Southern Appalachian Forest Recovery Program Manager

National Forest Foundation (NFF) is pleased to offer an exempt, full-time position that will provide programmatic leadership and technical support to successfully plan, develop, implement, and manage a complex portfolio of forest recovery, restoration, and forest resilience projects. The Forest Recovery Program Manager will facilitate collaborative efforts, manage complex funding mechanisms, oversee project implementation and contracts, potentially supervise program staff, and work collaboratively with NFF’s technical advisory teams, contracted forestry consultants, and the U.S. Forest Service.

 

About the NFF: As the official national partner to the US Forest Service (USFS), the National Forest Foundation was chartered by Congress in 1990. Today, the NFF advances forest resiliency, healthy watersheds and wildlife habitat, and recreation for all by working with communities and organizations across the country. The Foundation has grown significantly in the last few years in programmatic impact, revenue and support, and organizational capacity. NFF leads with impact, deploying roughly 90% of its expenses towards projects and programs across the country’s 193-million-acre National Forest System. NFF is forward-thinking and innovative, with ambitious strategies and goals to advance and prepare forests for a new economy.

 

Position Function: The Southern Appalachian Forest Recovery Program Manager reports directly to the Southern Region Director. This position provides facilitation, project management, program development, and forest recovery support for collaborative forest stewardship and conservation efforts in the southern Appalachians. The incumbent is responsible for planning for project implementation, overseeing and supporting complex contracts, and working directly with contractors and consultants conducting assessments, restoration planning, and related forest recovery work. The incumbent will provide support for forest restoration and reforestation projects, working in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, NFF colleagues, and partner organizations. The incumbent may hire, supervise, and mentor program staff and will navigate complex partnership relationships and work independently to build programs consistent with strategic priorities.

 

Initial priorities include supporting projects aimed at restoring forests heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene. The position will work with the U.S. Forest Service, contractors, consultants, and partners to assess forest conditions, develop restoration plans and treatment recommendations, identify desired future conditions and the actions needed to move priority sites toward those conditions, and support implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

 

Position Duties and Responsibilities: The Southern Appalachian Forest Recovery Program Manager is responsible for the following duties:

Forest Recovery Planning

• Work closely with the U.S. Forest Service, NFF colleagues, and contracted forestry consultants to develop and expand NFF’s scope of forest recovery and reforestation work in the southern Appalachians, with an initial focus on National Forests in North Carolina.
• Work closely with the Forest Service, forestry consultants, and partners to identify and prioritize watersheds, landscapes, and restorations sites; understand forest recovery needs; and translate technical assessments and recommendations into forest recovery and reforestation strategies and actionable projects.
• Work directly with the Forest Service, contractors and consultants on site assessments, forest inventories, restoration plans, treatment recommendations; help define desired future conditions and identify the actions, treatment sequencing, and monitoring needed to move priority landscapes and sites toward those conditions.
• Develop and advance forest recovery opportunities from early identification and assessment through technically defined, implementation-ready projects, including helping establish restoration objectives, treatment approaches, sequencing, scopes of work, and other information needed to transition projects into implementation.
• Lead collaborative development of field team strategies and work plans.
• Communicate forest recovery conditions, restoration strategies, and project recommendations effectively with U.S. Forest Service counterparts, contractors, consultants, partners, and funders.
• Leverage GIS datasets to support project planning, implementation, progress reporting, technical summaries, and communication materials for funders and agency partners.

Program & Project Management

• Work with the U.S. Forest Service to manage and track large-scale funding agreements associated with forest restoration and recreation improvement projects.
• Manage a strategic portfolio of forestry projects through their full life cycle, including project planning technical planning conducted with forestry specialists, contracting, budgeting, on-the-ground implementation, and coordination with various partners.
• Oversee the advertising, negotiation, and awarding of contracts for services related to project implementation.
• Work directly with contractors, consultants, nonprofit organizations, agency partners, and/or private landowners to coordinate the on-the-ground implementation of stewardship projects.
• Manage program and project budgets and reporting associated with agreements and contracts with federal, state, local governments, and contractor services.
• Support and supervise program staff, potentially including a Coordinator, by helping develop scopes of work, providing networking and fundraising support, and professional development guidance.
• In coordination with NFF GIS, Impact, and other NFF teams, collect, analyze, and report project and impact information.

