Senior Forester

New England Forestry Foundation

The New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) stands at a pivotal moment of opportunity for advancing cutting edge forest-based climate solutions across New England and beyond. NEFF is an advocate for forest-climate solutions; a generator of new information and science on how Exemplary Forestry can advance the integrated goals of ecological health, forest carbon, and a dynamic bioeconomy; a conservation landowner that actively manages forestland; and an active collaborator in support of ecologically aligned forestry.

This position will focus on how climate-smart forestry can be implemented across New England and as a national and international model for climate-smart forestry on private lands. The Senior Forester will lead NEFF’s overall Exemplary Forestry program to design, implement, assess and monitor progress towards our vision of implementing Exemplary Forestry practices across New England in service of climate and ecological outcomes.

The USDA recently awarded NEFF a $30 million grant under their Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (CSC) program for the New England Climate-Smart Commodities Partnership project. This program represents an unprecedented opportunity to pilot scalable, carbon-saving forest management practices as part of a systems approach including forestland protection, wildland preservation and building with wood to store carbon and displace carbon-intensive materials. Through this program, NEFF will define and implement a groundbreaking and nationally relevant pilot program in New England to build a climate-smart, forest-based economy as a powerful tool for climate action.

Position Summary

The Senior Forester will lead NEFF’s Forestry Team including regional and national (and potentially global) efforts to advance Exemplary Forestry as a powerful natural climate solution. The Senior Forester will be a member of NEFF’s senior leadership team and supervise a team of 3-5 science and forestry staff to design, implement, monitor and assess implementation of relevant NEFF programs. This position will lead efforts to bring Exemplary Forestry to NEFF’s extensive forestlands and work with NEFF staff, external partners, forest landowners to support on-the-ground implementation of our overall Exemplary Forestry program objectives.

A primary focus of this position will be design and implementation of NEFF’s USDA-funded Climate- Smart Commodities Partnership project as integrated with NEFF’s ongoing and overarching forestry and climate mitigation work. Work will involve each of the three main areas of NEFF’s CSC program, including design and implementation of climate-smart incentives; monitoring, verification and reporting; and support for climate-smart sourcing for wood markets. All areas of work will be conducted in coordination with project partners and based on expert inputs across project elements.

The Senior Forester will work under the direction of NEFF’s Deputy Director & Climate Fellow. Location is flexible across the New England region, but regular presence in Maine will be a significant component of the position.

Duties & Responsibilities

Lead NEFF’s Forestry Team
The Senior Forester will lead NEFF’s overall Exemplary Forestry program to design, implement, assess and monitor progress towards our vision of implementing Exemplary Forestry practices across New England and beyond in service of climate and ecological outcomes. This will include:

• Participate as member of NEFF’s Senior Leadership Team to implement and integrate Exemplary Forestry programs and help bring this potent nature-based climate solution to scale across the region.
• Leadership of NEFF’s forestry and science related programs including:
  • Forestry components of NEFF’s USDA CSC program.
  • Modeling components of NEFF’s CSC program and other related modeling work.
  • Measuring, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MMRV) related components of NEFF’s CSC program and other programs.
  • Lead interface with UMaine Tribal Liaison for the CSC project with Tribal Nations.
  • Interface with development of climate-smart sourcing criteria and NEFF’s Bioeconomy Initiative.
  • Forestry leadership for other relevant programs within NEFF.
• Oversee implementation of Exemplary Forestry across NEFF’s forestland ownership as a model for the region and beyond.
• Supervision and management of NEFF’s 3-5 person science and forestry staff/teams and of sub-awardees on elements of the CSC project.
• Serve as a respected voice on improving forest management across New England, nationally and potentially in international forums as a spokesperson for NEFF and advocate for Exemplary Forestry as a leading nature-based climate solution.
• Designing, executing, managing external contracts for services and partners.

Experience & Requirements

• Familiarity with New England’s forest ecosystems and forest industry.
• Master’s Degree in Forestry or Forest Science with at least ten years of experience working on natural resource and/or climate mitigation issues.
• Demonstrated leadership capacity and a passion for forest conservation, forestry, and climate change action with a clear understanding of those issues and their relationships to forests, forestry, and natural resource management.
• A particular knowledge of Maine’s forest and desirable to have existing relationships with landowners.
• Familiarity with GHG monitoring approaches relevant to forest carbon management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience with effectively communicating complex scientific and technical information to a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to work collaboratively with NEFF staff, project partners, and outside stakeholders to build strong partnerships and achieve common goals.
• Affinity for working on dynamic, innovative, out-of-the box approaches.
• Exceptional organizational and prioritization skills with fluency and nimbleness in managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Compensation, Location & Other Information

• Salary for this position is $135,000 – $160,000 commensurate with experience.
• New England Forestry Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees including health/dental/vision insurances, paid time off, parental leave, retirement plan with employer match and vesting and a congenial and flexible working environment.
• Location for this position is flexible within the New England region. However, it will require travel across New England and to the organization’s Prouty Woods headquarters in Littleton, Massachusetts.

New England Forestry Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. NEFF commits to respecting and learning from different perspectives, reflecting the diverse citizens and communities of New England. In hiring, mentoring, and managing staff, the organization seeks to maintain a diverse, supportive, friendly, and discrimination-free workplace.