Director of Lands Programs

Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DU), the world’s leading waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization, and its supporting organization, Wetlands America Trust, Inc. (WAT), one of the nation’s largest accredited land trusts, are seeking qualified candidates for a Director of Lands Programs to join a dynamic team of professionals located throughout the United States. DU is an accredited land trust (i.e., WAT) with a portfolio of more than 600 conservation easements conserving over 500,000 acres and a revolving feet-titled portfolio of over 27,000 acres. 

The successful candidate will join our talented and growing lands program team and will have the opportunity to participate in conservation efforts across some of the nation’s most coveted landscapes. The position is responsible for providing strategic leadership, oversight, and advancement of DU’s Lands Programs for our 21-state Great Lakes Atlantic Region (GLAR). The selected candidate will exercise broad discretion in managing and coordinating a diverse portfolio of activities to achieve established land conservation goals and program objectives. 

Location and Travel: The preferred location for this position is in our GLAR office, Dexter, MI, or in one of our field offices. Regional focused travel is required with some travel to DU Headquarters, Memphis TN. 

The position will support a growing lands team and have direct supervision of a minimum of 2-3 initiative focused lands staff which will include mentoring, performance feedback, staff development, and workload management. This position will report directly to the Managing Director of Conservation Programs with additional oversight. 

Salary: Negotiable with qualifications and experience.

Responsibilities include:

• Cooperates with national and regional Directors to develop strategic planning and regional goal setting through development and implementation of regional lands strategies, annual priorities, acreage/protection targets, and initiative plans.
• Collaborates with partners, landowners, and internal teams to support outreach, education, and land conservation efforts, including acquisitions, easements, and other innovative strategies, while advancing land protection goals, policy, and funding initiatives.
• Works with partners, landowners, and regional lands staff on all aspects of land transactions for fee title acquisitions and dispositions, conservation and mitigation program easement acquisitions, and other land protection tools, including drafting and reviewing contracts such as purchase agreements and deeds of conservation easement, reviewing due diligence materials, tracking associated funding, and coordinating transaction closings with regional staff and outside parties.
• Assists with the development and revision of agreements, contracts, and other legal templates in support of DU’s national strategies to accelerate and expand permanent land protection and conservation.
• Ensures DU’s land protection efforts comply with federal and state statutes, all internal guidelines and policies, as well as accreditation standards of the Land Trust Alliance.
• Cross-departmental collaboration with regional and national lands program staff, legal, GIS, policy, development, communication and conservation delivery teams in the development of land protection projects, priorities, and conservation plans, as well as updates to national land program operations.
• Assists with monitoring and managing the GLAR conservation easement portfolio including easement enforcement and administration. Assist regional biologists with stewardship of conservation easements and landowners to ensure compliance with easement terms.
• Coordinates with regional and national staff to respond to threats to DU’s conservation easement portfolio posed by utility/transmission expansions, condemnation proceedings, road development, etc.
• Supports the regional lands budget and works closely with the Director of Conservation Services, and Directors of Conservation Programs to enhance business planning, improve program efficiencies, and ensure that annual lands program budgets are developed in a fiscally responsible manner and delivered on schedule. May lead public and private fundraising initiatives in coordination with fundraising and development staff.
• Serves as a member of the GLAR Director’s Team to help provide overall direction for the region, assist in key decisions, and help develop staff technical and leadership skills.

Qualifications:

Knowledge of and significant experience managing conservation programs or real estate portfolios involving a variety of land transactions. Typically has 5-10 years of progressively more responsible relevant work experience and a bachelor’s degree in non-profit administration, land use planning, real estate, biology, natural resource management, environmental science, business, finance, agricultural economics, or a related discipline. Advanced degree in a related field is preferable but not required. Experience supervising staff is preferred. Familiarity with lands protection project tracking software, such as Landscape, is an asset.