Partnerships, Facilitation & Staff Leadership

• Provide collaborative conservation expertise and facilitation support for priority regional initiatives.
• Draft and revise meeting agendas and facilitation-related meeting materials.
• Build and maintain close and mutually beneficial relationships among federal and state agency partners, local government, tribal partners, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector partners to carry out effective collaborative partnerships.
• Expand existing partnerships with local U.S. Forest Service partners.
• Work with the NFF Advancement and Marketing teams to support project fundraising and engaging storytelling efforts that enhance awareness of forest recovery and reforestation.

education and Qualifications: NFF expects the Southern Appalachian Forest Recovery Program Manager to possess the following educational and experiential qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree in conservation, forestry, ecology, natural resource management, planning, landscape design, environmental science, or related field; professional certification; or equivalent experience that demonstrates a working knowledge of forestry and renewable resource management.
• Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in forestry, ecological restoration, reforestation, conservation program management, project planning, and/or coordinating project implementation, including experience with field-based restoration or forest management activities, preferably on federal lands.
• Knowledge of southern Appalachian and southeastern forest ecosystems, native tree species, and silvicultural practices, and reforestation needs and challenges, especially on National Forest System lands.
• Experience leading project planning, accomplishment, and budget tracking, and project operations management that involve multiple implementation partners, contractors, contracts for services, and funding sources.
• Experience supervising and managing project-level staff.
• Demonstrated success coordinating multiple projects simultaneously.
• Experience facilitating, building consensus, and securing agreements in collaborative processes that involve the U.S. Forest Service or other land management agencies.
• Familiarity with federal land management practices, especially U.S. Forest Service procedures.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and administrative skills.
• Strong writing skills and public speaking experience.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Abilities and Skills: NFF expects the Southern Appalachian Forest Recovery Program Manager to possess the following proven abilities and skills:

• Ability and drive for continuous learning and improvement.
• Ability to understand and clearly communicate about forest restoration projects.
• Ability to act as a contract administrator and liaison between project contractors and the U.S. Forest Service.
• Proficiency with GIS, GPS, and data management systems.
• Ability to work with a wide range of people with differing and sometimes conflicting opinions, and to always maintain neutrality.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly, work in outdoor conditions, and maintain a flexible work schedule, including participation in weekend and evening events.
• Ability to work well and be flexible in a team-oriented environment.
• Ability to represent the NFF clearly and professionally through excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• A strong attention to detail, with skill in working in a timely and well-organized fashion.
• A valid U.S. Driver’s License and clean driving record, as frequent travel to remote work sites is required.

 

Location: The location for this position is within the Southern Appalachians, with a strong preference for a community in western North Carolina. Applicants must be able to travel regularly within the national forests throughout the Southern Appalachian region. This position is a remote/work-from-home position and requires reliable internet access and a dedicated workspace.

 

Compensation: NFF offers a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects our total rewards strategy. The salary range for this position is $95,000 with the ability to grow to $118,750 based on performance over time. Starting salary within this range is determined by a combination of experience, internal equity with comparable roles, and organizational budget, and is assessed annually as part of NFF’s compensation review process.

 

Benefits: NFF is proud to offer our staff:

Health and Wellness:

• Medical and dental insurance paid at 75% by the organization for you and any dependents.
• Vision insurance paid 50% by the organization for you and any dependents.
• Health savings account (HSA) with employer contributions between $1,878-$3,750 per year, predicated on coverage type.
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA).
• Employee assistance program (EAP) at no cost.

Financial Wellbeing:

• 403(b) retirement plan with a 5% employer match after one (1) year of service.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance at no cost.
• Basic life and AD&D insurance at no cost, with voluntary life insurance options.
• Whole life insurance at a discounted rate

Flexibility and time off:

• Employees start with 35 days of annual leave, sick leave, personal leave and holidays (annual leave accrual rates increase with years of service)
• Family & medical leave for up to sixteen (16) weeks with up to four (4) weeks paid.

Personal Development:

• Training & Development Programs
• Professional development reimbursement for up to $1,000 per year.

Journey of a Lifetime:

• The opportunity to support an incredible mission and travel to / work in spectacular locations.

 

To Apply: Applications must include both a cover letter and resume. Incomplete packages will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting will close on October 30th, or earlier if filled. Please visit our careers site to apply online.

 

The National Forest Foundation is an equal opportunity employer – meaning we provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law. Further, we prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, and termination. We strive to foster a work environment where every individual is respected, valued, and treated fairly. This statement reflects our unwavering dedication to fairness, respect, and equality in employment practices and sets the foundation for a positive work environment.

 

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