Global Director of Biodiversity Science

The Nature Conservancy•Copenhagen, VA

About The Position

The Global Director of Biodiversity Science (Director) is an exciting opportunity to lead a new science line within the Global Science team at TNC — a global conservation organization working in more than 80 countries. The Director will lead a small, biodiversity science team that serves as a core resource and integrative hub for scientists, practitioners, and partners across the Conservancy — setting and stewarding a bold scientific vision for biodiversity at TNC, and building the relationships, partnerships, and organizational will needed to bring that vision to life. The ideal candidate will be as gifted at building relationships as they are at doing science — with deep expertise in biodiversity science, a truly global perspective shaped by experience working across countries and regions, and a natural ability to convene and inspire across disciplines, cultures, and knowledge systems. They will be equally comfortable thinking at the horizon through scenario planning and futures thinking and working with regional teams around the world to co-develop the tools and evidence needed to demonstrate biodiversity outcomes on the ground. Core responsibilities span four areas: advancing TNC’s approach to biodiversity monitoring, indicators, and assessment, and supporting regional teams to design and demonstrate results; providing thought leadership and futures thinking — including scenario planning and forecasting; building embedded scientific capacity through sustained advisory relationships and cross-regional learning; and elevating TNC’s scientific engagement in global biodiversity governance arenas (e.g. IPBES, CBD). The Director will work in close collaboration with climate and social scientists to ensure the team’s work delivers the scientific foundation needed to advance our nature, climate, and people goals. The Director will also help position the organization to responsibly leverage emerging biodiversity technologies to advance TNC’s goals. In this role, the Director is expected to demonstrate leadership maturity, intellectual humility, and a commitment to continuous learning, recognizing that addressing complex, global biodiversity challenges require building internal and external collaborations, learning alongside peers and partners, and adapting approaches as new evidence and insights emerge. The Director will lead and oversee complex, multi-year, multi-region biodiversity science initiatives, coordinating across disciplines, geographies, and stakeholder groups, and ensuring projects remain scientifically rigorous, financially sound, and aligned with organizational priorities despite uncertainty and evolving conditions. The Director works closely with philanthropy staff and TNC leadership to identify, cultivate, and secure funding for biodiversity science, including leading or co-leading grant writing, donor proposals, and complex funding pitches, and persuasively communicating TNC’s science-based mission and biodiversity goals to donors, partners, and other key audiences. The ideal candidate is a leader and innovator who sees biodiversity science as core to delivering on TNC’s organizational goals for nature and people — someone who brings scientific credibility, a global perspective, and the cross-cultural relationships and leadership skills to make that vision real across a complex, highly matrixed organization. They should have strong collaborative science skills, experience leading interdisciplinary teams across geographies, a futures orientation, and genuine curiosity about the rapidly changing technological landscape for biodiversity science. Above all, they should have exceptional communication and networking skills, the ability to set a compelling vision and bring others into it, and the commitment to build lasting scientific capacity within TNC.

Requirements

PhD or equivalent advanced degree in biodiversity science or a related field, plus 8 years of related experience including supervisory experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
Supervisory experience, including coaching, setting objectives, and managing performance; comfort directing work that increasingly involves AI-assisted tools and automated systems
Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and scientific networking skills, including the ability to translate complex science for different audiences and cultivate high-value partnerships across sectors and geographies
Experience working across disciplines and knowledge systems, including with Indigenous science, social science, and biocultural knowledge colleagues
Genuine curiosity about rapidly evolving biodiversity science technologies, including AI-assisted tools and agentic systems, and an ability to guide their responsible application to conservation science

Nice To Haves

Experience writing grants and research proposals, directing complex multi-disciplinary research projects, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and international experience strongly preferred.
Experience with futures thinking, scenario planning, and global biodiversity governance arenas (e.g . IPBES, CBD), and a commitment to building scientific capacity within regions in which TNC works.

Responsibilities

Advancing TNC’s approach to biodiversity monitoring, indicators, and assessment, and supporting regional teams to design and demonstrate results
Providing thought leadership and futures thinking — including scenario planning and forecasting
Building embedded scientific capacity through sustained advisory relationships and cross-regional learning
Elevating TNC’s scientific engagement in global biodiversity governance arenas (e.g. IPBES, CBD)
Lead and oversee complex, multi-year, multi-region biodiversity science initiatives, coordinating across disciplines, geographies, and stakeholder groups, and ensuring projects remain scientifically rigorous, financially sound, and aligned with organizational priorities despite uncertainty and evolving conditions
Works closely with philanthropy staff and TNC leadership to identify, cultivate, and secure funding for biodiversity science, including leading or co-leading grant writing, donor proposals, and complex funding pitches, and persuasively communicating TNC’s science-based mission and biodiversity goals to donors, partners, and other key audiences.

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.

Stand Out From the Crowd

Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.

Upload and Match Resume