Habitat Program Manager

The Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Greater San Diego County connects people to resources that strengthen the land, wildlife, and communities. We work across the majority of San Diego County on a variety of program areas, including wildfire resilience, climate-smart agriculture, education, pollinator habitat, and community garden management.

Through its habitat-focused programming, the RCD collaborates with a range of partners and land managers to facilitate projects that restore or enhance habitat for beneficial wildlife. This includes habitat restoration for threatened butterfly species as well as landscape-based restoration projects. In addition to on the ground restoration, the RCD also coordinates outreach and activities at the community level. 

The Program Manager is responsible for day-to-day oversight of the RCD’s habitat-focused programs, including grant writing and reporting, implementation, evaluation of deliverables, and staff supervision. They will also collaborate with other RCD program managers and the Executive Director on strategic planning and program development and implementation for these programmatic areas. The Program Manager is expected to develop and maintain good working relationships with diverse community stakeholders, organizations, and local resource agencies, and to represent the District at public events, meetings, and functions.

The Habitat Program Manager’s core work areas are as follows:

Habitat Program Management (80%)

• Manage and oversee all aspects of conservation and restoration projects, which may include habitat restoration design, planning, permit acquisition, implementation, project oversight, project verification, monitoring, contractor hiring and oversight, reporting, materials and supplies acquisition, and on-site consultation.
• Ensure compliance with project requirements for reporting and invoicing.
• Coordinate and collaborate with a broad array of RCD partner organizations, agency staff and landowners.
• Collaborate with the RCD’s agriculture team to support programs that include habitat elements.
• Coordination of community-focused pollinator habitat programs, supporting collaboration and project development.
• Development of new projects and funding sources to support habitat restoration, biodiversity, and outreach.

Outreach and communication (20%)

• Work across RCD teams to organize events and workshops; designing event fliers and outreach materials to promote habitat-related programs and activities.
• Ensure programs are represented in RCD communications (website, newsletters, social media)
• Maintain communication with existing partners, reaching out to stakeholders to develop new relationships, and representing the RCD at meetings or workshops.

Position requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in ecology, resource management, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Four years or more of previous work experience in a restoration-focused environment.
• Experience in staff supervision.
• Strong project management skills, including partner coordination and ensuring deliverables are met on time and within budget.
• Experience with grant writing and working on grant-funded projects.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating educational events, workshops, and stakeholder meetings.
• Active professional interest in ecology, agriculture, and environmental conservation.
• Enjoys educating and building relationships with stakeholders.
• Physically able to perform field work during all seasons and some inclement weather.
• Possess a current, valid California driver’s license.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
• Punctual, reliable and professional.
• Creative, sense of humor, “can do” spirit, flexible, passion for learning.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with NRCS conservation practices and federal and state conservation funding programs.
• Experience monitoring the impact of restoration projects.
• Experience with environmental compliance and permitting for restoration projects.
• Knowledge of land management practices to support pollinators.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus but not required.

Schedule and location: Working hours are generally flexible within normal business hours (between 8AM – 5PM). Workshops and virtual events may occur outside of normal working hours. Work is partially remote, with field visits at least one day per week and office meetings at least one day per week. The main RCD office is located in Lakeside. Workshops and field visits occur throughout San Diego County.