South Carolina Forest Recovery Director

The Nature Conservancy•GEO / Remote - South Carolina, SC

8d•$65,000 - $70,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The South Carolina Forest Recovery Director will manage a total budget of approximately $4 million over a five-year term to deliver large-scale forest recovery and restoration projects in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service. Their work will focus on implementing a forest restoration scope of work under a five-year Hurricane Helene Recovery and Restoration agreement with the U.S. Forest Service on the Long Cane and Andrew Pickens Ranger Districts. The Director will establish and manage a team of four professional fire and forest restoration specialists. They will be responsible for performance management, professional development, training, mentorship, and career growth while fostering a collaborative, effective, and supportive team environment. The Director will also work collaboratively with contractors and partners engaged in forest restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, prescribed fire, and post-storm recovery activities across the project area. Working closely with the U.S. Forest Service, the South Carolina Forest Recovery Director will help identify and prioritize recovery and restoration opportunities, coordinate silvicultural and prescribed fire projects, troubleshoot implementation challenges, and deliver results while maintaining strong relationships with local communities and partner organizations. During the five-year term, they will strategically sequence recovery and restoration activities to maintain a steady pipeline of work and maximize the ecological and operational benefits of recovery investments. They will have administrative oversight of the agreement, including budget management, grant administration, compliance, and required reporting. Projects will focus on restoring healthy, resilient, forest ecosystems affected by Hurricane Helene through prescribed fire, silvicultural treatments, invasive species management, habitat improvement, and other forest restoration practices. Success in this role will require expertise in project planning, resource coordination, implementation, monitoring, adaptive management, and evaluation of restoration outcomes. The South Carolina Forest Recovery Director will bring technical expertise in forest restoration and, ideally, prescribed fire management, allowing them to provide strategic guidance and implementation support to the broader team. The South Carolina Forest Recovery Director will also oversee and coordinate the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network, serving as a regional leader in advancing collaborative fire management and forest restoration across the Southern Appalachians. Responsibilities will include facilitating peer learning, sharing lessons from project implementation, supporting collaborative planning, and cultivating strategic and authentic relationships among federal, state, Tribal, academic, nonprofit, and private-sector partners. Through this work, the Director will help strengthen regional capacity for prescribed fire and forest restoration and advance landscape-scale conservation objectives across the Southern Blue Ridge. The South Carolina Forest Recovery Director will report to the South Carolina Director of Forest Conservation. They will work closely with The Nature Conservancy’s Forest Restoration Team and other key staff in South Carolina, as well as colleagues and partners across the Southern Appalachian region. They will connect on-the-ground recovery and restoration work in South Carolina with broader regional strategies by contributing technical expertise, practical lessons, and collaborative leadership that advance forest resilience throughout the Southern Appalachians.

Requirements

BA/BS degree and 5 years’ experience in natural resource management, including forestry, terrestrial ecology, fire ecology or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads and finances under deadlines.
Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance of professional employees.
Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
Experience negotiating.
Must be able to obtain the qualifications for Wildland Fire Fighter Type 2 (FFT2) (See TNC Fire Management Manual), including meeting the physical fitness standard of moderate or arduous (See TNC Physical Fitness Testing).
Must have valid Driver’s License and be willing to travel to project sites.
Experience performing physical work outdoors in all conditions.
Experience using Microsoft Office; Outlook, Word, Excel, GPS and ArcGIS and/or similar applications.
This position requires a valid driver's license and compliance with TNC’s Auto Safety Program.
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.

Nice To Haves

5-7 years’ experience in Southern Appalachian Forest systems or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven track record of project management and organization of large scale, multi-year projects, including collaborative project sequencing and meeting deliverables on deadline.
Demonstrated experience influencing and developing collaborative priorities, for example between US Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy.
Significant, demonstrated partnership building with non-profits, government agencies, and other stakeholders to achieve outcomes.
Experienced team leader.
Experience with prescribed fire and other forest restoration practices.
Qualified as a single resource boss preferred (Engine Boss (ENGB), Firing Boss (FIRB), and/or Crew Boss (CRWB)).
Other helpful qualifications include Resource Advisor (READ), Fire Effects Monitor (FEMO), Public Information Officer (PIO), and Squad Boss (FFT1).
Knowledge of current US Forest Service policies, procedures, practices, and systems.
Demonstrated experience in public grant management and/or private fundraising.
Creativity to develop innovative and novel solutions to management challenges.
Experience communicating with excellence via written, spoken, and graphical means.
Politically savvy.
Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.

Responsibilities

Manage a total budget of approximately $4 million over a five-year term to deliver large-scale forest recovery and restoration projects in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service.
Implement a forest restoration scope of work under a five-year Hurricane Helene Recovery and Restoration agreement with the U.S. Forest Service on the Long Cane and Andrew Pickens Ranger Districts.
Establish and manage a team of four professional fire and forest restoration specialists, including performance management, professional development, training, mentorship, and career growth.
Work collaboratively with contractors and partners engaged in forest restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, prescribed fire, and post-storm recovery activities.
Identify and prioritize recovery and restoration opportunities.
Coordinate silvicultural and prescribed fire projects.
Troubleshoot implementation challenges and deliver results.
Maintain strong relationships with local communities and partner organizations.
Strategically sequence recovery and restoration activities to maintain a steady pipeline of work and maximize ecological and operational benefits.
Provide administrative oversight of the agreement, including budget management, grant administration, compliance, and required reporting.
Oversee and coordinate the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network.
Facilitate peer learning, share lessons from project implementation, support collaborative planning, and cultivate strategic relationships among partners.
Strengthen regional capacity for prescribed fire and forest restoration.
Advance landscape-scale conservation objectives across the Southern Blue Ridge.
Connect on-the-ground recovery and restoration work in South Carolina with broader regional strategies.
Contribute technical expertise, practical lessons, and collaborative leadership that advance forest resilience throughout the Southern Appalachians.