Description

What We Can Achieve Together:

The California Executive Director is the senior leader and conservation strategist for a large, complex business unit in a global organization and plays an integral leadership role in TNC’s Pacific Division and the larger organization. The Pacific Division encompasses California, Hawai’i and Palmyra, Micronesia and Polynesia —a region of immense global importance for conserving biodiversity and addressing climate change for TNC’s 2030 Goals. In addition to representing California, this position will play a key role in national and global TNC priorities.

The Executive Director is responsible for leading the many facets of TNC California’s work, with a strong focus on fundraising, driving innovation, and people management. They lead a talented team of conservation, science, policy, fundraising, finance and operations staff with a strong commitment to innovation and impact.  The Executive Director will collaborate with peers across the Pacific Division in a leadership team that shapes the strategy, development, and execution of cross-boundary efforts within the division and globally, including the contribution of financial and/or human resources.

California is TNC’s largest state program and a key driver of innovation for the global organization. Over the past six decades, the program has protected 1.4 million acres, 5,000 miles of streams, and 3.8 million acres of ocean habitat in California, and the ambition to increase the pace, scale, and effectiveness of our conservation work has only grown. With approximately 300 employees, TNC California focuses on 4 main program areas—Climate, Land, Oceans, and Water—under a guiding framework of protecting and restoring nature to solve the world’s most pressing environmental problems. Program conservation goals include creating a network of wildlands across the state; reviving freshwater flows in rivers, streams, and aquifers; restoring abundance in our oceans; and protecting nature to combat climate change, all contributing towards making sure nature is abundant and resilient in a changing world. The California program has grown substantially in recent years, with expansions in geography, theme, and budget.

The Executive Director serves as the primary spokesperson for TNC in California to internal and external audiences (including public and private donors, media, the business community, the California Board of Trustees, community leaders and other partners, government agencies and officials and staff). They cultivate those audiences to support and promote TNC’s mission and vision. California is poised to continue to lead the global organization in delivering both conservation and fundraising results for TNC’s highest priorities across the world. As a part of the global organization’s $12B campaign, California has recently set a $1B campaign goal and is ready for a dynamic new leader to bring it to life. A key part of this role will be continuing to drive fundraising collaboration and integration with the broader organization, working closely with TNC’s global philanthropy team, CEO, Global Board of Directors and global executives from across the world to raise transformational gifts for the full suite of TNC’s work.

We’re Looking for You:

Are you looking for work you can believe in? At TNC we strive to embody a philosophy of Work that You Can Believe in where you can feel like you are making a difference every day. We’re looking for someone with strong experience in leading a talented, diverse, multi-disciplinary team.

You are a big-picture thinker who can inspire and empower your team to set and achieve big goals, try bold approaches and foster an environment that encourages innovation.  You articulate and align California’s strategies, programs, and projects with the larger TNC organization and contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by directing and shaping the work of California. A compelling storyteller and talented communicator, you successfully use these talents to fundraise, build consensus, and speak about TNC’s mission, vision and work—from a state, division, regional to global perspective. You have a demonstrated ability to drive results through your team by fostering an environment of trust, growth, and development. And you have an underlying passion and motivation of the positive impact and change you can make for nature and people in California and around the world.

Essential functions for this position include:

1. Lead, manage, inspire, and motivate a team of staff to collectively achieve the maximum contribution to the organization’s global mission.

2. Act as a key fundraiser in support of local, regional, and global outcomes by partnering with staff to engage donors, corporations, and foundations.

3. Engage and build a volunteer Board of Trustees that act as TNC ambassadors by actively fundraising, networking, and providing strategic leadership.

4. Represent TNC’s interests with key community members, specifically governmental leaders and agencies, partner organizations, corporations, foundations, and academic institutions, in order to cultivate and steward strong, cooperative partnerships.

5. Ensure the organizational health of the California chapter by stewarding a strategic conservation plan, program commitments, a $100 million budget and associated financial standards, and legal requirements.

6. Serve on the Pacific Division Leadership Team, which helps shape priorities and investments in TNC’s work across the Pacific.

Key information about TNC in California and this position:           

• Approximately five direct reports and 300 staff working across the state.
• Budget of $100 million and six offices across the state including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento.
• The California business unit is part of TNC’s Pacific Division which also includes Hawai’i and Palmyra, Micronesia and Polynesia
• The Executive Director reports to the Pacific Division Director.
• Routine travel expected throughout California, the Pacific region, nationally and globally; up to 40% at times

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelors or Graduate degree (preferred) in business, law, natural resource management or other relevant field and 10-12 years of senior level experience with an international conservation organization, or equivalent combination.
• Experience in leading and managing a large multi-disciplinary team, including managing senior level leaders.
• Experience in evaluating and/or negotiating complex, high profile or sensitive agreements.
• Experience working with the politics, society and environmental community of California and the Pacific
• Experience communicating with and presenting to diverse audiences including donors, board members, employees, outside partners, or equivalent.
• Experience in fundraising, including cultivation of major donors.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Multi-lingual skills and/or multi-cultural experience appreciated. 
• Proven experience to engage, motivate, lead, set objectives for a team of professionals.
• Ability to foster an environment of creativity and professional growth in a complex, multi-cultural environment.
• Excellent contacts throughout the state.
• Experience dealing with challenges, identifying important issues and conceiving and implementing strategic initiatives.
• Superb communication and presentation skills; ability to persuasively convey the mission of TNC programs and priorities to diverse groups, including donors, partners, Board members and others who are critical to the organization’s overall prosperity.

#LI-KM1

Salary Information:

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $310,000 – $350,000. 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 includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube or on Glassdoor. 

Our 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. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. In addition to the requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of inclusion! Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote myriad TNC staff members, “you’ll join for our mission, and you’ll stay for our 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.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character 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 applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.