Director of Land Conservation

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation • Missoula, MT

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Land Conservation is a leadership role responsible for providing direction and management for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s land conservation and access program. The role sets geospatial strategies, maintains strategic partnerships, and leads a team delivering priority projects such as real estate gifts, land acquisitions and conveyances, public access transactions, and voluntary conservation easements. The Director leads program management, direction, budgeting, and regional landscape plans in accordance with RMEF policies and applicable legal, compliance, and contract-management requirements, and establishes operational standards and practices as needed.

As part of the Mission Division, the Director sets clear goals for mission field staff and proactively maintains partnerships with external organizations and stakeholders. The position oversees program activities, data, and procedures; develops the project pipeline; coordinates across organizational divisions; leads grant strategy; and monitors budgets and financial impacts. The Director also represents RMEF’s land conservation and access program in conservation planning, stakeholder meetings, events, and other public or private functions.

The position is based at RMEF headquarters in Missoula, Montana, and reports to the Managing Director of Mission Operations. It supervises Land Conservation and Access staff and may occasionally supervise a contractor. The work includes office duties and travel, with evening or weekend work potentially required.

Requirements

• More than 5 years of professional experience managing a team in real estate, wildlife conservation, land/resource management, legal services, operations leadership, or an equivalent field.
• Bachelor’s degree in a natural-resources-related field or a related degree.
• Thorough knowledge of and support for RMEF’s mission, goals, organization, and activities, with the ability to promote them.
• Thorough knowledge and demonstrated experience with land realty transaction processes, legal requirements, required documentation, tax ramifications, and relationships among the parties involved.
• Critical-thinking skills to find innovative solutions to complex challenges, and experience developing partnerships with landowners and stakeholders.
• Strong experience working with local, state, and federal agencies, nonprofit land trusts, land-management contractors, and private landowners.
• Professional appearance and attitude.
• Ability to work independently without frequent direct supervision, remain focused on goals and objectives, and adapt to changing priorities.
• Fiscal responsibility.
• Ability to establish long-term goals and develop and implement cohesive, progressive, mission-priority-oriented projects.
• Ability to train, motivate, and educate department staff; strong supervisory, leadership, management, and team-building skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including creating documents and presentations and communicating with varied audiences.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Teams, ArcGIS, and NetSuite; fundamental understanding of relational databases and cloud file storage.
• Ability to manage and resolve conflict and handle stressful situations in a manner demonstrating leadership, supervision, and organizational management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and report to Executive Staff and the Board of Directors on RMEF’s land conservation and access program, ensuring technical expertise and compliance and communicating program impact and strategy.
• Lead and develop a high-performing conservation team, define roles and expectations, address challenges, and identify the resources needed to meet objectives.
• Develop and maintain program strategy and a pipeline of land conservation and access projects aligned with RMEF’s strategic and operating visions.
• Collaborate consistently with RMEF divisions to connect mission impact, science, support operations, legal, accounting and compliance, and revenue.
• Oversee program activities, data, and procedures in accordance with RMEF policies, industry standards, and regulations.
• Lead the Program team’s incoming grant strategy and collaborate with the Revenue Division on fundraising strategies.
• Prepare budget projections and monitor program financial impacts for quality and accuracy.
• Maintain productive relationships with conservation partners, landowners, agencies, and technical experts.
• Represent RMEF’s mission programs, particularly land conservation and access, in conservation priority planning and at stakeholder meetings and events.
• Represent RMEF at local, state, regional, national, public, and private functions as a speaker, participant, representative, or partner when requested.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.
• Supervise Land Conservation and Access staff and, occasionally, a contractor.

What This Job Offers

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