JOB TITLE:
JOB FAMILY:
JOB NUMBER:
SALARY GRADE:
FLSA STATUS:
Reports to:
Location:
Conservation
250007
9
Exempt
North and Central Coast Regional Director
Monterey or San Francisco
Position Summary
The South Central Coast Project Director will provide leadership in developing and implementing a land protection vision and plan for the Southern Central Coast ecoregion of California.
Background
The Central Coast of California is a globally significant Mediterranean habitat area encompassing 13 million acres of oak woodlands, annual and native grasses, coastal wetlands, estuaries, riparian areas and a variety of other habitats. The South Central Coast, running from the Monterey Bay Area south to Santa Barbara, is no exception to this representation of diversity. It hosts a broad range of diverse species, including the California condor, steelhead trout, tule elk, giant kangaroo rat, San Joaquin kit fox, Monterey pine, peregrine falcon and blunt-nosed leopard lizard, as well as globally iconic landscapes, such as Monterey Bay, the Salinas River Valley
(aka America’s “salad bowl”), Big Sur, and the Carrizo Plain.
The South Central Coast also faces a broad array of threats to its biodiversity, including residential and commercial development, expansion of transportation and energy infrastructure, conversion of habitat to row crops and vineyards, and water diversion and depletion. The Conservancy seeks to build from its decades-long history in land protection in the area to strike a balance between farming, growth and development, and habitat protection and restoration. The area is well-poised to strike this balance, boasting leading institutions and centers of innovation in science, education, agriculture, industry, conservation and government that can be mobilized to support conservation for lasting impact in the ecoregion, across the state of California and beyond.
Position Description
The South Central Coast Project Director will report to the North and Central Coast Regional Director and will work closely with ecoregional ecologists and other project staff in the North and Central Coast Region. The
Project Director may have management responsibility for one or more staff members of the ecoregion, depending on the qualifications of the successful candidate. S/he will lead strategic land protection and restoration initiatives through local policy and partner engagement, direct land protection, and engagement with corporate and agricultural interests to foster farming and ranching practices that are compatible with priority habitat needs.
Priority habitat-related issues will include wildlife connectivity and floodplain and watershed management. Key geographies of focus for the Project Director will be the Monterey Bay watershed, Salinas River watershed, coastal San Luis Obispo and the Carrizo Plain.
S/he will assemble and lead teams of Conservancy science, project, policy and other staff to review and update visions and plans for focal geographies, engage stakeholders, funders and policymakers, execute on conservation strategies and monitor and assess progress. The Project Director will also track key threats and opportunities in the ecoregion, such as those related to food safety practices in the agricultural industry, renewable energy

development, transportation infrastructure, vineyard expansion, endangered species mitigation, and climate change, and will adapt land protection strategies with these issues in mind. S/he will work with the Regional
Director to leverage land protection projects in the ecoregion to have impact on the Conservancy’s broader statewide goals and priority initiatives to protect biodiversity, such as mainstreamining compatible agricultural practices, demonstrating nature-based climate adaptation, protecting watersheds for salmon and steelhead, and protecting migratory bird habitat.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
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Develop and execute a long-range, strategic land and water protection and restoration vision for vulnerable core habitats, landscapes, and wildlife corridors in the south Central Coast.
 Raise the Conservancy’s profile with non-traditional, conservative communities in priority geographies.
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Assemble and lead multi-disciplinary teams to achieve results.
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Advance high level internal and external partnerships with leaders in corporations, the agricultural community, agencies, conservation organizations, academic and research institutions and local politics.
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Establish Conservancy interests as priorities and engaging in local processes, such as watershed and floodplain management plans.
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Foster changes in corporate and agricultural industry practices that provide for both continued economic benefit to local communities and industry interests while protecting and restoring ecosystems and habitats that provide benefits to wildlife and to people.
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Assess, organize and prioritize land protection opportunities, strategies, and actions.
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Plan and execute land protection through real estate transactions and by merging real estate plans with policy and collaboration with working landscape partners, such as farmers and ranchers.
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Collaborate with science colleagues to develop high level scientific engagements that further the strategic land protection vision and goals for the area.
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Collaborate with philanthropy and marketing staff to develop and execute on a fundraising and marketing plan for land protection strategies.
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Work with finance to develop and manage budgets that support the strategic direction of the program.
Qualifications:
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BA/BS degree and 10 years experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
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Demonstrated success in directing a major program of strategic conservation importance through placebased action, including industry and agricultural engagement, agency and policy engagement and land transactions.
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Demonstrated experience in working collaboratively with the agricultural community to achieve conservation results.
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Experience in successfully leading, managing and serving on teams to set and achieve realistic, but ambitious results.
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Proven skill in engaging partners in government, industry, science and the NGO community and in developing and cultivating high-level conservation contacts.
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Demonstrated success in marketing and building support for conservation projects across a wide range of audiences, including trustees, donors, agencies, colleagues, partners and senior staff.
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Experience in collaborating with scientists and other conservation practitioners to complete assessments and develop focused conservation priorities.
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Knowledge of relevant current trends and practices in land protection, agriculture, floodplain and watershed management, conservation policy, conservation finance and land use.
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Experience in supporting fundraisers in developing fundraising plans, identifying donor prospects, and in donor cultivation.
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Developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
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Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives and experience conceiving and implementing strategic initiatives.

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Managing time, diverse activities, and multiple projects while delivering quality results on time.
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Demonstrated leadership and visionary qualities and able to work effectively with and through others in a decentralized and geographically dispersed organization.
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Proven effectiveness with interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.
WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:
The South Central Coast Project Director may work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances. These conditions may:
 require occasional physical exertion and/or muscular strain
 present occasional possibility of injury
 require long hours in isolated settings
This position may also:
 require frequent travel domestically and/or internationally
 require evening and weekend hours
Sasha Gennet, Ph.D.
Ecoregional Ecologist- Central Coast
The Nature Conservancy
California Field Office
201 Mission St., 4th Floor sgennet@tnc.org
(415) 385-7028 (Cell)
(415) 963-6604 (Office)
(415) 284-1499 (Fax)
San Francisco, CA 94105 nature.org