Project Manager – North American Collaborating with Wildlife Summit

The Project Manager for the North American Summit on Collaborating with Wildlife in Park Gateways (CW Summit) will be a crucial member of the Wildlife Restoration Foundation (WRF) team. This individual with play a lead role in managing the CW Summit Operative Team and project design and implementation and will work closely with the WRF President, Director of Operations, and CW Summit Operative Team to ensure the smooth execution of the Summit with sufficient resources, ample participation, and quality results.

The North American Summit on Collaborating with Wildlife™ in Park Gateways (CW Summit) is a place where practitioners and researchers bring active and conceptual Models and Methodologies (M&Ms) for collaborating with wildlife in park[1] gateway areas to ensure their survival amidst development, recreation, tourism, and other human practices in lands and waters surrounding parks. It uses WRF’s proven Summit mechanism for enabling these M&Ms to be informed, strengthened, and replicated through Workgroups and gain new partners and resources.

Summit Vision—A rebuilding of a lost legacy of abundant, healthy and genetically-diverse populations of native North American wildlife thriving amidst human communities bordering parks—woven into restored ecosystems, valued intrinsically as cultural heritage, and recognized as essential to long-term sustainability amidst competing human priorities. “Park” includes all kinds of areas set aside for wildlife, and can be federal, state, county, city or private parkland and waters including marine protected areas.

The CW Summit Project Manager, in collaboration with WRF leadership, will manage the Operative Team and conduct tasks generating all elements of the Summit including but not limited to content, logistics, fundraising, and onsite activities. The Project Manager will assist the WRF President in forming and sustaining partnerships and facilitate the CW Summit Organizing and Program Committees.

The CW Project Manager (PM) is required to designate 16-20 hours a week to WRF and agree to work with WRF through execution of the Summit (about 8 months) and be able to be onsite for Summit prep and proceedings. This PM role is intended for an individual who is a self-starter, ambitious, creative, productive, and dedicated to WRF’s mission and CW Summit vision. The CW Project Manager position is in part volunteer, but a monthly stipend is available based on resources and performance.

Key Position Responsibilities:

• Work with WRF Executive and CW Summit Operative Teams to develop all elements of the Summit
• Manage the various CW Summit subteams to develop the Summit
• Coordinate Model & Methodology collections and oversight of e-Workbook production
• Collaborate with the Program Committee and Organizing Committees to structure Summit content and agendas
• Oversee registration including attendee, exhibitor, and sponsorship management
• Creating a master timelines and database to ensure the efficient development of Summit to complete all deliverables.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, conservation sciences, and similar fields
• Proven experience in planning and executing large-scale events or conferences
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
• Proficiency in event management software and tools
• Familiarity with wildlife conservation issues, particularly those related to human-wildlife coexistence
• Passion for wildlife and conservation required!

The CW Summit Project Manager will report to the WRF President and Director of Operations. Hours are flexible within the week, but participation in CW Summit core team and vendor/venue meetings via Zoom is mandatory.