Sr. Manager, Southeast Forestry - Productivity

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state/territorial affiliates and more than six million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stripes. The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world. We advance this mission through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, advancing environmental justice, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

To support our mission, we are seeking a Senior Manager of Southeast Forestry – Productivity to join our Southeast Forestry team in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a 2-year term limited position that is grant-funded, with opportunities for extension based on job opportunities, performance and fundraising. Our SE Forestry team fundraises and oversees forest restoration projects across the historic longleaf pine range, with a specific focus on longleaf pine restoration on private lands, non-timber forest markets, community-owned forests, and working with collegiate students and campus forested properties.

The Senior Manager of Southeast Forestry - Productivity, in coordination with the Senior Director of Southeast Forestry, will play a pivotal role in developing and implementing a climate-smart, wildlife-friendly pine straw program for the Southeast Forestry program at the National Wildlife Federation. This program will focus on sustainable pine straw production and harvesting methods that minimize environmental impact while promoting biodiversity and mitigating climate change. The Senior Manager will also play an instrumental role in exploring the expansion of the Southeast Forestry program into additional focal areas of work including White Oak restoration and projects involving climate-smart practices such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity crediting.

Principle Duties (major areas of responsibility):

• Program Development:
• Work with partners to conduct thorough research on climate-smart forestry practices, wildlife habitat management, and sustainable pine straw production methods.
• Develop a comprehensive pine straw program that aligns with the SE Forestry Program's mission and conservation goals.
• Create detailed plans for wildlife-friendly pine straw harvesting, processing, and distribution.
• Lead development of a wildlife-friendly longleaf pine straw marketing program with diverse landowners, including minority and other historically underserved landowners
• Form and coordinate a landowner-led steering group, with other stakeholders from the longleaf community
• Explore and develop landowner mentorship, leadership and ownership models, possibly leading to the creation of a landowner marketing cooperative
• Form and coordinate clusters of landowners across the longleaf range
• Coordinate partners' economic research into wildlife-friendly pine straw production and harvesting
• Identify and develop consumer demand for wildlife-friendly longleaf pine straw with member-based and cooperative organizations
• Lead the development of promotional and marketing materials for wildlife-friendly pine straw
• Develop marketing channels that deliver premiums for landowners for harvesting wildlife-friendly pine straw
• Ensure the integrity of the conservation benefits of wildlife-friendly longleaf pine management and pine-straw harvesting through third-party inspections, certification, validation etc; lead the period updating of NWF's Wildlife-Friendly Pine Straw Harvesting Guidelines based on feedback from longleaf experts and partner organizations; and develop a program assessment and review process with external stakeholders
• Explore additional climate-smart, non-timber forest markets for forest landowners, including fundraising efforts to grow and expand programs
• Supervisory Roles:
• Oversee contractors and sub-grants with conservation partners, alliances, and universities, as assigned by the Senior Director of Southeast Forestry
• Climate Change Mitigation:
• Explore opportunities to incorporate carbon sequestration and biodiversity credit practices into the SE Forestry program.
• Promote the use of pine straw as a sustainable mulch to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Educate and advocate for the benefits of climate-smart forestry practices.
• Community Engagement:
• Collaborate with local communities, landowners, and stakeholders to promote the landowner mentorship and pine straw program.
• Educate the public about the importance of sustainable forestry and wildlife conservation.
• Build partnerships to support the program's goals and initiatives.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in forestry, environmental science, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in forestry management or a similar role.
• Strong knowledge of wildlife-friendly pine straw harvesting methods, sustainable forestry practices, wildlife habitat management, timber and non-timber supply and demand, forestry marketing skills, and climate-smart forestry practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• A passion for forest conservation and sustainability on private lands.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in forestry or a related field.
• Experience in developing and implementing conservation programs.
• Certification in sustainable forestry practices
• Marketing, business, and cooperative farming experience

Location and Work Mode: 

This position will be based in the Southeastern United States with preferences for: Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina or Florida. The National Wildlife Federation is committed to a flexible and empowered work environment with an authentic community of care for all staff.

Travel Requirements:

This position requires travel at approximately 20-30% within the Southeastern region, with occasional travel in the broader U.S. In this position, the employee may work in a hybrid manner, or fully remote, to be decided jointly with their supervisor in the final stages of the interview process. For more information on work modes, please review the benefits section of our careers page: https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers. 

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $80,000-$95,000 commensurate with experience.

Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s benefits package at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

Application:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates should submit a cover letter and resume.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of knowledge and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. Your experience, which may include paid and unpaid work, including volunteer work, helps build the competencies and knowledge that translates to our openings. Whether you’re new to the field, returning to work after a gap in your employment, or are taking the next step in your career path, if you believe you could excel in this role we encourage you to apply! Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of excellence. To be eligible for this role you must be a U.S. citizen or have valid work authorization to work in the U.S

Please let us know if you require accommodations during the application or interview process by reaching us at hrhelp@nwf.org  or 703-438-6244.

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.