Vice President, Science & Innovation, Resilient Forests

American Forests

3h•$160,000 - $180,000•Remote

About The Position

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer (CPO) for Resilient Forests, the Vice President (VP) of Science & Innovation leads the Science and Innovation vertical within the Resilient Forests program. This portfolio spans forest climate science and analytics, forest restoration science, program impact tracking, and programmatic innovations that advance new partnership models and restoration funding/finance. The VP leads a team of scientists and programmatic innovators to deliver analysis, tools, applied/operational forestry research, transformative partnerships, and scalable approaches that increase Resilient Forests’ impact. The role balances day-to-day leadership of a high-performing team with strategic leadership that strengthens cohesion and integration across the broader Resilient Forests program. In close collaboration with the VP of Resilient Reforestation (who oversees regional restoration programs), the VP of Science and Innovation leads matrixed workstreams across regions, including regional restoration plans and strategies, impact estimation and quantification, and outcome-based restoration funding and finance solutions. Together with the CPO, VP of Resilient Reforestation, and the Director of Strategy & Program Delivery, the VP helps guide the Resilient Forests Senior Program Leadership Team and drive progress toward annual goals aligned with long-range strategic plans.

Requirements

Master’s degree required, in environmental science, environmental management, forestry, environmental policy, restoration ecology, and/or nonprofit or public administration, with relevant nonprofit or business management coursework.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in a conservation-related field and at least 5 years in senior program management/leadership; strong preference for science program leadership and/or ecosystem markets experience.
Expertise in forest ecosystems, natural resource management, and/or ecological restoration is strongly preferred. (A combination of education and experience will be considered.)
Collaborative, empowering leadership style with strong attention to detail; able to mentor and support staff, build high-functioning teams, strengthen existing programs, and develop new initiatives.
Demonstrated success in technical program design and execution, with strong strategic thinking and decision-making skills.
Significant experience leading, fundraising for, and managing complex portfolios; familiarity with nonprofit management and comfort working across diverse program areas (e.g., outcome-based funding and restoration finance; threatened and endangered species conservation; forest landscape restoration; climate change adaptation).
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; effective spokesperson able to convey technical work, strategy, and impact clearly and concisely.
Demonstrated experience working with diverse public- and private-sector partners.
Awareness and understanding of Indigenous Knowledge systems.
Working knowledge of concepts, datasets, and tools related to forest adaptation to climate change.
Experience authoring, co-authoring, and/or reviewing peer-reviewed scientific or technical publications.
Familiarity with modeling and analysis of forest ecosystems, wildfire, watershed hydrology, forest carbon dynamics, and climate change impacts; and ecosystem service quantification tools/methods.
Knowledge of social science (including natural resource economics) is desired.

Responsibilities

Support program development and fundraising in partnership with the CPO, Philanthropy and Development teams, and Science and Innovation staff, including proposals and pitches.
Advance funding partnerships based on science-based estimations of the ecological benefits of forest restoration projects of the Resilient Forests program.
Serve as a public-facing leader at meetings, conferences, webinars, and on social media, delivering presentations, moderating discussions, and speaking publicly to share program stories, research findings, and the theories of change and interventions underpinning our Science & Innovation work.
Represent American Forests in major projects and partnerships advancing climate-adapted forestry leadership, such as the Forest Innovation Platform.
Collaborate on the development of science publications, reports, and tools.
Help develop and shape compelling messaging and communications products in collaboration with Resilient Forests’ leadership, the Marketing & Communications Department, and the GIS & Data Science Department, that deliver core products from our Science & Innovation vertical to key audiences.
Build and/or maintain strategic external partnerships that advance American Forests’ mission and Resilient Forests’ strategic objectives.
Attract, develop, mentor, and retain high-performing staff; empower team members to grow in their responsibility and impact.
Support a collaborative and creative culture within Resilient Forests and across American Forests, promoting science as foundational to our programs.
Lead Resilient Forests’ Science & Innovation vertical’s annual work planning, performance management, and long-range program planning in coordination with Senior Directors.
Ensure staff work plans and time allocations align with Resilient Forests’ priorities and budgets; coordinate with Finance and Operations to maintain accurate staff time allocations and budget execution.
Work with Senior Directors within the Science & Innovation vertical to develop and update program strategies aligned with American Forests’ strategic plan, including prioritization frameworks, goals, and key performance indicators.
Ensure program delivery is grounded in sound science and supported by clear, consistent impact metrics that are measured and reported in alignment with programmatic strategies.
Working with the CPO and VP of Resilient Reforestation, co-lead departmental budgeting and annual goal setting with the Senior Program Leadership Team.
Support staff developing and implementing systems for estimating and measuring ecological benefits of American Forests-funded and/or staff-implemented restoration projects.
Promote strong financial stewardship by partnering with Finance & Operations in the review of program/project financials and facilitating effective decision-making in projects under the Science & Innovation vertical.
Support excellent administration of grants and agreements; identify and support implementation of efficiencies for grants management and reporting.
Support the rollout and adoption of organizational policies, procedures, and systems in coordination with Finance & Operations and program leadership.
Promote accountability and consistency in the use of organization-wide budgeting, forecasting, and operational tools and processes.