s Northeast Division.

Key responsibilities & scope:

• Conservation Vision and Leadership
  • Develop and communicate clear and compelling vision for our conservation effort, ensuring alignment of New Hampshire’s conservation program with the overall framework of the Conservancy’s global, regional and divisional goals and priorities.
  • Lead and coordinate conservation strategy and initiatives for land, freshwater, marine & climate adaptation.
  • Represent conservation program on NH Chapter leadership team, helping to build a positive, collaborative, and integrated approach and contributing to overall Chapter direction and leadership.
• People and Team Management
  • Inspire, guide and supervise a high-performing team of conservation professionals and maintain staff commitment, performance, and well-being.
  • Provide clear, concise, and timely communication, guidance and decision-making.
  • Build clarity and consensus around goals and measures, and promote cross-functional collaboration to empower staff to implement projects with a high degree of understanding and accountability.
  • Foster an open and inclusive environment and encourage team to be active participants in diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings, learning opportunities, and initiatives.
• Oversee Conservation Strategy Development and Implementation
  • Connect science to strategy by cultivating inquiry and understanding of what conservation and social science is telling us about where and how we should work.
  • Help program managers bring vision and strategies to execution, including aligning resources, skills, and capacity to priorities.
  • Serve as a catalyst for creative approaches and ideas, encouraging big-thinking and responsibly managing risk.
  • Identify opportunities to scale and replicate strategies for greater impact.
  • Support and lead on incorporating dimensions of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in conservation planning, science, strategy and projects.
  • Foster porous boundaries and collaboration across land, freshwater, marine, and adaptation program areas.
• Ambassador and Influencer
  • Represent TNC with trustees, partners, donors, stakeholders, government officials, community leaders, media, and opinion shapers to promote support for TNC’s conservation priorities in a complex socio-economic and political landscape. 
  • Communicate effectively to varied audiences to promote engagement, collaboration and support. 
  • Support State Director in actively engaging NH Chapter Board of Trustees including as staff liaison with the Trustee Conservation Committee.
  • Financial management and fundraising support
  • Responsible for financial management of program, including developing and tracking operating and project budgets with program managers.
  • Work closely with project managers and philanthropy team to secure public and private funding.
  • Lead or support on development of innovative conservation finance mechanisms.