Salary Range:$70,000.00 To 84,000.00 Annually

To Apply: Please submit resume & cover letter by October 16th

Preferred Locations: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Washington State, Wyoming, or Appalachia Region.  Other locations may be negotiable. Salary will depend on location.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Regenerate: to generate or produce anew; to heal; to restore to original strength or properties; to change radically and for the better.

Economy: (Root). The management of home.

The Wilderness Society seeks a highly talented individual to manage an exciting and cutting-edge body of work alongside inter-disciplinary staff, partner organizations, and rural community leaders across the US.  The main objective of the Program Manager, Regenerative Economies (Just Transition) is to coordinate strategies and policy advocacy that support rural communities in realizing a “just transition” away from reliance on industrial natural resource extraction and towards more diversified, sustainable, and restorative economic and community development practices.  The position will serve as a liaison between community-based staff, local partners, policy experts, and policy strategists in efforts to promote equity and economic resilience as central components of The Wilderness Society’s (TWS) Regenerative Communities Program, under TWS’s Community-led Conservation Team.

Many rural communities with whom TWS works are experiencing significant economic challenges, social and political inequities, and barriers to enjoying the benefits of nature, and the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change are also felt viscerally in rural communities where economic and community well-being are often closely tied to land, water, and wildlife.  The transformative policy solutions required to confront these crises will cause significant additional economic transition in many communities reliant on natural resource extraction as a main industry.  The Regenerative Economies Manager will play a key coordination role to ensure that TWS staff and partners have the tools, resources, connections, and power-building strategies they need to integrate solutions to these community challenges into their conservation efforts, contributing to a TWS 10-year goal of “All People Benefitting Equitably from Public Lands.”

This position plays an important role in supporting an inclusive organizational culture that is grounded in trust and accountability to shared goals and outcomes. TWS has made diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic priorities for the organization and the Regenerative Economies Manager will integrate these priorities throughout our work.   Across our team, we aspire to be campaign-oriented, nimble, collaborative, innovative, transparent, and supportive of staff – our greatest asset.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Working closely with the Rural Communities Director, support development and implementation of a strategic plan for the TWS Regenerative Communities Program that incorporates just transition strategies, prioritizes meaningful relationships with rural community partners, develops tactics in response to dynamic community needs and priorities, and informs policy advocacy at local, state, and national levels.
• Build and maintain productive, respectful, and trust-based relationships with TWS rural community-based staff and rural community partners, coordinating closely with them to inform strategies, tools, and metrics for regenerative economies efforts and to ensure alignment with local needs and conditions.
• Develop functional knowledge of state and federal policies and policy proposals related to rural development, economic resilience, just transition, and other policy areas impacting TWS rural partner communities. Coordinate closely with Rural Communities Director, TWS Native Lands Team, and TWS Policy and Strategy Team.
• Build partnerships with external organizations focused on issues of economic resilience, just transition, rural equity, rural development, and other related issues.  Identify opportunities to collaborate on program and policy goals that will deliver tangible benefits in TWS rural partner communities and beyond.
• Participate in teams of cross-functional and inter-disciplinary TWS staff and consultants on issues closely related to TWS Regenerative Rural Communities Program, just transition, and rural equity, playing varied roles depending on context and need; at times leading, facilitating, coordinating, supporting, or advising.
• Coordinate with additional staff across TWS departments, including Philanthropy, External Affairs, Native Lands Team, Finance and Operations, and others as needed to advance TWS Community-led Conservation Team goals and support TWS’ Strategic Plan.
• Supervise interns and manage consultants and contracts in coordination with Rural Communities Director.
• Travel within the US to meet with CLC Team, TWS staff, consultants, and partners working on TWS Regenerative Communities Program.
• Manage a discretionary budget that supports multiple lines of work and projects in key landscapes and communities.
• Responsible for contributing to an inclusive and welcoming organizational culture by modeling key equity competencies including understanding of the foundations of equity such as implicit bias, White privilege, and group identities (and the cultural and historical context of those identities within the organization, nation, and world), and holding their staff accountable to equity competencies and how their actions impact TWS as an inclusive and equitable workplace.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 3-5 years demonstrated success in working with rural communities.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to work with a wide variety of individuals and organizations across lines of difference, from local communities to federal agencies, sovereign Tribal Nations, and elected officials.
• Demonstrated strong research and analysis skills
• Knowledgeable on issues related to regenerative economies, just transition, conservation, community/economic development, rural development, labor and workforce development, rural housing, and/or related issues.
• Undergraduate, graduate, and/or work experience in urban/rural planning, public policy, community/economic development, natural resource management or related field, with an interest in the environment, conservation, social justice, land use planning, advocacy, civic engagement, and/or community organizing.
• Demonstrated experience supervising interns and managing consultants/contracts.
• Exemplary skills in oral, written, and online communication
• Comfort with ambiguity, flexibility and adapting to shifting priorities and plans
• Comfort working independently, taking initiative, and creative problem-solving with minimal supervision
• Strong sense of personal accountability
• Track record working successfully in teams representing a rich mix of talent, backgrounds, and perspectives (i.e., gender identity, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic background)
• Ability to travel within the U.S.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.   Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is not exposed to adverse weather conditions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of experience, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.

TWS has instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all staff reporting to a TWS office or engaging in in-person work meetings.  There is an exception to the vaccine mandate for any staff who have an objection because of a medical or religious reason.  We will do our best to devise a reasonable accommodation that respects your objection while balancing the competing demands of your specific position.

The Wilderness Society offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance; sick and vacation leave; a sabbatical program; and a retirement plan.  TWS is an equal opportunity employer and actively works to ensure fair treatment of our employees and constituents across culture, socioeconomic status, race, marital or family situation, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, veteran status or sexual orientation.

As an organization, we aspire to being inclusive in the work that we do, and in the kind of organization we are.  Internally this means working as a team that listens to different points of view, recognizes the contributions of every employee and empowers each employee to bring their whole selves to work every day.  Externally this means ensuring that public lands are inclusive and welcoming, so that our shared wildlands can help people and nature to thrive.  We are committed to equity throughout our work, which we define as our commitment to realizing the promise of our public lands and ensuring that all can share in their universal benefits.

To learn more about our commitment, please see http://wilderness.org/our-commitment-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-wilderness-society