Alaska Director of Conservation

The Nature Conservancy • Juneau, AK

22h • $129,000 - $137,000

About The Position

What We Can Achieve Together: The Alaska Director of Conservation is a senior conservation leader who applies strategic, systems-level thinking to advance the Alaska Chapter’s relevance and impact on the state’s most pressing conservation challenges. They lead the chapter’s conservation work and team—including strategy development, project implementation, staff leadership, and scientific direction—to achieve Alaska’s and The Nature Conservancy’s broader strategic goals. Alaska represents one of the most extraordinary conservation opportunities on Earth. Unlike virtually anywhere else in the world, the vast majority of Alaska's landscapes remain ecologically intact. Less than 1% of the state has been significantly altered by human development. This means the Director of Conservation has the rare opportunity of working to conserve whole, functioning ecosystems before they are lost—not simply managing what remains. The scale of this work is unparalleled: few places on the planet offer conservationists the chance to operate at the scale that Alaska makes possible. This role is deeply connected to The Nature Conservancy’s Western U.S. & Canada Division, collaborating with colleagues across the division to ensure Alaska’s conservation priorities complement and advance divisional strategies and TNC’s 2030 Goals. Through these partnerships, the Director brings Alaska’s unique challenges, innovations, and opportunities into division-wide planning, knowledge sharing, and large landscape initiatives. While the Director works closely with chapter functions—fundraising, marketing and communications, government relations, operations, and finance—their primary responsibility is to lead conservation strategy and execution. The Director ensures that conservation work is effectively coordinated across functions so that chapter-wide strategies and initiatives are aligned and mutually reinforcing. The Alaska Chapter collaborates closely with Indigenous communities, Tribes, and tribal organizations. With nearly 40% of all federally recognized tribes in the United States located in Alaska, the state is home to one of the most diverse and vibrant concentrations of Indigenous peoples and cultures anywhere in the country. The Director will uphold TNC’s commitment to thoughtful, respectful partnership and relationship building across the state. We’re Looking for You: The Director of Conservation oversees all aspects of a significant conservation program area across a large and complex geography. They provide strategic leadership for conservation planning, establish conservation priorities, and ensure Alaska’s conservation strategies are aligned with both chapter and divisional goals. As the principal conservation contact, the Director engages government agencies; Tribes and tribal organizations; conservation partners; community groups; foundations; and academic institutions. They contribute to donor cultivation and stewardship in partnership with the philanthropy team and represent TNC as a spokesperson and scientific leader. Essential Functions: The Alaska Director of Conservation works closely with the Alaska State Director and the Director level leaders of Government Affairs, Finance and Operations, Marketing and Communications, and Philanthropy (collectively, the Leadership Team) to address chapter-wide opportunities and challenges. As supervisor to a professional conservation team, the Director will be a people-centered leader who cultivates a strong, collaborative team culture and ensures clarity on how the conservation team works in partnership with all functional teams to achieve both chapter and division-level goals. The Director partners with the State Director to manage and oversee special projects and initiatives, implement decisions, and identify issues that require escalation. They cultivate cooperative working relationships across the chapter—including staff, trustees, volunteers, community members, corporations, educational institutions, government partners, Tribes, tribal organizations, and conservation collaborators. Working closely with TNC colleagues across the Western U.S. & Canada Division and beyond, the Director contributes to ambitious, multijurisdictional outcomes in service of TNC’s global 2030 Goals. They incorporate TNC’s core values into all aspects of the chapter’s work.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree and 10 years’ experience in Alaskan conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience. (Please do not apply if you don’t have conservation or related experience directly in Alaska. This is required.)
• Experience engaging and partnering with Alaska Native communities, Tribes, and tribal organizations. (Please do not apply if you don't have direct or lived experience with Alaska Native communities. This is required.)
• Familiarity with social, cultural, economic and political conditions and issues in Alaska, including tribal nations and indigenous communities, practices, and values that guide and are integrated with natural resource management
• Strategic conservation thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset—able to see the big picture for Alaska and translate science into bold, actionable strategy.
• People supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
• Experience directing a major program or project of strategic importance, including management/supervision of multi-disciplinary teams and meeting deadlines.
• Experience partnering closely with fundraising and development staff to advance conservation funding goals, including engagement with donors in support of the chapter's work.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans at the state or country level.
• Experience managing program budgets, including working in environments where budgets are actively managed, may be resource-constrained, and every dollar is put to work strategically.
• Developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Ability to foster an environment of creativity and professional growth
• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives and experience conceiving and implementing strategic initiatives.
• Good communication and presentation skills.
• This position requires a valid driver's license and compliance with TNC’s Auto Safety Program. Employees may not drive Conservancy-owned/leased vehicles, rental cars, or personal vehicles on behalf of the Conservancy if considered "high risk drivers."
• Employment in this position will be contingent upon completion of a Vehicle Use Agreement, which may include a review of the prospective employee's motor vehicle record.

Responsibilities

• Leads the development and implementation of conservation strategies and initiatives across Alaska, applying scientific, strategic, and systems-level thinking.
• Directs and manages a multidisciplinary conservation team, fostering an inclusive, collaborative, high-performing culture.
• Establishes conservation priorities, disseminates best practices, and provides scientific leadership, analytical insight, and innovative methodologies.
• Serves as a principal conservation liaison, cultivating strategic relationships with Tribes, government agencies, NGOs, academia, donors, and private partners.
• Supports policy engagement by providing the scientific foundation for policy positions and collaborating closely with government relations staff.
• Negotiates complex or high-profile conservation agreements with partners and landowners.
• Collaborates with divisional colleagues across the Western U.S. & Canada on shared priorities, knowledge exchange, and whole system strategies.
• Integrates conservation expertise with other chapter functions by identifying and maximizing intersections between conservation opportunity and need.
• Develops and implements short and long-range goals and objectives for the conservation team in alignment with chapter and division goals.
• Creates procedures to enhance performance and effectiveness.
• As a member of the Alaska Leadership Team, develops and implements systems and processes that support high performance and alignment across chapter functions.
• Establishes and maintains performance standards within budget; evaluates program and project efficacy; and develops strategies to improve future results.
• Serves as a spokesperson, effectively presenting and articulating conservation work and outcomes to donors, trustees, partners, and other key audiences.
• Raises capital and operating funds from public and private sources.
• Supervises staff with responsibility for performance management, training, and development.
• Provides leadership and management to staff working to accomplish Alaska Chapter objectives.
• Assists staff across the chapter in analyzing issues through a conservation lens and providing scientific grounding for policy positions or communications.
• Negotiates complex, high profile, or sensitive agreements.
• Responds to time-sensitive matters while also managing complex, long-term initiatives.
• Participates in the formulation and evaluation of broad policies or long-term programs with organization-wide implications.
• Practices analytical, strategic, and systematic thinking.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level