Career Opportunities
Canada Partnership Program Director
- Job Title: Canada Partnership Program Director
- Employer: The Nature Conservancy
- Location: U.S. or Canada
- System Job ID: 11114
- Internal Job #: 150024
- DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: Friday, July 3, 2009
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree and minimum of 7 years of experience, including experience as a leader in the conservation arena, non-profit sector, advocacy, or related for-profit area;
- Experience in leading and managing a large multi-disciplinary team;
- Written and verbal fluency in English required, French fluency a plus;
- Experience communicating with and presenting to diverse audiences including donors, board members, employees, outside partners, or equivalent; and
- Experience in fundraising and budget management.
Essential Qualifications:
A primary responsibility for the Canada Partnership Program Director is to develop and implement strategies for The Nature Conservancy (TNC)’s work in Canada including determining the appropriate staffing in support of the program’s near-term and long term objectives. Virtually all of TNC’s work in Canada is done in collaboration with in-country partners in the NGO, private and governmental sectors. Therefore, one key responsibility of the Director is to develop and maintain strong, mutually-supportive relationships between TNC and Canadian partners to ensure conservation success and to leverage the organization’s institutional knowledge, expertise and resources for conservation within Canada. Key partners include the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), the Canadian Boreal Initiative, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund-Canada, Turning Point Initiative, Tides Canada Foundation and the Rainforest Solutions Project, among others.
The Director functions as manager and conservation strategist, accountable for the operating unit’s success in implementing TNC’s conservation approach, producing measurable conservation results and maintaining organizational values. S/he supports alignment of activities by securing, coordinating, and configuring resources, capacity, and programs to address the most critical organization-wide projects, threats and strategies.
The Director oversees fundraising and marketing for the program, including approving budgets and setting priorities which dictate private and public fundraising goals. He/she supports philanthropy, resources and external affairs staff in the cultivation and direct solicitation of donors (private, bilateral and multilateral government) to meet fundraising goals. The Program’s fundraising includes a primary focus on the US philanthropic market as well as the successful implementation of TNC’s fundraising and conservation partnership with NCC. S/he also assists in-country partners to develop and implement funding and institution-strengthening strategies.
The Director is also responsible for supporting TNC’s global mission outside of Canada, working with colleagues and partners to advance conservation worldwide. This position reports to the Western Division Director of the North America Region.
Knowledge/Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree and minimum of seven to ten years experience as a proven leader in the conservation arena, non-profit sector, advocacy, or related for-profit area, including demonstrated experience producing results and meeting program/department/partnership goals;
- Extensive management experience including ability to motivate, lead, set objectives, and manage performance of a large multi-disciplinary team across multiple offices and geographies;
- Demonstrated success as an inspirational leader who has successfully motivated staff and partners to achieve and sustain excellence. Proven managerial talent in budgeting, staffing, and performance management;
- High energy, forward thinking, creative individual with high ethical standards. Outstanding leadership and visionary qualities and able to work effectively with and through others in a decentralized and geographically dispersed organization;
- A track record as a collaborative leader producing outstanding results.
- Proven technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment, and strong operational focus. Demonstrated operational, implementation and detail-oriented perspective;
- Understanding of Canadian political system and government, as well as high degree of sensitivity and familiarity with Canadian culture and mores;
- Demonstrated commitment to developing and practicing global literacy; and
- Successful experience in marketing or fund raising and familiarity with TNC’s conservation approach.
Complexity/Problem Solving:
- Proposes and implements procedures to enhance overall performance in accordance with short- and long-term objectives;
- Participates in the formulation and evaluation of broad policies and/or long-term programs, or making decisions, which typically have broad organizational impact; and
- Directs major program of strategic importance to the Conservancy through management of multi-disciplinary teams.
Direction/Latitude/Decision-Making:
- Makes decisions independently with little or no opportunity for management collaboration or oversight;
- Decisions may affect organization’s public image; and
- Decisions may have maximum financial and/or legal impact on the organization.
Reponsibility/Oversight-Financial & Supervisory
- Recruits, retains, and manages high-quality and effective staff;
- Assumes overall responsibility for philanthropy activities and goals of the Operating Unit;
- Accepts philanthropic responsibility for organization-wide project/programs;
- Ensures that programmatic commitments, financial standards, and legal requirements are met; and
- Assumes responsibility and leadership for conservation results for local, regional and global priorities.
Communications/Interpersonal Contacts:
- Superb communication and presentation skills required; must have ability to persuasively convey the mission & conservation priorities of TNC to diverse groups including major donors, corporate executives, board members, partners and others who are critical to the organization’s overall mission and success;
- Cultivates and develops constructive and effective relationships inside and outside the Conservancy;
- Communicates professionally with a wide variety of people of diverse cultural, professional, and economic backgrounds for the purpose of developing, negotiating and/or implementing programs and projects;
- Presents and represents the program and TNC’s vision in compelling, engaging manner to internal and external audiences as lead spokesperson;
- Delivers effective and persuasive speeches and presentations on controversial or complex topics to employee groups, managers at all levels, board members, and outside organizations;
- Exercises sensitivity and a true sense of partnership in working collaboratively with partner organizations; and
- Directs, prepares, presents and/or participates in negotiations of project proposals with governmental, bilateral and/or multilateral agencies.
Working Conditions/Physical Effort:
- Willingness and ability to travel routinely throughout the operating unit and elsewhere as required;
- Flexibility to work long hours during deadline periods; and
- Work requires only minor physical exertion and/or physical strain. Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements.
Job Location
- Location is negotiable; major Canadian or Northern U.S. cities preferred. Physical location in Canada or the United States required.
How to Apply:
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, July 3, 2009
Internal applicants: Please apply to Job #11114 in PeopleSoft Self Service. If you experience difficulty in applying, email recruiting@tnc.org for assistance.
External applicants: Please apply to Job #11114 at www.nature.org/careers. If you experience difficulty, please email jobs@tnc.org and indicate CDN in subject line.