About Us

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we are committed to a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 79 countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

Position Summary

This is an exciting decade to be a part of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as we rapidly expand the representative, effective, and durable protection of biodiversity and living carbon reserves, through unprecedented collaborations and powerful, permanent deal structures. These innovative deal structures include private transactions of lands and waters and resource rights, debt conversion initiatives, and Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) approaches, all with the goal of durable and lasting protection for nature while providing community development benefits for people. Working in partnership with global to local governments, indigenous partners and local communities, and other NGOs, the Global Director, Durable Protection Strategies will continue to innovate and scale-up these protection approaches. They will lead multi-stakeholder participatory conservation and financial planning, establish long-term sustainable financing, and secure approval and buy-in by all stakeholders to ensure that terrestrial, freshwater and marine conservation can endure in perpetuity. Building on TNC’s legacy of establishing the first two PFPs globally (Great Bear Rainforest and Forever Costa Rica), the Director will grow and oversee a program focused on advancing PFP and other innovative finance opportunities within TNC’s priority areas and galvanizing TNCs technical, political, and philanthropic resources in support of the initiatives. They will also play a leadership role in a new, large-scale, multi-NGO Partnership to accelerate the pace and implementation of PFPs and will ensure TNC’s effective participation in that collaboration. The Director will report to the Global Managing Director, Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters and as an inspirational leader and skilled supervisor, will build and support a team to advance our Durable Protection work. They build relationships and work across The Nature Conservancy to advance these deals from concept to closing and implementation. The location for this position is negotiable within countries where TNC is an already established entity (existing TNC office).

Minimum Qualifications

• BA/BS degree and 12 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundraising experience, including identifying large (>1 Million USD) donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience in partnership development with global non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience designing, implementing, and directing complex or multiple projects of strategic importance and creative initiatives, including managing finances, a multidisciplinary team of professionals and coordinating the work of various partners while meeting deadlines.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance of direct reports
• Experience working with current trends and practices with public conservation deals and political negotiations.
• Experience developing, managing, and stewarding complex partnerships and collaborative initiatives with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Experience networking with high-level contacts in government, environment, and finance sectors.
• Experience negotiating and influencing.
• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s or higher degree and 15 years of experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with protected area or protected area system design and management.
• Fundraising success of large gifts/grants (>1 Million US Dollars).
• Experience developing and implementing conservation policy and plans
• Experience designing, closing, and/or implementing conservation finance and conservation trust funds (PFP) strongly preferred.
• Experience developing social or economic development programs for communities tied to conservation initiatives.
• Experience working with methods and standards of biodiversity and protected area information systems and initiatives.
• Experience building new teams and/or programs.
• Knowledge of politics, economics and society with respect to environmental policy and initiatives.
• Strong communication skills; communicates clearly via written, spoken and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
• Demonstrated leadership and visionary qualities and ability to work effectively with, and through others, in a decentralized and geographically dispersed organization.
• Politically savvy.