Director of Land Stewardship

Would you like to help conserve and restore redwood forests, wildlife habitat, and watersheds in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Are you an experienced land conservation steward, with deep expertise in forest management, who has built programs and can manage and inspire an engaged team? Are you interested in an important leadership role in a small but impactful organization with a long and storied history and a bright future? If yes to all, consider joining Sempervirens Fund’s dynamic, collegial, fun group.

ABOUT THE POSITION 

The Director of Land Stewardship oversees all aspects of Sempervirens Fund’s stewardship work, including: protection and restoration activities on over 13,000 acres of forest land owned by Sempervirens and across our portfolio of five conservation easements; influencing forest management on public lands and beyond to support climate resilience throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains; and directing a team of four full-time staff and numerous contractors. Sempervirens takes an ecologically based approach to forest management and restoration that includes the use of prescribed fire, mechanical thinning, and other activities to enhance long-term forest resilience and facilitate the development of old growth forest conditions. Sempervirens is now completing a multi-year strategic plan. It follows a period of substantial growth within the organization which is anticipated to continue. The Director of Land Stewardship will play a pivotal role in refining and implementing a bold, long-term vision for achieving the organization’s ambitious stewardship goals. Sempervirens accomplishes its mission through innovation and work done in deep partnership with California Native American Tribes; California State Parks, the Bureau of Land Management, and other government agencies; Resource Conservation Districts; non-profit organizations; scientific researchers; the timber industry and other private landowners. This spirit of partnership includes internal collaboration across Sempervirens’ different departments. This is a new senior position, reflecting the increased emphasis and importance of our Stewardship Program and signaling its anticipated expansion. It reports to the Executive Director and serves as a member of the senior leadership team, providing guidance and support to the organization overall.

Sempervirens Fund’s office is based in Mountain View, but we work to protect land throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains (which span Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties). This full-time, exempt position includes a Regus office membership; allowing the Director of Land Stewardship to work from a Regus location and/or remote-from-home. This position requires frequent time in the field and must be located within easy driving distance of the Santa Cruz Mountains. There are periodic evening and weekend duties.

SEMPERVIRENS FUND AND OUR COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE AND EQUITY 

Sempervirens Fund is California’s first land trust – next year we will celebrate our 125th anniversary. We are a private non-profit conservation organization that purchases natural lands and conservation easements to provide permanent protection to redwood forests but that also works to influence management practices more broadly in the region. We believe the Santa Cruz Mountain’s habitats, waterways, and resiliency are at risk without healthy, connected coast redwood forests. We also believe that all people should be able to access and enjoy these redwood forests. We are committed to an organizational culture that is welcoming, inclusive in its decision-making, and reflective of the diverse communities with which we work. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community members, and people with disabilities to apply for this and other open positions. Sempervirens Fund’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and justice is an integral part of our work, including our hiring practices. Sempervirens Fund is an equal-opportunity employer.

WE OFFER

• A collaborative and supportive team environment
• A work-life balance culture
• Family-friendly policies
• Employer-paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for the employee
• Thirteen paid holidays per year
• Five Floating Holidays per year
• Two weeks of vacation in your first year
• Twelve days of paid sick leave a year
• Employer retirement plan match of 6% of annual salary for the first five years and then 8% after that
• A remote-from-home work environment
• Access to Regus co-working spaces
• Cell phone and home internet stipend

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide expertise in restoration forestry, wildfire risk reduction, and general forest management practices and remain up-to-date with emerging science and best practices
• Design and oversee implementation of a vision and approach to stewardship and restoration activities on Sempervirens’ lands and beyond, including development of multi-year stewardship initiatives and accompanying goals/priorities
• Lead, inspire, and manage a team of four staff (i.e., Natural Resource Manager, Field Operations Manager, and 2 Land Stewardship Associates) to ensure individual and team success and foster a culture of inclusiveness, collaboration, innovation, and excellence
• Manage staff in developing and implementing stewardship plans and strategies for specific stewardship projects
• Oversee staff in the monitoring and enforcement of Sempervirens’ conservation easement portfolio
• Develop and oversee the program’s budget, to ensure the effective deployment of resources and identify future staff capacity and resource needs
• Provide expertise and input to the land acquisition team to inform land transaction efforts that involve stewardship obligations such as forest management and restoration
• Collaborate with the development team and grant writer to plan and design funding strategies, including large public and private grants, to support our stewardship and restoration work
• Partner with Chief Financial Officer to ensure proper tracking and utilization of grants and other restricted funding sources
• Work closely with the Director of Government Relations to ensure the organization is engaging effectively and strategically in the public policy realm to advance our goals
• Support the marketing and communications team to create stewardship-related content that educates our supporters, partners, and the public on complicated stewardship issues
• Attend events, speaking engagements and other opportunities to educate others about restoration forestry and the importance of land stewardship
• Develop and maintain close relationships and partnerships with California Native American Tribes, government agencies, other conservation organizations, the timber industry, and other private landowners
• Represent Sempervirens in collaborative regional groups such as the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network to collaborate on resource management issues and other topics of mutual concern
• Serve as a liaison to the Board of Directors, Land and Stewardship Committee, and Science Advisory Panel to ensure close communication with the organization’s volunteer leadership
• Ensure the organization complies with health and safety measures, and other best practices dictated by relevant laws and regulations and the standards of the Land Trust Alliance

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Deep knowledge of forest management and wildfire risk reduction
• Demonstrated understanding of land use planning techniques, best practices in responsible and effective land stewardship, critical ecological processes, and current regional issues and opportunities
• Able to plan, oversee, and work on complex projects with low level of supervision
• Superior written and oral communication skills including public speaking
• Superior organization and delegation skills
• Excellent collaborator and able to work with diverse stakeholders
• Forward looking and innovative
• Computer proficiency, including ArcGIS and Microsoft 365 Suite
• Ability to delegate tasks accordingly to consultants and staff
• Able to initiate fundraising and grant procurement efforts
• Ability to adapt, prioritize and effectively handle multiple tasks

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Arts or Science degree; Graduate degree preferred (or work-experience equivalent) with expertise in forestry, ecology and conservation land management
• Minimum 7 years in a leadership role in a Land Stewardship Program
• Ability to hike over rough terrain and perform strenuous outdoor activity
• Valid California Driver’s License and ability to drive a four-wheel drive vehicle over rough terrain
• Position requires moderate to heavy travel, typically on day trips to the Santa Cruz Mountains, as well as local travel to attend in-person meetings. Some evening and weekend work is expected.
• Must live within easy driving distance to the Santa Cruz Mountains

Reports to:  Executive Director

Location:  Remote within reasonable driving distance to access the Santa Cruz Mountains. Local travel also required for in-person meetings.

Salary Range:  $135,000 – $150,000

Position Classification:  Exempt

TO APPLY:

If this sounds like the right position for you, please email a cover letter (including where you heard about the position) and resume (as a PDF file if possible) to opportunity@sempervirens.org with the subject line “Your Name – Director of Land Stewardship”. Your cover letter should be 500 words or less and answer these two questions:

• What are the biggest challenges that forest managers in the Santa Cruz Mountains are facing?
• Give us a detailed example in which you took a stewardship program to its next level.

Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until 7/23/24, or until filled.