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Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state and territorial affiliates and more than seven million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stripes. The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world. We advance this mission through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, advancing environmental justice, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

The Environmental Justice, Health and Community Revitalization, Conservation Program is committed to unraveling systems of oppression to achieve healthy, sustainable, and just communities by addressing environmental injustices that have overburdened low-income communities, communities of color, and Indigenous people by using our resources, cultivating strong partnerships, and prioritizing on-the-ground solutions that communities find value in.

To support our ability to connect frontline and fence-line communities with decision-makers on a national and international scale, we seek to hire an Associate Vice President (AVP) for Environmental Justice, Health and Community Revitalization, Conservation to join our team in Washington, D.C.

Job Summary

The AVP will serve as an internal leader, and a thought leader to the Vice President, and as a proxy when necessary. The AVP will play a critical role in shaping the direction and impact of our environmental justice work. This position will work closely with the Vice President and other senior leaders at NWF to develop and implement strategic plans, build partnerships, and oversee programmatic and operational activities. This position will supervise the Senior Program Manager and support all staff in the program. The AVP will also serve as a key representative of our organization in external settings in the absence of the Vice President. This position reports to the Vice President, Environmental Justice, Health and Community Revitalization, Conservation at the NWF.

Principal Duties (Major Areas of Responsibility):

Strategic Planning & Visioning

• Develop and implement strategic plans to advance our program’s mission and goals.
• Collaborate with the Vice President and other senior leaders at NWF to identify and pursue new opportunities for partnership, programming, and funding.
• Stay up-to-date on trends and best practices in environmental justice and related fields, and apply them to our work.

Leadership

• Provide leadership and guidance to programmatic and operational teams, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and strategies.
• Represent our organization in external settings, such as conferences, media interviews, and policy forums in the absence of the Vice President
• In conjunction with the Vice President, engage with partner organizations, funders, government officials, media contacts, and other diverse stakeholders to build relationships and leverage resources.
• Foster a culture of excellence, equity, inclusion, collaboration, and innovation across the program.
• Lead and consult with the National Director, Environmental Justice Strategy, the Environmental Justice Advisory Council on a regular basis to ensure the insights and perspectives of council members are integrated into the EJ program and across the Federation.

Program Implementation, Evaluation and Management

• With the Vice President, manage the Senior Program Manager, EJHCRC and all staff - current and future, as identified
• Support all staff members, including providing mentorship, feedback, and professional development opportunities.
• Guide strategy and work planning processes, with assistance from the Program Manager, and lead performance and impact management to ensure that the program meets its measures of success.
• Monitor and evaluate programmatic and operational activities to ensure that they are achieving intended outcomes and contributing to organizational goals.
• In conjunction with the Vice President, ensure that the program funding streams and grant agreements align with its values, theory of change and strategic plan.
• Serve as an integral member of program grants and funding committees and groups, including grant oversight where warranted.

Other Duties as Assigned

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following qualifications and competencies:

• Deep commitment to and experience with environmental and climate justice, while understanding the complex structural and institutional inequities that historically and currently play out in the conservation and environmental movements.
• At least 7 - 10 years of experience in environmental justice or related field, with a track record of leadership and impact and extensive experience working with environmental justice communities.
• Outstanding administrative and organizational skills, with a successful track record in managing multiple projects simultaneously, setting priorities, and keen analytic, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills;
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, partnership development, and fundraising for guiding rapid and significant programmatic growth, change and transformation, and investment in people and systems aligned with mission and values.
• Experience managing collaborative, cross-functional teams, with an ability to provide mentorship, feedback, evaluation, and professional development opportunities to inspire team members to innovate and achieve high impact.
• Expertise in developing collaborative, productive, respectful relationships with leaders and organizations representing grassroots, community-based organizations that integrate a culture of feedback and accountability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with an ability to identify and address complex issues, focusing on public policy.
• Ability to ensure the team has a deep level of discernment in identifying high impact and strategic action, from the program planning level to the daily decision-making level.
• A servant leader and communicator with a deep commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion as organizational practice and culture.
• Excellent conflict-resolution skills with an ability to prioritize, and collaborate with a variety of internal and external stakeholders and manage difficult situations;
• Excellent written and verbal communication, facilitation, and public speaking skills.
• Experience with results-based accountability frameworks, like DARCcI, and/or other tracking and measurement tools
• A clear and present sense of emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills, including strong interpersonal skills, a sense of humor, empathy, grace, compassion, and cultural humility.
• Motivated by and dedicated to advancing the principles of racial justice and equity in addressing climate change and environmental justice effectively.
• Aware of positional power and privilege, both personally and professionally, and its relationship to white dominant culture, systemic oppression, and hierarchies.
• Maintains a core ethos of excellence and growth in developing personally and professionally.

NWF Values:

Your actions are expected to reflect the staff values of the National Wildlife Federation: collaboration, mindfulness, empowerment, inclusivity, and mission focus. Your competencies should include:

• Being motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized;
• Consistently bringing a high level of empathy and social skills to work and interpersonal interactions;
• Being committed to deepening an environmental justice approach in policy priorities, program development and partner engagement;
• Actively seeks feedback, direction, and guidance from all team members and keeps staff informed of decisions that impact them;
• Being dedicated to advancing NWF’s internal equity transformation and compelling partners and allies to incorporate equity into their work; and
• Passion for and commitment to NWF's mission

Travel:

Frequent travel is required for the position - approximately 12 times per year.

Location and Work Mode:

This position is based out of our National Advocacy Center in Washington, DC. The National Wildlife Federation is committed to a flexible and empowered work environment with an authentic community of care for all staff. In this position, the employee may work in the office, in a hybrid manner, or fully remote, to be decided jointly with their supervisor in the final stages of the interview process.

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $125,000-$145,000, commensurate with experience.

We are proud of our designation by Mogul as a Top 100 Workplace with the Best Benefits! We value work-life balance and a family-friendly atmosphere with flexible scheduling. We want you to be able to integrate work and personal life with attention to your self-care, so that your work schedule is not depleting. We offer benefits so you feel restored and fueled through the day and week.

We offer these supports to help manage your mental, emotional, and physical health:

• Paid time off: Vacation that starts off at three weeks accrual, unlimited wellbeing (this time can be used for physical, spiritual, emotional, cultural, religious or financial wellbeing for yourself, a partner, or family member – including pets), and 10 holidays.
• We close down for a paid winter break between December 25 to January 1 to recognize end of-year stress, and time for reflection, rejuvenation, and spending time with family.
• Up to 16 weeks of fully paid Family and Medical Leave
• Low-cost health, dental, and vision insurance options – all outpatient mental health is covered at in-network rates
• Therapist available at no cost
• Pet insurance and discount perk program
• Annual wellbeing allowance

In addition to your salary, we offer the following supports to your personal finances:

• Retirement plan with immediate match and vesting
• Annual year end retirement contribution
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Adoption and Surrogacy assistance
• Pet adoption stipend
• Student Loan management

Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s benefits package at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

COVID Consideration:

The National Wildlife Federation closely follows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease and has implemented processes that promote the safety of our employees, candidates, and communities. Proof of vaccination will be required for employment at the National Wildlife Federation.

Application:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates should submit a cover letter and resume.

We strive to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world. We recruit, employ, train compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at nwf.org/equity.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job, therefore our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Your experience, which may include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, helps build the competencies and knowledge that translates to our openings. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of excellence. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions.

Please let us know if you require accommodations during the application or interview process by reaching us at hrhelp@nwf.org or 703-438-6244.

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.